National Federation of Filipino American Associations

November 20, 2010

The program will be updated as the speakers and panelists go onstage.

E-2010: 9th NaFFAA Empowerment Conference - Programme for Nov 19 - Nov 21

November 19, 2010

Where to get a ride tonight if you’re going to JTS Northside Community Center. I’ve copied and pasted from the program below (close to the Star of Empowerment).

PROGRAM SCHEDULE

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2010

10:00am – 6:00pm REGISTRATION at the Hyatt Regency San Francisco Airport’s E-2010 Information Desk. Check for the location inside the hotel from http://NaFAAR8.com website’s updated details of the E-2010 program. Each participant will be assigned one table number for all sessions; volunteer-participants’ assignments; NaFFAA members’ voting credentials. Managed by Jinni Bartolome, NaFFAA Region 8 Treasurer.

3:00pm – 5:30pm Carpool Volunteers bring guests from Hyatt Regency San Francisco Airport, Burlingame, CA to JTS Northside Community Center, San Jose, CA;

3:00pm – 5:30pm REGISTRATION Annex for E-2010: As a convenient alternative, JTS Northside Community Center will also handle registrations for the E-2010. Each participant will be assigned one table number for all sessions; volunteer-participants’ assignments; NaFFAA members’ voting credentials. PayPal and checks accepted.

9:30pm – 11:00pm Transportation & Carpooling back to Hyatt Regency San Francisco Airport commences as early as 9:30pm.

WELCOME RECEPTION: A LEGACY OF PRIDE

3:00 pm – 10:30 pm Jacinto “Tony” Siquig Northside Community Center
488 North 6th Street ~ San Jose, CA 95112
Community Partner & Sponsor: Community Child Care Council of Santa Clara County, Inc.
5:00pm – 10:30 pm Programme

Transportation & Carpooling to Hyatt Regency San Francisco Airport commences as early as 9:30pm.

3:00pm – 5:30pm Carpool Volunteers bring guests from Hyatt Regency San Francisco Airport, Burlingame, CA to JTS Northside Community Center, San Jose, CA;
10:00am – 6:00 Registration at the Hyatt, managed by Jinni Bartolome. See E-2010 information desk at Hyatt Regency San Francisco Airport (details to follow)

5:00pm – 6:00pm A light dinner reception, tours of JTS Community Center, networking
Tours is from 4pm to 5pm.
As soon as guests arrive, start tours.

6:00pm – 10:30pm Programme of Activities

10:30pm – 11:30pm Carpool Volunteers bring guests from JTS Northside Community Center, San Jose, CA to Hyatt Regency San Francisco Airport, Burlingame, CA

November 18, 2010

Please help us make the registration process more efficient with the online registration form.

It is best to register online and pay through PayPal at this time.

If you intend to register on-site, please register online and indicate that you will be paying with a check on-site either at JTS Community Center on November 19, 2010 after 5:00pm and Hyatt Regency San Francisco Airport from 10:00am to 6:00pm. For more information, see http://NaFFAAE2010.wordpress.com.

November 13, 2010

There are changes to the schedule of activities. Just remember that Sunday is now a FREE day for participants except outgoing and incoming board members of NaFFAA (National) who will be holding their first board meeting of the year on November 21.

For the past few weeks, we liked receiving snail mail. However, now that it is a few days before the conference, we would prefer if you deposit the money directly to our checking account at Citibank. Please email Jose Pecho begin_of_the_skype_highlighting     end_of_the_skype_highlighting at JP8cho@aol.com for more information.

ENTER HERE TO GO DIRECTLY TO THE E-2010: 9TH NAFFAA EMPOWERMENT CONFERENCE WEBSITE.

The press release about the E-2010 is found here.

To Register and make Payments for Registration, Advertising, and Sponsorships Online:
http://www.whitelightassociates.com/naffaae2010.html

To Reserve a Room at the Conference Hotel:
https://resweb.passkey.com/go/nffaa

For Snail Mail:

- Print any of the forms you need below.
- Checks are made out to “NaFFAA.”
- Please mail your checks to: E-2010 * c/o Greg Macabenta * 1580 Bryant Street * Daly City, CA 94015

E-2010 NaFFAA - Program Highlights as of Nov. 11, 2010

Update as of November 8, 2010:

NaFFAA E-2010 Outreach Flier for Nov. 19 & Nov. 20

Updates as of November 4, 2010:

- If you don’t want to pay via PayPal but you can go to the bank and send money directly, please email Jose Pecho at JP8cho@aol.com or Lorna Dietz at naffaanorcal@gmail.com for the checking account number at Citibank and account name.

- Advertising and Sponsorships for the conference / Silent Auction & Special Drawing for ISANG DIWA: We have extended the deadline to Thursday, November 11, 2010. Remember that for sponsorships, it’s anywhere from $30 to $5,000!

