Now off to Seattle for the FANHS conference. Over 500 have registered from across the country and even from the Philippines. I look forward to this celebration of Fil-Am culture. The theme this year is A Quest for Emergence: A Retrospective.
I will defnitely give a thorough report.
I just got back from a three week visit to the homeland. I was there to witness the June 30 inauguration of P-Noy. What a privilege! As my Dad who is now 84 was saying, he is heaven sent. Let us pray for him and his administration as he faces the hurdles of the coming years. We have to do our part as well to achieve his priority — tackling the 30% (maybe more) poverty rate in the Philippines .
What a wonderful visit!!! as always. I traveled up North to Baguio on the bus and spent time in Benguet province. I also went to beautiful Tagaytay and Lipa City. The best part consisted of all the Filipino food I had. Interesting how when folks eat out now most everyone now chooses Filipino food. I recall that this did not happen when I was growing up.
We want to support our Fil-Am artist, Frederick Aguinaldo, in our midst. Here is the information regarding his exhibit:
Frederick Aguinaldo
The Kundirana Friends in collaboration with the La Salle Artists Foundation will be presenting a concert at the California Center for the Arts in Escondido on May 1, 2010. The concert will benefit Bahay Pag-Asa, a refuge for juvenile delinquents in the Philippines. Bahay Pag-Asa houses at-risk youth from adult prisons where corruption and abuse may occur. The home also offers education, spiritual formation and skills training.
Please contact Elaine (858-254-2833) or Perly (858-231-5576) for more information.
The President of De La Salle University will be coming for this presentation.
My friend sent me a link to this article created by the Earth Day network:
SAN DIEGO, 03/11/10 — The Children of Mother Earth will be coming to San Diego on Saturday, April 11th to perform at Jasmine Restaurant at 7:00 pm. Tickets for the performance are $50.00 each which includes an 8-course dinner banquet.
The young artists are residents of Smokey Mountain in Tondo, once the site of Metro Manila’s overflowing garbage dump. Smokey Mountain refers to the smoke of the burning mountain of refuse that would often veil the dumpsite. Before the site overflowed and was eventually abandoned, residents and their children made a living salvaging what could be recycled from the garbage site. Since then, a portion of the site had been cleared to make way for housing for squatters in the area.
Today, the children of the city’s dumpsite have become the children of mother earth, and the champions of ecological stewardship and conservation. As the first to feel the effects of what trash can do to the environment, they continue to draw awareness to the issue through the performing arts. These artists rose above the rubble of their environment and found meaning in their lives through their talents and creativity. Through their songs, interpretative dance and stage drama depicting the importance of taking care of our environment, they aim to move the conscience of people regarding environmental degradation and possible ecological disaster resulting from ravaging Earth, our planet.
The funds raised from the tour are used to finance educational programs and college scholarships for the young residents, alternative livelihood and job training programs, and the continuing rehabilitation of the living conditions of the poorest of the slums in Manila.
Sponsorship opportunities are available. Group rates at $450 for a table of ten are likewise available. To order tickets, please contact Blessie Trott 858.837.2322, Fr. Cecilio Moraga 619.944.7330, Dr Allen Chan 858.717.7708, Elsa Sieverts 619.757.9415 or Gen Silverio 619.851.9547.
Please make out the checks to the Escondido Host Lions Club, a 501(3)c non-profit organization.
Jasmine Restaurant is located at 4609 Convoy Street, San Diego CA 92111. From I-163 or I-805, take the Clairemont Mesa Blvd exit and go north on Convoy. The restaurant is one block north of Clairemont Mesa Blvd.
To learn more, view the KCET PBS Feed: http://www.pbs.org/kcet/globaltribe/countries/phi_payatas.html.
A slideshow about the Children of Mother Earth may be found at : http://www.pbs.org/kcet/globaltribe/countries/smokey_slideshow2.html
The website of the Philippine Stock Exchange (www.pse.com) has an information booklet on how to invest online. Highly recommended for those who want to park some funds in the Philippine stock market and help our economy.
I received this from a friend who is active in the community:
This is a link to a letter from Dr. Jody Blanco of UCSD’s Department of Literature — written to Filipino-American students, but completely applicable to all APA groups — on why it’s important to stand as allies with UCSD’s African-American students.
I understand why Filipino-American and other Asian-Americans could easily slide into complacency when the moment arises to get angry about…well, anything. But we know what it’s like to be on the receiving end of stereotypes and racial mocking, then feel a complete lack of support — both from within and outside the APA community — when we try to speak out about such incidents. This is one of those times to stand in solidarity, not only because we’ve been there and we get it, but also simply because it’s the right thing to do.
Incidentally, Dr. Blancos letter contains references to some parts of Filipino history that we tend to forget.
I met Liza Saway this summer at the Joan Kroc Peace Institute at USD in San Diego. She was invited as a woman peace keeper who is working very hard to promote peace and well-being in her native land. She is running for mayor and has asked support from her San Diego friends and compatriots. Please help her get elected. We definitely need qualified and capable elected officials taking office to help better the lives of the Filipinos and everyone worldwide.
She is a candidate in Lantapan, Bukidnon province.
Check out www.gopinoy.com
Students, educators, parents, grandparents and community leaders are invited to convene at the University of San Diego on Saturday, February 27 from 8:OO AM to 5:OOPM for the Mabuhay Conference. This gathering is a celebration of Filipino culture — through stories of hope and survival. Panelists of different ages and backgrounds will share their stories across generations to enhance family relationships and self-awareness. Our community is always enriched by gatherings such as this.
We’ve been hearing a lot about microloans and microfinance nowadays. There is a group in the Philippines that has been doing this called the Philippine Self-Help Foundation. Their website is www.pshf.net. and email address is: pshf@pshf.net or adminoffice@pshf.net. The website describes their work as such:
The PSHF’s main goal is to provide loans to poor families in the Philippines. The typical loan beneficiary would have an income of only 100 pesos per day and would be struggling hard to meet daily expenses from this. The PSHF’s intention is to encourage self-help, so the loans are used as capital for small businesses and repaid from profits.