What’s Inside?
Consul General Mario L. de Leon Jr. took over the helm of the Philippine Consulate General in New York on 01 March 2011. Prior to his appointment, he was the Philippine Ambassador to South Africa, with concurrent jurisdiction over 8 other countries in southern Africa – Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, Swaziland, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Given the breadth of responsibilities and the nature of diplomatic representation required, the position of Consul General of the Philippine Consulate General in New York is typically reserved to senior officers of the Department of Foreign Affairs, and no exception was made when Consul General de Leon was appointed to the post. Having been with the foreign service for over 28 years, Consul General de Leon brought with him a wealth of experience in bilateral and multilateral diplomacy and expertise in the private sector that made him a logical choice for the plum post. The Philippine Consulate General has jurisdiction over 10 states, namely New York, Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Vermont. Its mandate is to cultivate economic and commercial partnerships, people-to-people exchanges, socio-cultural connections and fruitful engagements with the mainstream society and Filipino-American communities in these areas, as well as extend consular services to Filipinos, including those in distress. Towards this end, Consul General de Leon has carried on important flagship projects as well as established new initiatives that seek to strengthen, expand and deepen the relations between the Philippines and the communities in these 10 states. Economic diplomacy remains at the forefront of Consul General de Leon’s programs, which consists of activities that promote investments and other forms of commercial links between the US and the Philippines in various fields, most notably tourism and trade. Specific activities in this area include trade missions and investment roadshows, from the Philippines to the US and vice-versa, events that promote Philippine cuisine and spirits such as Inuman at Pulutan, initiatives that engage local business chambers such as small business seminars, and programs that promote Philippine culture and tourism such as the annual Ambassadors, Consuls General and Tourism Directors Tour (ACGTDT) to the Philippines. Cultural promotions activities comprise a big part of Consul General de Leon’s thrusts. These serve to highlight the best of Philippine culture to the mainstream society, and connect the FilipinoAmerican community with their heritage. Among the Consulate General’s most notable flagship projects are the annual Sinehan sa Summer, which showcases the great Filipino classic and indie fulllength and short films; the Paaralan sa Konsulado, which teaches second-generation Filipino children about their cultural heritage and identity; the Simbang Gabi, which seeks to uphold a beloved Philippine tradition; and events that seek to commemorate important events in Philippine history. A new project in the pipeline is Filipino Restaurant Week, which, riding on the increasing popularity of Filipino cuisine in New York, seeks to promote Philippine restaurants in New York City and New Jersey as essential tools in enjoying Filipino food. The bedrock of the Consulate General’s mandate is extending consular services to the Filipino community, particularly those in distress. On this note, a pioneering initiative is the Geographic Warden System that put in place volunteers from the Filipino -American community in places far from New York City who are in the position to extend emergency assistance to and access to services for kababayans in distress. To date, there are 56 such volunteers across the 10 states under the Consulate General’s jurisdiction. Since it was established in 2013, the system has been effective in attending to crisis situations that involve Filipino nationals. Continued on next page
Health Equity Symposium…....3 NaFFAA on Nepal Tragedy…….3 Region 2 Conference….………...4 R3 West Conference…......…….6 Rising to the Challenge……......7 Business Boot Camp……………..8 Region 3 East Conference …….9 Membership Form….....……….10
NaFFAA National Newsletter
April, 2015
In addition to the Warden System, the Consulate General also undertakes regular consular outreach missions to areas outside New York City as a means of bringing the Consulate General’s services closer to the public that it serves. Apart from processing consular documents such as Philippine passports, civil registry, reacquisition of Philippine citizenship and notarizations, consular outreach missions also offer voters registration for the forthcoming 2016 national elections in the Philippines. In support of the Philippine Embassy’s work in Washington DC, Consul General de Leon has engaged since 2011 around 25 US Congressmen and Senators in lobbying support for draft legislations in American Congress that are in the Philippine interest, such as the Save Our Industries Act and the Philippine Veterans Gold Medal Recognition Act. Together with members of the Filipino community, he continually establishes linkages with the local governments in the cities and states under its jurisdiction as a way of making the services offered by these