From: PCG-SF: Cultural Section
Date: Thu, Oct 15, 2009 at 12:28 PM
Subject: LTR-563-2009 6th Letter from Consul General Marciano Paynor, Jr. re. Appeal for Assistance to Victims of Typhoon Ondoy
Dear Colleagues,
Attached for your information and dissemination is the 6th Dear Kababayan Letter on the in kind donations including used clothing for the victims of typhoon Ondoy and Pepeng; and the establishment of the DOF One Stop Shop to process all donations at customs.
1) Rally to support typhoon victims on Sunday Oct 18 3 - 6 p.m. at Seafood City Lobby and breakfast brunch happening that morning 8:30 a.m. - 2 p.m. at the Filipino Community Center on 820 Sonoma Blvd., Vallejo. Contact Eloise Scott 707.642.5643 or Norma Placido 707.643.8057
2) Filipino American History month activities. The state (& nation) are starting to celebrate the month of October as Filipino American history month - the first recorded landing of FIlipinos was on October 18, 1587 on a Spanish Galleon at Morro Bay on the coast of California. We have FREE activities this weekend at our local musuem:
Vallejo Celebrates Filipino American History Month:
For more information on the events listed below, contact Mel Orpilla 707.477.1159 / Belle Santos 707.477.4361 / Lionel Galiste 707.334.1646.
Saturday, OCTOBER 17
Vallejo Naval & Historical Museum, 734 Marin Street, will hold “Free Family Day” on Saturday, October 17 from 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. celebrating Filipino American History Month. Documentary videos featuring local Filipino experiences, panel presentation on “Growing up Brown in V-Town”, and presentation by Larry Asera on “Five Generations – From Sakadas to the Boardroom.”
10/17 SCHEDULE:
10-11 a.m. Video presentation:
Remember Our Manongs (Elders), Sonoma County’s Filipino History (DVD) - This feature length documentary film explores the history of the earliest Filipino immigrants in Sonoma County. Mostly single young men, they began arriving in California in the 1920s. The manongs’ (elders) story is one of tenacity and endurance coupled with an extraordinary sense of community. In the film, their inspirational story is told by surviving family members, descendants of former employers, and other key figures in Sonoma County. Sponsored in part by the California Council for the Humanities, the film was produced in 2008 by a core team of mostly Filipina Americans impassioned with the determination to ensure that the manongs will always be remembered.
11-12 “Five Generations – From Sakads to the Boardroom” by Larry Asera
The grandson of one of the Filipino immigrants who first settled in Hawaii in 1906 and then migrated to California in 1925, Larry, dubbed as the energy czar of Vallejo, has accomplished many “firsts” for a Filipino in America in the fields of politics and business. He will present his research on his family history that spans multiple generations.
Noon – 1 p.m. Growing Up Brown in V-Town Panel
Marian Argonza Escobar Hopwood
Lala Llacuna
& more……
See September 30, 2009 updates here.
October 2, 2009
We are documenting the latest information that we received from our reliable sources and contacts. Please confirm whatever you get here. We do our fact-checking as quickly and humanly possible. We have also been advised that as a 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization, there are certain words and actions we cannot use/do, such as “lobbying,” “political,” “political endorsements” and “political fundraising.” Thank you. - Lorna Dietz, NaFFAA Region 8 Vice Chair
* * *
From: Jose Pecho
Date: Sun, Oct 4, 2009 at 10:51 AM
Subject: Only $100,000 from US Government for Victims of Typhoon Ondoy
Dear Friends:
NaFFAA in conjunction with other community organizations will seek the support of US Senate and Congressional leaders to provide the Philippines, Asia’s oldest democracy, more emergency and humanitarian aid.
An amazing $100,000 has been provided the Philippines by the US government. In comparison the European Commission in the Philippines has provided over $2 Million in assistance. Below my signature line, is an article providing assistance information from countries who have pledged or donated to help the typhoon ravaged portion of Manila.
There are 4 million Filipinos residing in the US. If each of us pledged $10 each, it would raise a whopping $40,000,000! This amount would make a bigger impact than any government or country could do and would go a long way toward helping the 800,000 families displaced by this catastrophe.
We hope to provide further information in the days ahead on how you personally can help. Please go to http://naffaar8.com for further details.
Sincerely,
Jose Pecho, Chair
Region 8, Northern California
National Federation of Filipino
American Associations (NaFFAA)
http://naffaar8.com
By Kristine L. Alave
Philippine Daily Inquirer First Posted 21:33:00 10/02/2009
Filed Under: Foreign Aid, Foreign affairs & international relations, Ondoy, Weather
MANILA, Philippines—Donations for the relief and recovery assistance in the aftermath of Tropical Storm Ondoy” from the international community has reached over half a billion pesos, the Department of Foreign Affairs said.
Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto Romulo reported to President Macapagal-Arroyo that donations from various governments have reached P566 million as of Oct. 2. The National Disaster Coordinating Council, Department of Social Welfare and Development, Philippine National Red Cross and other agencies have been authorized to receive the donations, which will greatly complement the government’s efforts.
“The Philippine Government is deeply appreciative of our international partners’ swift response to our call for aid. The DFA will work with the NDCC, DSWD, PNRC and other agencies to ensure that these donations reach our distressed kababayans as soon as possible,” Secretary Romulo said.
Ondoy, which whipped Manila Saturday, caused severe flooding in the metropolis and nearby provinces.
The government said nearly 300 people died from the disaster, which also displaced hundreds of thousands of Filipinos.
The European Commission in the Philippines has allotted 2 million euros (P138 million) in urgent relief funding, the DFA reported. The Embassy of Spain in the Philippines has ordered the release of 150,000 euros (approximately P10 million) for food aid, while Spanish organization Accion Contra el Hambre donated 250,000 euros (approximately P17 million).
The Swiss government also issued CHF250,000 (approximately P11 million) to support emergency related operation which will be funded by the Swiss Red Cross to the Philippine National Red Cross. The French Foreign Ministry has earmarked initial 10,000 euros (P690,000) to the Philippine National Red Cross as its initial contribution.
Germany is providing 500,000 euros (roughly P35 million) in emergency humanitarian aid for the victims, which will be placed at the disposal of German humanitarian aid organizations The combined European aid reached P254 million.
Aside from the European partners, other countries like the US and Canada sent financial assistance to the victims. The US government donated US$100,000 for relief efforts, while Canada pledged Canadian $5 million (approximately US$4.7 million).
China pitched in US$100,000 check donation; US$10,000 to the PNRC; while Chinese firm Huawei donated US$30,000. Singapore raised US$30,000 and a further US$20,000 in seed money to jumpstart a donations drive by the Singapore Red Cross.
The Republic of Korea has donated emergency relief assistance in the form of rice, tents, medical supplies and other essential items worth $300,000 coursed through the Department of Social Welfare and Development. A Korean company, OCI Company Ltd., also donated $50,000 through the Philippine National Red Cross.
The Japanese government is sending $220,000 worth of relief goods to the Philippines. Australia pledged Australian $1 million (approximately US$879,000) to support response and recovery activities.
The UN World Health Organization has launched earlier a $42,000 relief fund. The UN World Food Programme has also stepped up its efforts to provide immediate relief to the typhoon victims.
Basic necessities such as food, clean water, shelter, clothes, and medicines were in short supply in many communities and evacuation center.
A delegation of UN workers is set to arrive in Manila on Saturday to help in the relief and rehabilitation operations. UN WFP executive director Josette Sheeran said the organization will have a three-month emergency operation to bring food and other assistance to people affected by Ondoy.
Hello all — Thank you all so much for taking the time to meet last Tuesday evening at the Philippine Consulate. It was truly a strong showing of unity, compassion, and generosity. Many of us are involved in a myriad of relief efforts and the consensus of the meeting was that we, as well as the flood victims, will benefit from consolidating and streamlining our charitable efforts. This will save us valuable time/resources, avoid re-inventing the wheel, and duplication of efforts. Also, all agreed that this tragedy/disaster was an opportunity for our community to unify and harness our talents/skills to assist the flood victims. Moreover, we hope to create a formalized emergency response system and infrastructure to address future disasters, emergencies, and calamaties.
In an effort to move forward with such objectives, discrete tasks were discussed and division of labor identified.
There may be more steering Committees that will be formed along the way so stay tuned.
Overall Coordination: Marivic Bamba
Co-Coordinator: Bernadette Roco
Everyone is encouraged to participate, all your ideas are welcome…so please don’t be shy. Many of the members are already working hard at their respective tasks. Mark Grafilo of KAYA, Chair of Political Committee, has sent out notices on advocating support from USAID.
By the way, we urge all members to join Facebook as it is an effective media tool to publicize our activities and notify all of upcoming activities.
As we resolved at the meeting, we will be meeting EVERY Wednesday at 7pm at the Philippine Consulate, 5th floor Social Hall.
See you all next Wednesday, October 7, at 7pm. Please check with the Reception Area since the meeting venue might change. It might take place in the first floor, 447 Sutter Street.
Please forward this to your family and friends in the USA and beyond: You can make a TRUE difference wherever you live, even if this CALL TO ACTION is happening in San Francisco, CA! Your act of signing the online petition can help solidify your citizen voices in making sure that this does not happen in your community. JOIN US! Click here for the online petition or copy and paste - http://bit.ly/2kxjN
On June 30, 2009, at 5:00pm, the Filipino American community and friends organized and participated in a rally by the steps of City Hall (Polk St. side) to show their solidarity in supporting Filipino non-profits in San Francisco, all of which were not included in the allocation of close to $9-million of City funds for disadvantaged families. For example, Executive Director Rudy Asercion says, “West Bay serves the poorest of the poor of SOMA (South of Market) including after-school tutorials, financial literacy and healthy lifestyle programs as well as life skills training.”
