I will defnitely give a thorough report.

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

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.

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

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.

http://fobbdeep.com/?p=1145

 

She is a candidate in Lantapan, Bukidnon province.

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.