localities more accessible to the Filipino public. An important pillar of Consul General de Leon’s program is the Consulate General’s engagement with the Filipino-American community. In the first ever Filipino-American Community General Assembly that he organized in February this year that successfully gathered over 100 leaders of 65 organizations in the greater US Northeast, Consul General de Leon expounded on the key principles that should guide the community organizations as they undertake their programs and projects, namely increased visibility, continued relevance and sustainability through repurposing and getting the second and third generations involved, and pursuing humanitarian goals, or “giving back”. A critical element in the Consulate General’s engagement of the Filipino-American community is nurturing its relations with the second generation and encouraging them to be take leadership roles. Towards this end, Consul General de Leon initiated the Leadership and Mentoring Seminar, a workshop that seeks to equip 2ndGen Fil-Am leaders with the skills and motivation to take over the reins of community organizations and assume more prominent roles in greater society. Consul General de Leon also throws his support behind activities organized by the 2ndGen, such as PGrad, a graduation ceremony for high school and college students, and Battle of the Barrios, an inter-school talent competition of Filipino student groups. On giving back, an important initiative has been The Build-A-Shelter Project, a purely community-led movement, under the leadership and vision of Consul General de Leon, that successfully raised around $380,000, enough to build 104 houses in 4 villages that were devastated by Typhoon Haiyan in 2013. The Project was cited by Gawad Kalinga, its partner in building the houses, as “the biggest and most organized government response team that (it partnered with) in rebuilding efforts for Typhoon Haiyan survivors.” The total amount raised was achieved with almost no overhead cost, ensuring that all of the funds went to the project and its beneficiaries. The Consulate General continually seeks to keep its publics up-to-date about its services and developments that affect the Filipino-American community through regular advisories and new releases that are published in its official website, www.newyorkpcg.org, through social media, and through its bi-annual newsletter, Ka-Akbay. It also organizes periodic community forums and town hall meetings that discuss important issues and concerns of the day. The Philippine Consulate General in New York is located at 556 Fifth Avenue, New York NY 10036, and can be reached at telephone (212) 764-1330, fax (212) 764-6010 and email newyork.pcg@dfa.gov.ph. More information about its services can be obtained at www.newyorkpcg.org.
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NaFFAA National Newsletter
April, 2015
NaFFAA Calls on FilAm Community to Assist in Nepal Relief Washington, D.C. – JT Mallonga, chairman of the National Federation of Filipino American Associations (NaFFAA), is urging the Filipino American community to help in the immediate relief efforts for the people of Nepal and to assist in the long-term recovery of the disaster-stricken nation. More than 5,000 people have lost their lives from the massive 7.8 earthquake that struck Nepal on April 25. Many are still missing and more than 9,200 were injured. The catastrophe also affected eight million who have been displaced, with their homes and properties destroyed. In addition to the humanitarian disaster, ancient temples and heritage sites were toppled and devastated in the historic capital of Kathmandu.
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“We are deeply saddened by this tragedy – one that Filipinos and Filipino Americans can all relate to,” said Mallonga. “In October 2013, when a 7.2 earthquake hit the island of Bohol, 3.5 million people across six provinces were affected, with 370,000 forced from their homes in Bohol. Catastrophic damage was also inflicted on communities surrounding heritage sites and numerous historic places, including three-centuries-old churches and heritage cultural landmarks.” “As in Bohol, the humanitarian disaster in Nepal is devastating to families who lost loved ones, their homes and their livelihood,” Mallonga added. “As they go through the pain of rebuilding their lives, let us keep the government and the people of Nepal in our prayers and do what we can to lend a helping hand.” Mallonga is calling on NaFFAA regional and state chairs to work with organizations in their respective areas that are leading the relief and humanitarian efforts. “Whatever assistance we can provide will go a long way in assuring the people of Nepal that we care,” Mallonga said.
NaFFAA Region 8 and Philippine Consulate General SF Lead 1st National Filipino Health Equity Symposium Panelists Seated L-R Dr. Aimee Afable, Joanna Snyder, RD, Dr. Charito Sico, Rhodora Ursua, MPH, Dr. Julieta Gabiola and Dr. Melinda Bender. Standing NaFFAA Organizers L-R: 4th Tina Novero, 6th John Ngau, 7th Ester Aure, 8th Arnold Pedrigal, 9th Rudy Asercion, 10th Anthony Luna, 11th Archie Dayan, 13th Phil Dela Cruz, 14th Sansu Ramsey, 15th Rachel Mesa, 16th Eva Ayre and 17th Jinni Bartolome.