This rally was organized to pressure the members of the Board of Supervisors, as well as, Mayor Newsom to reconsider funding them.
These valuable non-profits who serve the most disadvantaged members of our community not funded were West Bay Pilipino Multi-Service, Philippine Senior Center, Family Resource Network, South of Market Clinic and South of Market Employment Center.
For more information, email Rudy Asercion, Executive Director, West Bay Pilipino Multi Service Center at rudyasercion@gmail.com or call 415 724-0641 or, Jose Pecho, Chair, Region 8, National Federation of Filipino American Associations (NaFFAA) at jose@jpinvests.com or 925.286.6607.
Credits: Photos by Grace Esteban, “shortening of online petition’s URL” by Baylan Megino.
SUBJECT: Urgent! On Tues., June 30, 2009 - Join Emergency SOLIDARITY Rally to INCLUDE Filipino Non-Profits FOR FUNDING in San Francisco * Sign Online Petition * Write a Letter * Make Our Citizen Voices Count!
Hello, friends! Here is an urgent message from our NaFFAA Region 8 (Northern CA) chair, Jose Pecho, that I have revised for a “simple as 1-2-3 call to action!” Please join us in making a resounding voice for our Filipino community!
P.S. I know that you haven’t heard from me for a while. I’m busy with the details for the forthcoming 6th Global Filipino Networking Convention that will be held in Cebu, Philippines this Oct. 9-11, 2009. Sponsoring national organizations are: NaFFAA, NAITAS, and FPACC. Everyone is welcome! You can now register online at http://6thGlobalCebu.com.
*
Dear Friends!
Please join us and pass on to concerned members of our community against the exclusion of Filipinos in San Francisco! Our apologies for cross-postings!
To print, forward, download, and view the POSTER/FLIER for the Solidarity Rally, click on the SCRIBD document above.
Call to Action: (1) Join the Solidarity Rally; (2) Sign the Online Petition to support the Citizen Voices from the Filipino communities in San Francisco; and (3) Write a letter to the Mayor & Board of Supervisors of the City & County of San Francisco (scroll to #3 below to copy/paste letter).
1. SOLIDARITY RALLY
When: Tuesday, June 30, 2009
What Time: 5:00 pm
Where: San Francisco City Hall, 1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place, San Francisco, CA 94102
What to wear: Wear WHITE CLOTHES, WHITE SHIRTS, ANYTHING WHITE!
What To Bring: Homemade placards and signs; if you have bull horns, please email me asap at Jose@JPInvests.com!
Why: The Filipino American community and friends are urged to attend the rally by the steps of City Hall (Polk St. side) to show our solidarity in supporting Filipino non-profits in SF, all of which were not included in the allocation of close to $9-million of City funds for disadvantaged families. This rally is to pressure the members of the Board of Supervisors, as well as, Mayor Newsom to reconsider funding them.
Those valuable non-profits who serve the most disadvantaged members of our community not funded were West Bay Pilipino Multi-Service, Philippine Senior Center, Family Resource Network, South of Market Clinic and South of Market Employment Center. All who will attend the rally should wear “white” and bring your own homemade placards.
For more information, email Rudy Asercion, Executive Director, West Bay Pilipino Multi Service Center at rudyasercion@gmail.com or call 415 724-0641 or, Jose Pecho, Chair, Region 8, National Federation of Filipino American Associations (NaFFAA) at jose@jpinvests.com or 925.286.6607
2. PLEASE SIGN THE ONLINE PETITION!
Please sign the online petition and passing it on to all your friends, families and list serves for their signatures.
Rudy Asercion
Executive Director
West Bay Pilipino Multi Service
175 7th Street * San Francisco, CA 94103 * Tel: 415 431 6266 * www.westbaycenter.org
3. WRITE A LETTER TO MAYOR GAVIN NEWSOM & MEMBERS OF THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
Please encourage everyone to get the word out about sending this email. If you do not reside in the City and County of San Francisco, you are most welcome to add your personal introduction, for example:
“In the light of my volunteer work in/with the Filipino community, especially in (write the name of your city or county, state), I am coming forward to assist my brothers and sisters in the City and County of San Francisco whose citizen voices and valuable contributions, I believe, have been ignored.”
THE LETTER: (copy and paste to your email)
Dear Mayor Newsom and Members of the Board of Supervisors, City & County of San Francisco:
50,000 people of Filipino descent in the City and County of San Francisco (8% of the population), half a million in Northern California and 2.2 million in the State must surely mean something to city, county and state governments – because these translate into significant taxes paid, jobs created, business generated, services rendered and votes cast.
However, these vital facts seem to have been completely overlooked in the allocation of funds from the $9 million NOFA Family Resource Center Initiative (2009-2010 RFP) for non-profit service organizations in the City and County of San Francisco. Of the 23 non-profits recommended for funding, there was not one single Filipino organization included.