- For all participants: Please consider sponsoring a YP (young Pinoy, young Pinay, and young Pilipino professional) to join the E-2010.

- For every person who reads this announcement/invitation: If you can make it to E-2010, please consider sponsoring a YP for $165. If you cannot make it, please consider sponsoring a YP for $165.

- We have a shout-out for Volunteers!

This is the definition of a “volunteer” for E-2010: The conference is designed wherein delegates are fully engaged in the total experience of understanding and knowing how to implement the tools that they will receive from each workshop/session. Therefore, each delegate is looked upon as a volunteer of the conference. Thus, the volunteer will contribute to the outcome of the conference. There are many volunteer positions available throughout the conference.

Clarification: From Ben Menor

Everyone who comes to the conference is treated as a delegate-volunteer. This means that the delegates-volunteers are going to be participating in the process for the outcomes of the workshops-sessions. A delegate-volunteer can be an analyst, a workshop moderator, or an operations-related person (registration, floor runner, stage manager, etc.).

The volunteer practitioner of the conference’s process helps determine an outcome.

The NaFFAA members (confirmed as “current-paid” by their regional officers) who are coming from all the 12 regions are going to be involved in the NaFFAA National Elections. If you haven’t decided to be a member of NaFFAA yet, and are considering membership, you are very welcome to observe the process in the Amendments to the By-Laws and the National Elections.

All volunteers are given a discounted registration fee of $165 for the conference which includes two lunches and the Isang Diwa evening event. The regular conference registration fee is $275 starting November 1, 2010, which means that the participant chooses not to have a volunteer assignment. Please email Lorna Dietz at NaFFAANorcal@gmail.com, or Genevieve Jopanda at GVJopanda@hotmail.com, or Ben Menor at Menor360D@gmail.com for more information.

- For November 20, 2010 - “Isang Diwa: Celebrating Our Past, Present, and Future Advocates” is produced by our Honorary Intergenerational Co-Chairs — our great-grandmothers, grandmothers, mothers, daughters, and all the women and girls in our lives. Event tickets are priced at $75 per guest of a delegate-participant. Delegate-participants’ tickets are $65 per person (which is already included in the registration fee). The event starts at 7:00 pm and ends at midnight and features dancing, entertainment, recognitions, and awards.
Business Attire or Filipiniana/Barong.

- Souvenir Program Book advertising opportunities are still open.

- Sponsorships start at $30 (Friend of NaFFAA) up to $5,000. The listing of Sponsorship benefits can be found here.

Please email Lorna Dietz at NaFFAANorCal@gmail.com and ask her to email you the PDF files of the forms below if you cannot upload or print them out at Scribd.com. Thank you.

E-2010 Early Bird Registration Form - Extended until Oct. 31, 2010

Note: On November 1, 2010, E-2010 registration fee is $275 per participant up to the conference dates. Exceptions apply. Please inquire about these exceptions by emailing Baylan Megino at BaylanM@WhiteLightAssociates.com OR Lorna Dietz at NaFFAANorCal@gmail.com.

E-2010 FACT SHEET FOR ADVERTISING & SPONSORSHIPS - Nov. 1, 2010 deadline

Sponsorships start at $30 (Friend of NaFFAA) up to $5,000. The listing of Sponsorship benefits can be found here.

E-2010: Nov. 1, 2010 Deadline - Souvenir Program Advertiser Response Form

November 20, 2010. “Isang Diwa: Celebrating Our Past, Present, and Future Advocates” is produced by our Honorary Intergenerational Co-Chairs — our great-grandmothers, grandmothers, mothers, daughters, and all the women and girls in our lives. Event tickets are priced at $65 per guest. Business Attire or Filipiniana/Barong.

This celebration is an opportunity to showcase your products and services either as a special drawing item or silent auction item. Please email Lorna Dietz at NaFFAANorcal@gmail.com for more information.

E-2010 Special Drawing and Silent Auction Donor Response Form 2010-10-10

THEME: BUILDING THE NEXT GENERATION OF COMMUNITY ADVOCATES

PURPOSE OF THE CONFERENCE

Simply defined, “Advocacy” means “active support.”

Advocacy is an integral part of being an effective leader.

Advocacy increases and enhances the leadership process because it speaks for the improvement in the quality of life and speaks for others who are underserved. It becomes part of the leader’s lifestyle.

After 12 years of its “raison d’être” or reason for being, this is what NaFFAA has transformed itself into: to be leaders of advocates.

Advocacy encompasses everything that a leader does: to represent people (constituents), causes, and dreams.

? Here’s one dream: “We want to build a community center.”
? What about “fighting for a cause?” There are prime examples such as taking care of our veterans or protecting the Philippine textile industry.
? Who are our constituents? It could be people close to us, such as our children, who need our protection.

The next generation of community advocates is consciously being given a distinctive acronym: YP.