The National Federation of Filipino American Associations of Northern California in partnership with the Philippine Consulate General held the 1st National Filipino Health Equity Symposium at the Philippine Consulate in San Francisco on Saturday, April 25, 2015. The Symposium focused in raising awareness about the severity of the chronic disease burden in the Filipino community so that it can begin dialogue and ultimately intervene on national level. A multi-disciplinary panel representing public health, intervention research, nutrition, medicine, and community mobilization facilitated a critical discussion on what Filipinos needed to know about chronic disease burden in the community.The panelists provided information and resources that identified effective strategies for management of lifestyle related chronic diseases and a path toward prevention, Leading Universities and hospitals provided 6 panelists who reported scientific evidence about the State of Filipino Health together with effective strategies for preventing and management of lifesyle related chronic diseases in the at-risk population. Interested organizations can email NaFFAASF@gmail.com for a copy of the video of the Symposium. 3
NaFFAA National Newsletter
April, 2015
NaFFAA Delegates to R2 Conference Urged to Speak Up and Be Counted In business, health care, politics or public affairs, Filipino American voices need to be heard so they’ll know their rights, avail of benefits government provides, and further enhance their opportunities for community empowerment. This was the message to the nearly 100 delegates who attended the Capital Region conference of the National Federation of Filipino American Associations (NaFFAA) in Richmond, Va. on April 11. Drawing on the event’s theme, “Rising to the challenge: Alone, we go faster, together we go farther,” speakers challenged the participants to assert themselves in all areas of U.S. society, particularly on critical issues that affect them, their families and their children’s future. Speakers included elected officials, state agency heads, policy makers, civil rights advocates, diplomats, community leaders and a US Representative.
L to R: Maj. General (Army-Ret.) Delfin Lorenzana, Office of Veterans Affairs, Philippine Embassy, Nony Abrajano, NaFFAA Capital Region, Chair Emeritus, Gil P. Zulueta, NaFFAA Capital Region Chair Emeritus, Cong. (VA Beach, Virginia) Bobby Cortez Scott, Loida Nicolas Lewis, NaFFAA Chair Emeritus, Bing Cardenas Branigin, NaFFAA Capital region Chair, Merit Salud, NaFFAA Region 1., Back Row: Deputy Chief of Mission, Patrick Chuasoto, and Eric Macalama, NaFFAA Capital Region Vice Chair
“Do you want the Tea Party to cut social security and Medicare as viable solutions for our citizens?” asked US Rep. Bobby Scott (D) who represents the Hampton Roads district of Virginia. “The answer is in your hands. If you, the people, were given the choice, you know that the impact of Medicare on the lives of older Americans over the past 48 years has been truly profound. As a result of its passage, millions of Americans have lived longer, more productive healthier lives.”
But to ensure this safety net, “you have to make a difference in national elections and make your voice count,” Scott said. “Being empowered means making the right choices in electing those who represent your interest.” Del. Mark Keam (D) of the Virginia State Assembly made a similar point about engaging public policy makers who think of Asian Americans as “a model minority” who are doing well. “A vast amount of our families are still falling behind in health care coverage and economic opportunities,” he pointed out. “And Asian American students have high drop-out rates. So we have to break through that conversation and be that voice that challenges how the mainstream defines us.” Keam noted that Asian Americans are the fastest growing voting population in the U.S. today. “We can make a difference especially in close elections,” he said. Added Merit Salud, NaFFAA’s director of advocacy: “Without politics, we are nothing in America.” STEP UP AND VOTE. During the panel discussion on Political Action and Civic Engagement, Eric Salcedo, National Field Director of APIA Vote, stressed that the coming national elections is an opportunity for the Filipino American community to be involved in a significant way. He cited surveys indicating that nationally 46% of Asian Pacific Americans are “not aligned” with any political party. In the state of Virginia, he noted, 129,000 APAs are potential voters. “We have to naturalize and register them to vote,” Salcedo said. “Virginia is now purple, and it could be a swing state.” Added panelist Vellie Dietrich Hall: “We need step up to the plate and push the wagon up.” Hall formed the Filipino American Republicans of Virginia (FARV) years ago “because we need to be seen as being active, politically.” In her keynote address, NaFFAA National Chair Emeritus Loida Nicolas Lewis, further expanded on active community participation in the 2016 national elections. “This is going to be very important,” she said. “Indeed, we can be the swing vote in states like Virginia where our numbers are large. Whether you are Democrat or Republican, get our people to register and vote and campaign hard for your candidates.”