The application for funding submitted by West Bay Pilipino Multi-Service Center, which has been providing direct services to disadvantaged Filipino families in San Francisco for 40 years, was overlooked by city administrators, along with four other Filipino non-profits that had sought funding, namely: Philippine Senior Center, Family Resource Network, South of Market Clinic, and South of Market Employment Center.
We demand that this oversight be rectified; otherwise, it will amount to a gross injustice and a case of discrimination against the Filipino community. There is extreme urgency here as a decision of the Board of Supervisors is set for this Wednesday, July 1.
As tax payers, voters and contributors to the social, economic and political fabric of San Francisco, we demand that the application for funding of West Bay Pilipino Multi-Service Center, Philippine Senior Center, Family Resource Network, South of Market Clinic and South of Market Employment Center be reviewed and their fair and rightful share be allocated to them.
We look forward to your positive response to this very important matter. We shall attend the Board of Supervisors meeting on July 1 when you champion the cause of the Filipino community.
Thank you.
Sincerely,
Your Name:
Your signature: _________________________
WHO TO SEND YOUR EMAILS TO: (copy and paste all the email addresses below, and put in your email’s TO: section)
MAYOR OF SAN FRANCISCO: GAVIN NEWSOM
BOARD OF SUPERVISORS: ALIOTO-PIER, Michela; AVALOS, John; CAMPOS, David; CHIU, David; CHU, Carmen; DALY, Chris; Dufty, Bevan; ELSBERND, Sean; MAR, Eric L.; MAXWELL, Sophie; MIRKARIMI, Ross;
*
Background Information:
50,000 people of Filipino descent in the City and County of San Francisco (7% of the population), half a million in Northern California, and 2.2 million in the State must surely mean something to city, county and state governments – because these translate into significant taxes paid, jobs created, business generated, services rendered, and votes cast.
However, these vital facts seem to have been completely overlooked in the allocation of funds from the $9 million NOFA Family Resource Center Initiative (2009-2010 RFP) for non-profit service organizations in the City and County of San Francisco. Of the 23 non-profits recommended for funding, there was not one single Filipino organization included.
The application for funding submitted by West Bay Pilipino Multi-Service Center, which has been providing direct services to disadvantaged Filipino families in San Francisco for 40 years, was overlooked by city administrators, along with four other Filipino non-profits that had sought funding, namely, Philippine Senior Center, Family Resource Network, South of Market Clinic and South of Market Employment Center.
We demand that this oversight be rectified; otherwise, it will amount to a gross injustice and a case of discrimination against the Filipino community. There is extreme urgency here as a decision of the Board of Supervisors is set for this Wednesday, July 1.
We count on your support and would like to ask you to pass this on throughout your network. We need to show those in power not to exclude our non-profits and that the tax paying members of our community demand fairness in the allocation of these funds.
Sincerely,
Jose Pecho, Chair
Region 8, Northern California
National Federation of Filipino
American Associations
http://NaFFAAR8.com, http://NaFFAA.org
* * *
SOME COMMENTS FROM THE ONLINE PETITION:
Jun 30, 2009, Raelynn Acosta Hickey, California
I am proud to be a Filipina American born, raised, living and doing business here in San Francisco. My grandfather was in the US Army in WWII as were many of my friends grandfathers. The Filipino American community has had a LONG history here in San Francisco and historically has not gotten the respect, recognition & help it richly deserves from City Hall. Frankly speaking, our community has been screwed by City Hall! The main reason the Filipino community is so large in Daly City is because Filipinos were displaced from San Francisco by City Hall through redevelopment. Where is our Manilatown! Where is our Jewish Museum or our Museum of the African Diaspora? Now you want to cut funding to South of Market nonprofits that offer services to low-income Filipino American children and seniors! If you are trying to push the face of our community in San Francisco out of SOMA (because that is what you will are doing by cutting the funding to these nonprofits) then put us back near Kearny Street or back in the Fillmore Japantown area. As far as I’m concerned, services for our community have been bought and paid for thousands of times over by all the Filipino Americans who have helped and continue to help build San Francisco through their sweat and their taxes. I demand that Mayor Gavin Newsom and the Board of Supervisors not STEAL what little funding our community gets. These services have been bought & paid for not only through taxes but through REDEVELOPMENT CONCESSIONS not only in SOMA but all over San Francisco. Do the right thing, please don’t renege on the deals that mayors and supervisors made with our community before you came to City Hall.
_
Jun 29, 2009, Delia Rapolla, California
As a Filipino American with many relatives that live in San Francisco and the Bay Area, I feel it is very important that organizations such as WestBay and other non profits in San Francisco serve a large number of residents that needs services provided by these organizations. To completely exclude these organizations from receiving monies allocated for community agencies is an irresponsible action that is a detriment to the future of all San Francisco residents.
Please note that this entry will be updated as details unfold. This is the third clinic NaFFAA Region 8 is spearheading these foreclosure prevention clinics in collaboration with Mabuhay Alliance, an HUD-approved housing counseling agency.
FOR APRIL 18, 2009
There will be a training of volunteer counselors who will be helping beleaguered homeowners in San Jose, California on Saturday, April 18, 2009. If you are interested in being trained as a volunteer counselor, please contact our NaFFAA Region 8 chair, Jose Pecho at JP8cho@aol.com.
The activities for April 19, 2009 will be held at the Offices of 4C Council: 2515 North First Street, San Jose, CA 95131
Get map and driving directions here.
Schedule:
4C Parents & Child Care Providers: 8:30 am to 12:30 noon
General Public (Homeowners): 1:00 pm to 7:00 pm
IF YOU ARE A HOMEOWNER AND ARE INTERESTED IN COMING TO THE SAN JOSE FORECLOSURE PREVENTION CLINIC, PLEASE PRE-REGISTER BY APRIL 10, 2009.
The registration form will have the following introduction:
Thank you for your interest in using Mabuhay Alliance to assist you with your mortgage. In order to serve you better we are asking that you fill out the form as completely as you can. When you arrive at the clinic, our counselors will have the information they need to give you options for your unique situation.
OR
2. Call (408) 487-0747, extension 384.
OR
3. E-mail: 4closure@4c.org
THE INVITATION
If you are not familiar with Scribd.com, here are the instructions on how to maximize our community outreach when sending out this flier to your family and friends.
OPTION ONE
After you have clicked on the BLUE UNDERLINED TITLE ABOVE THE DOCUMENT. This will take you to the Scribd.com website where the document is housed.
Please look at the options given to you on top of the document:
SHARE THIS - allows you to copy and paste the URL to your favorite bookmarks like DIGG, DEL.I.CIOUS, etc.
SEND THIS - allows you to email (with your personal note) the document to friends
ADD TO FAVORITES
I LIKE THIS
EMBED - get the html code and put it in any website
AND OTHER OPTIONS
TO PRINT THE DOCUMENTS:
Put your cursor over the word “MORE” (below the Share This, Send This, etc. titles) which also has the “Down” arrow — and look for the PRINT option.
OPTION TWO
Look at the document in this posting and on the top left-hand side, you will see the title “Scribd.” Beside it is the word “MORE” with a “Down” arrow. The various options are found there, from emailing to printing the document.
FORECLOSURE PREVENTION CLINIC in SAN JOSE
Sunday April 19th
To help our community homeowners, there will be a Foreclosure Prevention Clinic this Sunday in San Jose. This Free clinic will provide workshops and be able to meet with housing counselors, some lenders, lawyers, debt settlement and credit repair specialists, and tax advisors. This is open to the entire community.
Previous clinics have provided much-needed information and relief for homeowners who simply don’t know what to do, where to go, or what are their options. Whether you are in the foreclosure process, are concerned about being able to keep your home, have credit problems, or just want to know what is possible, please join us on Sunday.
What: Foreclosure Prevention Clinic
When: Sunday, April 19th, 9am to 6pm
Who: Community Child Care Council of Santa Clara County
in conjunction with NaFFAA
and Mabuhay Alliance (HUD-approved counseling agency)
Where: Offices of 4C Council (Community Child Care Council of Santa Clara County)
2515 North First Street
San Jose, CA 95131
To Register: 408.487.0747 ext. 384
4closure@4c. org
www.mabuhayalliance .org/sanjose
What to bring:
In order to assist you with your request for a loan modification and/or a workout resolution with your Lender(s), please bring the following documents with you:
1. Personal Financial Statement * Please complete, sign and date.
2. Monthly Budget *
* Forms are available at 4C Council offices and also at www.4c.org (under Calendar of Events)
3. Reason for Hardship letter: Please provide details of the reason of your current financial hardship, its expected duration and the financial resources with which you will manage your debt going forward.
4. If you are a SALARIED EMPLOYEE, please provide the following:
a. Copy of your most recent W2(s) & Personal Tax Return (1040’s)
b. Copy of your most recent pay-stub(s) - One month’s worth
5. If you are SELF-EMPLOYED, please provide the following, if applicable:
a. Signed and dated copy of your most recent Personal Tax Return (1040’s), including all schedules
b. Signed and dated copy of your most recent Corporate Tax Return, including all schedules
c. Signed and dated copy of year-to-date Profit & Loss Statement and most recent month-end
and quarter-end Balance Sheet
6. Copies of recent statements and payment notices for:
- All bank accounts (checking, savings, IRAs, CDs, Money Market, etc.)
- Retirement accounts (401k, SEP IRA, etc.)
- Promissory Note(s), including a copy of the original Promissory Note(s)
- Home Owners Association (HOA), if applicable
- Property Tax Bill
- Insurance Statements (Homeowners, Fire, etc.)