L to R: Romeo Ymalay, KAYA Chair, Washington, DC., Chapter, Jason Alinea Tengco, Senior Advisor, White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (WHIAAPI), Loida Nicolas Lewis, NaFFAA Chair Emerita, Angelo Mathay, Migration Policy Institute (MPI), and Emil Trinidad, Conference on Asian Pacific American Leadership (CAPAL), at the Bull and Bear Club, Richmond, Virginia during the NaFFAA Capital Region Empowerment Conference, April 11, 2015.
Lewis also challenged Filipino dual citizens to vote in Philippine elections. She also addressed the issue of Amerasian children and China’s aggression in Philippine territorial waters. “Let’s speak up and boycott China goods,” she implored the delegates. Continued on next page
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NaFFAA National Newsletter
April, 2015
TAKING CARE OF BUSINESS. In the field of business, Angela Chiang of the Virginia Department of Small Business encouraged delegates to be aware of contracting opportunities and “get ready to learn how to make money.” She said 200 state agencies spend $5 billion a year purchasing items, from dog food (for State Police canine units) to sneakers (for recreation and parks staff). “There are many advantages to being certified as a small business,” she said. “But you must also be a strong voice in making policy changes that affect minority businesses.” Loida Nicolas, CEO of TLC Beatrice International, narrated her own personal experience running a large company after her husband, Reginald F. Lewis, died. “First thing is to do your due diligence and don’t believe in your press releases,” she explained. “Know what your business is going to be like, and what’s its purpose. Check the background of your personnel. Learn from your failures because they are steps to success. And with passion and intensity, focus on staying with the business.” A member of the audience bemoaned the lack of entrepreneurial training in the Philippines for Filipino students. “We were expected to be doctors or teachers, but never encouraged to take up business and become entrepreneurs,” she said. L to R: Eric Salcedo, Field Director, APIA Vote, Jon Melegrito, NaFFAA Communications Director, Eric Macalma, NaFFAA Capital Region, Vice Chair.
Moderating the panel was Samuel Hayes III, former director of the Virginia Department of Minority Business Enterprise.
GETTING THE WORD OUT. The panel on immigration focused on President Obama’s executive orders on Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and Deferred Action for Parent Accountability (DAPA). Moderated by Erin Oshiro, an immigrant rights attorney at Advancing Justice (AAJC), speakers urged community leaders to get the word out about these programs. “Among APAs, Filipinos have the highest undocumented population of 250,000 to 300,000,” Oshiro said. “But they have the lowest enrollment rate. They should come forward and take advantage of this immigration relief.” Among the benefits: they are eligible to apply for a driver’s license, get paid better wages (“over and not under the table”) and receive protections from deportation. Angelo Mathay, Associate Policy Analyst with the Migrant Policy Institute, underscored the need “to reach out and educate families who may be fearful because of mis-information. We also need to educate the media that this is not just a Latino issue.” One question posed during the forum raised a concern about the next US President over-turning President Obama’s executive order. “It’s an open question,” answered Oshiro. “But the key is to take advantage of what’s available now, then fight for something lasting.” Mathay added that previous executive orders were never repealed by succeeding presidents from another party. “It’s just not wise.” Other panelists included White House Senior Adviser Jason Tengco, Immigration Attorney JT Mallonga of the Filipino American Legal Defense and Education Fund (FALDEF) and KAYA co-chairs Romeo Ymalay and Emil Trinidad. They all agreed that fixing the country’s broken immigration is still the best solution to ensure visa backlogs are eliminated and undocumented immigrants have a path to citizenship. “DACA and DAPA are temporary, so it is crucial to push comprehensive immigration reform,” Tengco said. “We need to raise the community’s awareness of how this legislation would impact our families.”