7. Copies of any legal documents or correspondence from your lender that you have received (Notice of Default, Notice of Trustee’s Sale, etc.).
Best regards,
Baylan Megino
INFORMATION YOU CAN USE
March 6, 2009 Sonia Delen, a Senior Vice President at Bank of America, posted a note for her Facebook friends. We are sharing the information Sonia sent us. (Thank you, Sonia!)
HOME AFFORDABLE REFINANCE AND MODIFICATION PROGRAM
Here are some links to the most recently released Home affordable refinance and modification program. It provides tools and instructions on how to take advantage of it. Hope it helps!
From: National CAPACD, nationalcapacd@mail.democracyinaction.org
Subject: ACTION ALERT: Support Helping Families Save Their Homes Act
To: baylanm@whitelightassociates.com
Date: Friday, March 13, 2009, 8:00 AM
Dear Baylan,
In the next few days the Senate is likely to consider S. 61, the Helping Families Save Their Homes in Bankruptcy Act of 2009, that will provide essential support for President Obama’s foreclosure prevention plan. The plan, approved last week by the House of Representatives, would provide critical changes to a flawed process that desperately needs reform.
Today, most homeowners have few viable options if they are unable to keep up with loan payments. While a few lenders have improved their track record in modifying unaffordable loan terms, most homeowners seeking relief only encounter frustrating delays and rejection by loan servicers. Many homeowners are only offered ‘relief’ that only postpones onerous payments. A national study recently found that a majority of homeowners who obtained relief from lenders a year ago are today again behind in payments.
The Senate version of the bill, S.61, would create critical new tools for homeowners and foreclosure counselors to obtain meaningful relief. These include:
* National standards to make loans affordable. While these standards would be mandatory only for federally regulated loans (including those held by Fannie and Freddie Mac), incentives are offered for private lenders to adopt similar standards.
* Incentives to loan servicers to negotiate loan modifications and to keep families in their homes.
* In limited circumstances, relief through bankruptcy court if lenders are unwilling to adjust loans to reflect actual market values of homes.
The bill will not prevent all foreclosures. It will only assist those with sufficient income to continue to pay under a modified loan payment schedule. There are other limitations on value of the homes covered. And the plight of tenants is not addressed in the bill.
But with this legislation National CAPACD’s counseling organizations will have a much more effective set of tools to help the many families who are desperate for relief and who only need an opportunity to renegotiate loans on terms that are fair. This is relief that they need now.
Take action to support the passage of S. 61 TODAY!
If you have any questions, please give CAPACD staff a call at 202-223-2442 or send us an e-mail at info@nationalcapacd.org
Sincerely,
The National CAPACD Team
For a clear explanation of the President’s plan appropriate for people who need help click here.
For a more technical discussion of the elements of the plan click here.
This past weekend was a tribute to our community! For those who did not get a chance to make it out to the Counselor Training and Foreclosure Clinic over the weekend, I wanted to report how greatly successful the training and Clinic was.
Many thanks to our team of Volunteers whose “willing to help attitudes”, effortlessly met the needs of our affected homeowners. Everyone performed at such a high level and the clinic attendees were very appreciative and walked away much more informed of their options. Homeowners couldn’t believe that they were able to get “free” legal advice from the 3 Volunteer Attorneys, Jason Buckingham, Donna Echiverri and Rodel Rodis. I was told by Baylan Megino, who was one of many volunteers who manned the Registration area, that, initially, some of the homeowners were skeptical of the “free” clinic and were almost expecting to be charged for something or another at registration.
A special thanks to Betsy Zoebel and Maritess Lagandaon (City of Daly City), who helped provide the venues for the two events and whose tireless efforts to ensure we had what we needed was very instrumental to our success.
A shout-out to Hazel Valera whose Credit Workshop was as enlightening as it was invaluable. Her suggestions and her expert understanding of Credit helped inform homeowners just how to move forward from this catastrophic point in their lives.
Of course many, many thanks to Faith Bautista, Lynn McLaughlin, Daughlet Ordinario, Eleza Nooris and Louie Guererro of Mabuhay Alliance. Faith and Mabuhay continue to pave the way to make it easier for all us. Thanks for all your leadership on empowering our Filipino Community.
None of this would have happened had it not been for the Bayanihan Spirit of the 45+ volunteers who braved the elements and sacrificed time from their families to be with so many who needed a hand. Your desire to volunteer and help those in trouble are a testament to you. Thanks for your inspiring dedication and tremendous example to those in need.
Words cannot convey our gratitude for your contribution. We wanted to thank you with this note as our personal round of applause. The credit for our good deeds firmly rests with our dedicated volunteers. It is a pleasure and a privilege to work with all of you.
Next stop, San Jose! Date to be determined…stay tuned!