FILLING THE GAP. On “Elderly Care,” Dr. Jennifer Lee, Virginia Deputy Secretary of Health and Human Resources, emphasized the implications of an aging APA population to public policy. “As this over-60 population grows, we need to think about their needs,” she said. “Are we prepared to meet them? They have tremendous wisdom and skills that we can draw from for the economy. But there are linguistic, physical, social and cultural barriers. And they set up risk factors, like depression.” Lee underscored the importance of availing of state resources such as “Meals on Wheels,” transportation support, one-stop shops, care-giving and insurance programs. “Today, our elders live longer, so we need to help them continue to be a vibrant part of our economy, help seniors stay or re-enter the workforce in a different way that gives them dignity and self-respect.” Also speaking on the subject, AARP Community Ambassador Tony Taguba shared a deeply personal story about caring for his mother who died of cancer and dealing with his father who suffered from dementia. “This is a real crisis that faces all children,” he said. “What to do with mom and dad when they can’t pay their bills anymore, when they are making too many doctor’s visits, and taking too many pills? You have to fill in that gap. Start a conversation now. Make a plan for their care. Caring for our elderly is part of our cultural DNA.” Along the same subject, Eric Lachica of US Medicare in the Philippines detailed the benefits of medical portability especially for those who plan to return home and retire. Continued on next page
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NaFFAA National Newsletter
April, 2015
FAILURE NOT AN OPTION. As he has done in his many travels across the country promoting the Filipino Veterans Recognition and Education Project (FilVetREP), Maj. Gen. Antonio Taguba (Ret) urged delegates to help pass legislation securing a Congressional Gold Medal for Filipino World War II veterans and a Proclamation recognizing them for their wartime service. “Being a soldier, you are guaranteeing your mission with your life,” he said. “Our veterans did what they were asked to do. Now it’s our turn to work for the recognition they rightly deserve. Failure to do so is not an option.” Taguba mentioned six other minority groups who received the medal. “Filipino soldiers are the last group, and I’m confident they will get the award. But we need your help and support to make it happen.” In the audience, Cong. Scott nodded his head in agreement and indicated he will be among the legislation’s sponsors. PHILIPPINE EMBASSY’S ROLE. Petrona Bergado of the Philippine Embassy’s Overseas Welfare Assistance Office, described the scope of the agency’s responsibilities. They include helping Filipino nationals in war-torn or disaster areas return safely to the Philippines, finding alternative means of livelihood for them, providing financial assistance in case of death and other social benefits like counseling.
Maj. General (Army-Ret), Antonio M. Taguba, talked about the status of Filipino Americans Senior Health Care, and the Filipino World War ll US Congressional Gold Medal Project, during the NaFFAA Capital Region Empowerment Conference, April 11, 2015, Bull and Bear Club, Richmond, Virginia.
Expanding on the embassy’s role, Deputy Chief of Mission Patrick Chuasoto said “we continue to deliver basic services, such as the implementation of the Citizenship Retention and Re-acquisition Act, or dual citizenship, overseas absentee voting, DACA clinics and information sessions. He also highlighted Amb. Jose L. Cuisia’s brainchild, the Filipino Youth Leadership program, or FYLPro, an immersion program in the Philippines designed to engage Filipino American youth to have a dialogue with Philippine leaders in business, government, culture and the arts. Recognizing the Philippine Embassy’s partnerships with the Filipino American community, NaFFAA Region 2 presented an “Award of Appreciation” to Minister Elmer Cato for “distinguished service to the community and his unstinting support of NaFFAA’s civic engagement and political empowerment initiatives.” YOUTH LEADERSHIP. Capital Region Chair Bing Branigin, in her opening remarks, explained that the conference theme of “Rising to the Challenge: Alone, we go Faster, Together we go Farther,” is meant to highlight close collaboration and cooperation with the youth. “We don’t just want to pass the baton to them and leave them alone,” she said. “We want to hold the baton together in shared leadership, both in spirit and in action. We want to nurture their development even as we are enriched by their fresh ideas, enthusiasm and passion to serve.” In affirming this direction, NaFFAA Capital Region elected Eric Macalma, 29, to serve as Vice Chair, and GMU student JC Videna, 21, as Assistant Treasurer. It was Macalma who chaired the planning for the regional conference, recruited youth volunteers and, along with Dr. Maria Cielo Sinsioco of Richmond, VA., served as emcee for the day-long event. “I can’t say enough about Eric’s leadership, dedication and hardwork,” said Branigin. “He has infused NaFFAA with new energy.”