Sincerely,
Jose A. Pecho, Chair Region 8, Northern California NaFFAA
Sunday, February 22, 2009
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Foreclosure Prevention Clinic
Doelger Community Center
101 Lake Merced Blvd.
Daly City, CA 94015
Capitalizing on the success of our first Foreclosure Prevention Clinic held in Vallejo on December 13, 2008, NaFFAA Region 8 in cooperation with the Mabuhay Alliance, the city of Daly City and the Community Child Care Council of Santa Clara County, invites you to a “Foreclosure Prevention Clinic” to be held on Sunday, February 22, 2009 at the Doelger Community Center in Daly City.
Come to the Clinic if you are experiencing difficulties making your monthly mortgage payments. Has your interest rate changed? Has your home value decreased? Do you have questions about foreclosure or bankruptcy? Do you await foreclosure or eviction notices? Do you have questions about how non-payments can affect your credit rating? What is a short sale?
You can answer all these questions by attending this foreclosure prevention clinic. Housing counselors, mortgage counselors and volunteer attorneys can give you valuable information to assist you to make needed decisions.
Please help us spread the word by getting this invitation to as many homeowners as possible. Loss mitigation Representatives from several banks will be present including: Countrywide Home Loans, Bank of America, Citi Mortgage, Wells Fargo, JP Morgan Chase Washington Mutual, HSBC, Indymac Federal Bank, Downey Savings and EMC Mortgage.
Sincerely,
Jose A. Pecho, Chair
Region 8, Northern California
NaFFAA
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January 15, 2009 is a very significant date for minority populations in the United States. It is the birthday of one of the most revered moral leaders in the United States, Martin Luther King (he was born on January 15, 1929). Listen to Martin Luther King’s compelling speech, “I Have A Dream.”
January 15, 2009 is also a significant date for many of us as we gather at the lobby of the Bank of America building at 11:30am, 555 California Street, San Francisco, CA. We consider this “meeting of common and shared advocacies” our way of honoring what Martin Luther King continues to stand for.
MARCH TO MAJOR “BAILOUT” BANKS:
“BILLIONS FOR BANKS: WHAT’S IN IT FOR TAXPAYERS?”
January 15th at 11:30 am
555 California Street,
San Francisco
In the lobby of the Bank of America Building
The seven major banks we will be protesting have received bailouts in excess of $150 billion. But no one, including the government, knows what they are doing with the bailouts. Our protest will begin at 11:30am in the lobby of the Bank of America Building at 555 California Street. We are scheduling meetings with senior management from the B of A, JP Morgan Chase, Wells Fargo, Citigroup, US Bancorp, Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs. At approximately 1:00pm we will march from our last bank meeting to the San Francisco Federal Reserve for a meeting with the senior management at the Federal Reserve Bank.
Our message on Martin Luther King’s actual birth date is intended to be a message to the new Obama administration and congress as it begins drawing up new legislation. Our issues will include preventing foreclosures, major loan modifications, support for small businesses under the Obama economic stimulus plan, excessive executive compensation, full transparency, and philanthropy to the underserved.
With your help, this could be the most fascinating, and certainly most productive “walking tour” of San Francisco for the year 2009.
[“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter. ” - MLK ]
Please contact
Preeti Vissa
preetiv@greenlining.org
(510) 926-4022
or
Jose Pecho, NaFFAA, Region 8
jp8cho@aol.com
(415) 240-4906
Since this clinic was confidential in nature, we will not be publishing any photos.
PRESS RELEASE
Pre-Christmas, JP Morgan Sponsored Foreclosure Clinic
Draws 250 Homeowners and Their Future under Obama
Vallejo, CA – Responding to the urgent cry for help of homeowners threatened with the loss of their homes, Mabuhay Alliance and the National Federation of Filipino American Associations (NaFFAA), two state and nationwide community organizations conducted the first foreclosure prevention clinic in Solano County last December 13, 2008.
The principal sponsor of the clinic was JP Morgan Chase, which after meeting with Mabuhay Alliance, NaFFAA, and other community groups, recently developed one of the nation’s most far reaching foreclosure prevention and loan modification programs. JP Morgan has just acquired Washington Mutual.
The clinic was held at the Solano Community College (Vallejo Center) and was attended by more than 250 homeowners facing foreclosure. Also attending the clinic and endorsing it were several government officials, including Vallejo Mayor Osby Davis and Suisun Mayor Pete Sanchez.
Mayor Davis, impressed with the purpose and the turnout, requested that Mabuhay Alliance and NaFFAA coordinate another clinic soon after President-elect Barack Obama takes office. Both organizations will meet with the mayor next month to plan the clinic. It is expected that all the major banks and officials of the new Obama administration will observe the next clinic.
Mabuhay Alliance and NaFFAA predicted that if President-elect Obama follows some of the suggestions developed at the clinic, the vast majority of homeowners facing foreclosure this Christmas will have a more prosperous and secure Christmas in 2009 in their own homes. Some of the suggestions, which JP Morgan Chase may follow or advocate are:
* A foreclosure moratorium until loans are fully and adequately modified in accordance with the FDIC/IndyMac proposal;
* Hedge fund investor pools that hold up to 80% of mortgages should be compelled to follow the JP Morgan/IndyMac approach of lowering interest rates, forgiving principal, and ensuring that no more than 31% of income should be allocated to mortgage related payments;
* Support the US Treasury’s proposal to create new homeownership opportunities free from predatory lenders. The Treasury suggestion which Mabuhay Alliance and NaFFAA fully support is to create government guaranteed 30 year fixed rate mortgages at 4.5%;
* Ensure that moderate-income homeowners are treated like wealthy homeowners under the tax system. The method suggested is to guarantee a $5,000 a year tax credit for every homeowner.
Mabuhay Alliance and NaFFAA, along with the Greenlining Institute, plan to meet with the new Obama administration officials and the major banks in February to ensure that the goal of seeing “every family in its own home next Christmas” is achieved.
Other corporations and agencies that attended the clinic were Wells Fargo, US Bancorp, IndyMac, Washington Mutual, United Way and the FDIC. James Buckingham a real estate attorney in Benicia, CA volunteered to provide free legal advice for distressed owners at the clinic. He noted he would further provide his services on a sliding scale for homeowners of moderate means.
DOCUMENTATION
The involvement of NaFFAA in the City of Vallejo’s Foreclosure Prevention Clinic started with an agreement among Greg Macabenta, NaFFAA National Chair, Faith Bautista, Mabuhay Alliance’s Executive Director, and Robert Gnaizda, General Counsel and Policy Director (as well as co-founder) for the Greenlining Institute to help beleaguered homeowners in Northern California. Since the City of Vallejo was the first American city to declare the “housing foreclosure crisis, supporting local, state, and federal efforts to address the crisis and urging lending institutions and loan servicers to take certain remedial actions,” Mabuhay Alliance’s first foreclosure prevention clinic in collaboration with NaFFAA Region 8 and United Way Bay Area was also held in the City of Vallejo last December 13, 2008.
Local volunteer counselors, recruited by NaFFAA, were trained by team members of Mabuhay Alliance last November 17-18, 2008. There were many lessons learned during this first collaboration which are expected to benefit the future NaFFAA-collaborated workshops in the 12 regions. The roll-out of other foreclosure prevention clinics nationwide will start in 2009.
NaFFAA Region 8 has also acquired the resolutions from Solano County and the City of Vallejo as well as the statement from local Filipino American community leaders in Solano County regarding how they took action on the housing foreclosure crisis. The Filipino American community in Solano County, led by community leaders such as Reverend Doctor Tony Ubalde, Francis Neri, Lynn Mamaril, and Eloise Escano Scott (who was instrumental in gathering over 600 signatures) were tenacious in getting their local government officials to address the crisis and declare a moratorium. Other NaFFAA regions who haven’t started working at the local legislative level regarding obtaining such resolutions will find these documents helpful.
Please read the following exchange:
Question from Rudy Asercion, NaFFAA City/County Chair for San Francisco: Edison is a Southern California gas and electricity provider. Can you tell us where to find the information that PG&E, the San Francisco-based energy provider is or will be seeking a similar rate increase?
Answer from Sam Kang, community organizer and attorney for the Greenlining Institute: Approximately every three years the major utilities, including PG&E, ask for what is called a general rate increase on their services. PG&E last initiated a request for a general rate increase in 2006. Hence, PG&E will be gearing up soon for their next general rate increase. So in the case of PG&E, this protest will serve as a preemptive message that indiscriminate rate increases during a recession, even in the intermediate future, will be met with resistance.
Dear Santa: We, Californians, have been good even though it’s been a very difficult year.
Please tell the Governor to:
* Stop the CPUC from allowing $5,000,000,000 utility rate increases
* Help us save our homes
* Block further increases on our energy bills during a recession with record high unemployment
Come join a Community and Taxpayer Protest
before the Governor’s five California Public Utility Commissioners!
* Date: Thursday, December 18, 2008
* Location: 505 Van Ness Ave. (near Golden Gate St., near City Hall) San Francisco, CA
SCHEDULE:
* 8:30 am - Assembly outside the building
* 9:00am - Meeting with Mike Peevey, President of the California Public Utilities Commission
* 9:20am – Go to Auditorium for the hearing with the five CPUC Commissioners
* 9:30am – Testimonies begin; ½ hour only
* 10:00am, approximately – Press Conference outside the building
Contacts: Faith Bautista, Mabuhay Alliance - (858) 586-7382; bautistafaith@yahoo.com
Samuel Kang, Greelining Institute – (510) 926.4004; samuelk@greenlining.org
Jose Pecho, NaFFAA – (415) 240-4906; jp8cho@aol.com
Please note that this entry will be updated as details unfold. This is the third clinic NaFFAA Region 8 is spearheading these foreclosure prevention clinics in collaboration with 