Dear Region Chairs: Please provide your 2015 events so we can post them on the website under Calendar of Events. I get inquiries about events in certain areas so I usually refer them to the Region Chair but having it on the website would make easier access to information directly by would be members. And it will help also the rest of the BOGs plan their calendars to attend your events in case they are in your area (Thanks Bing for the suggestion). Please provide your calendar and contact information by May 15th. Giselle Rushford National Federation of Filipino American Associations NaFFAA Executive Director giselle.rushford@naffaa.org
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NaFFAA National Newsletter
April, 2015
"Rising to the Challenge. Alone, we go faster; Together we go farther.” By Eric Dave Alejandro Macalma "April showers brings May flowers". Well at least that’s how the saying goes, and with only a few days left in April as we head into Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, I thought it fitting to talk about what an amazing year 2015 has been so far. With it being Asian Heritage month, it is more than just the upcoming Manny Pacquiao fight that we as Filipinos can take pride in, because despite the many changes and transitions I've been going through as a young professional nearing the big 3-0, my pride as a Filipino American has grown by witnessing encouraging unity throughout Filipino communities throughout the East Coast. Take the recent Empowerment Conference behind the National Federation of Filipino American Associations (NaFFAA) Region 2 in Richmond. I was elated to see an L to R: Eric Macalma, Vice Chair, NaFFAA Capital Region, Bing Cardenas Branigin, Chair, Capital Region, and JT Mallonga, National Chair, NaFFAA, at the wel- outpour of support from Fil Am leaders travelling to Richcome reception for the guests and delegates to the regional conference held at the mond, Virginia from as far as New York, Philadelphia, and Macalma residence in Richmond, Virginia. as far as Florida. This is something that I can say has never happened for the Richmond, Virginia Fil Am communities, let alone having the opportunity to bring in national leaders like JT Mallonga (NaFFAA National Chair), Ms. Loida Nicolas Lewis, and General Tony Taguba. Another recent event that brought Filipinos together was the first ever partnership with the White House Initiative for Asian American Pacific Islanders (WHIAPPI) and Fil Americans. This brought together the first Filipino American Boot Camp which is a day long conference that was built to support the growth of Entrepreneurship and Business amongst Filipinos. What was most encour- NaFFAA National is a monthly newsletter with the aging was to see Filipino Leaders came from as far Chicago, to Atlanta, goal of circulating information on NaFFAA’s advocaGeorgia, and that this was brought together by a collective of Philippine cy events and projects, appointments, messages from Chambers across the East Coast led by the Philippine American Chamber leadership and other related activities in the Filipino of Commerce of Pennsylvania & Southern New Jersey (PACC-PASNJ) American community. spear-headed by President Brad Baldia who set out to partner with WHIAPPI. As a Filipino growing up in America also being heavily inRyan Tejero fluenced into American culture, it is easy to lose your identity not to menEditor-In-Chief tion as a 1st generation Filipino being often mistaken as a 2nd generation. At the recent Philippine American Foundation for Charities (PAFC) Salu ryantejero@yahoo.com Salo event, held in Maryland, I was inspired by keynote speaker Filipino Contributing Editors American Lawyer Brandon Beyer who spoke about his grandfather Leon Eduardo “Ed” Navarra Flores Punzalan who was the First Filipino American West Point Academy graduate with an amazing story to match his great accomplishments. As ejn0115@aol.com Brandon listed out his grandfather’s accomplishments he came back to the Jon Melegrito fact that it was more about telling the story, and more specifically Brandon finding his own story let alone that we as Filipino Americans have to find jdmelegrito@gmail.com our own story. Our stories are important given that we are both Filipino Bing Branigin and Americans in this country. With that in mind a part of the telling our MCBranigin@aol.com stories is looking for more opportunities for us as Fil Ams and seeing this ever increasing outpouring of support for our Fil Am communities and see- Please forward event announcements and news artiing Fil Am leaders, trailblazers in their own right, lending their time and encles in your community for May issue by the 25th. ergy to grow more opportunities for Fil Ams across the nation is like a reju- Submission must be in word format and pictures are in jpeg or jpg formats. venating panacea for me as a young professional. Heading into Asian Pacific American Heritage Month all I can say is I am proud to be Filipino Thank you to all April contributors! American knowing that our communities are growing stronger than ever with more and more unity amongst Filipinos. Ple
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NaFFAA National Newsletter
April, 2015
White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (WHIAAPI) Supports Philadelphia "Fil-Am Small Business Boot Camp" on April 21, 2015 This historic national event focused on building capacity within the Fil-Am business community and was created in partnership with the WHIAAPI. As one of the five projects selected as part of WHIAAPI’s Challenge.gov program to improve the quality of life for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, it is the only project focused on the Fil-Am community. The boot camp was planned by Chamber leaders headed by the Philippine American Chamber of Commerce of Pennsylvania & Southern New Jersey (PACC-PASNJ) and those from New York, Washington DC, Georgia, and California in conjunction with the WHIAAPI, MBDA, and SBA staff. This successful event attended by about 100 business leaders, entrepreneurs, startup ventures, and students featured remarks by the Philippine Consul General in NY Mario De Leon, WHIAAPI’s Commissioners Billy Dec and Nina Ahmad, and the National Chairman of the National Federation of Filipino American Associations (NaFFAA), JT Mallonga. The boot camp’s vision is that this is just the beginning and that with the support of the WHIAAPI, SBA, and MBDA, this will open new doors to Fil-Am entrepreneurs and professionals and inspire the next generation of business leaders to be involved in the community.
Participants and organizers of the Filipino American Small Business Boot Camp, presented by the Philippine American Chamber of Commerce of Philadelphia, and South New Jersey (PACC-PASNJ) , and the White House Initiative on Asian American and Pacific Islander (WHIAAPI), NaFFAA Region 1, and NaFFAA Region 2, posed for a picture in front of the Municipal Hall of Philadelphia last April 21, 2015.
L to R: Eric Macalma, CEO, The Firestarter Group, and Vice Chair, National Federation of Filipino American Associations, Capital Region (NaFFAA R2), Nicole Fonseca, proprietor, Jeepney and Maharlika Restaurants, New York, Bryan Ramos, ESQ, RLF RAMOS Law Firm, Atlanta, Georgia, and Brad Baldia, President, Philippine American Chamber of Commerce- Philadelphia and South New Jersey, and NaFFAA State Chair, Philly., at the White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (WHIAAPI) Filipino American Small Business Boot Camp, held last April 21, Philadelphia. 8
NaFFAA National Newsletter
April, 2015
http://www.naffaa-r3east.org/
Speakers at the Region 3 East Conference, To feature more in the coming issues
Melissa Abiva Fata, Businesswoman
Mardi J. Ross, J.D., M.B.A.
Manuel Villareal, M.D., CPI
Beth Piocos, Ph.D.
Jay Loyola, Artist
Clarence Padilla, Ph.D.
Roel Campos, M.B.A.
JT S. Mallonga, Esq. NaFFAA National Chair
An Invitation from the NaFFAA Region 3 East We invite you to participate in this coming Midwest Filipino-American associations and communities’ conference and gala event convened by NaFFAA Region 3East. Core activities for this event include Friday’s “A Glimpse of A Culture” program, which will showcase Philippine heritage and culture in dance and song by different community groups. A feature film Sayaw (Dance) follows, a documentary on an ethnic (FilAm) dance company. As an educational outreach event, it is free and open to the public, and will be held at Greaves Concert Hall at the Northern Kentucky University. To kababayans, relatives, friends and supporters of our community, we sincerely extend this invitation for your support and your presence in this celebration of our Philippine heritage. In keeping with the NaFFAA mission of Fil-Am community empowerment through education and advocacy, informational seminars and workshops will be held over the weekend. The culminating event is the Filipiniana Gala, an evening of celebration and fellowship. In addition to these NaFFAA activities, a multitude of activities for family and guests are readily accessible in the area, including a weekend of Cincinnati Reds’ home games with Sunday Family Day, as well as tour group options. We are also excited to offer an offsite exclusive activity for conference attendees’ guests.
Vicky Villareal, M.D.
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State Chair, Kentucky and Host of 2015 R3 Conference
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