These are the young Pinoys, young Pinays, and young professionals — and any future designation our intergenerational leaders consensually want, for instance, “Young Pilipinos,” for an online or digital campaign “to take back” the keyword “Pilipino” from any derogatory implications in cyber-space.

In co-creating a blueprint for the future, this paradigm could be useful for our intergenerational leaders:

“We don’t want to be paper tigers, i.e. leaders “in title only” by virtue of a piece of paper that has no teeth. Leaders who appear to be strong but are actually weak or ineffectual. Leaders of only “the top,” the organizations that label themselves as leaders. Leaders who only talk but don’t walk. Leaders who think aloud without a plan.

We can party as long as we plan for the party — and that there is an end-result after the party is over. We don’t want to get into an accident or put ourselves at unnecessary risk.”

If leaders really want to create a community, they plan — and plan many years before the “if” and “when” happen.

Leaders plan to reduce the liabilities and risks in achieving a cause, the dream, or a better quality of life for others. That’s why leaders go to “school,” to be educated on how to recognize these liabilities and risks. There is no age limit for a leader’s education.

We’re here at Empowerment-2010. E-2010. This is what we have translated among the many hours we, NaFFAA leaders and affiliates, have spent together — 12 years of personal contact in teleconferences, online chats, emails, empowerment conferences every even year, regional summits, forums, and gatherings.

NaFFAA is coming of age.

We are getting there, completing a full cycle of leadership in NaFFAA’s first 12 years of existence.

NaFFAA was “technically” founded in August of 1997 in an unprecedented gathering in Washington DC.

We’ve achieved our goal of igniting the “flames of consciousness” within our Filipino communities in America.

At E-2010, we are celebrating the continuum of Filipino leadership — intergenerational in culture and approach. We want to establish our advocates to be effective volunteers of the process.

We’re “on track” for the next 12 years — and beyond.

Process of Volunteerism as a Delegate-Participant:

This is the definition of a “volunteer” for E-2010: The conference is designed wherein delegates are fully engaged in the total experience of understanding and knowing how to implement the tools that they will receive from each workshop/session. Therefore, each delegate is looked upon as a volunteer of the conference. Thus, the volunteer will contribute to the outcome of the conference. There are many volunteer positions available throughout the conference. All volunteers are given a discounted registration fee of $165 for the conference which includes the Welcome Reception at JTS Northside Community Center on November 19, 2010, the November 20, 2010 Luncheon and the Isang Diwa evening event at Hyatt Regency San Francisco Airport. The regular conference registration fee is $275 starting November 14, 2010. The E-2010 Organizing Committee, when inviting their speakers and panelists, indicate that their $165 registration fees go toward sponsoring a YP or a designated scholar. Please email Lorna Dietz at NaFFAANorcal@gmail.com, or Genevieve Jopanda at GVJopanda@hotmail.com, or Ben Menor at Menor360D@gmail.com for more information. http://bit.ly/b52SpJ

The Sessions and Table Workshops:

The process is simple. We will treat each table of 8 or 10 people as a community. Different generations give different perspectives. Each group will increasingly get more involved with each other’s ability to explore, discover, and innovate on their similarities and differences. No one “demographic group” will be running the show. All the generations will be running the show — together.

Each session starts with a panel discussion and ends with a table workshop wherein each table’s participants will consensually answer specific questions to help them create their group’s 50-word action plan at the end of day. Every delegate will be assigned to a table’s group according to generation (older and younger participants / seasoned and emerging leaders), gender, and geography, thus, representing the diversity of our communities. There are specific questions that each group must answer during each table workshop. The E-2010 Organizing Committee will collect all the action plans, choose the five best action plans, and then recommend the “Best Action Plan” to NaFFAA’s National Board and 12 Regions. The action plans will be exhibited in “digital space.” That’s Technology in Empowerment — in practice!

PROGRAM SCHEDULE

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2010

10:00am – 6:00pm REGISTRATION at the Hyatt Regency San Francisco Airport’s E-2010 Information Desk. Check for the location inside the hotel from http://NaFAAR8.com website’s updated details of the E-2010 program. Each participant will be assigned one table number for all sessions; volunteer-participants’ assignments; NaFFAA members’ voting credentials. Managed by Jinni Bartolome, NaFFAA Region 8 Treasurer.

3:00pm – 5:30pm Carpool Volunteers bring guests from Hyatt Regency San Francisco Airport, Burlingame, CA to JTS Northside Community Center, San Jose, CA;

3:00pm – 5:30pm REGISTRATION Annex for E-2010: As a convenient alternative, JTS Northside Community Center will also handle registrations for the E-2010. Each participant will be assigned one table number for all sessions; volunteer-participants’ assignments; NaFFAA members’ voting credentials. PayPal and checks accepted.

9:30pm – 11:00pm Transportation & Carpooling back to Hyatt Regency San Francisco Airport commences as early as 9:30pm.

WELCOME RECEPTION: A LEGACY OF PRIDE
3:00 pm – 10:30 pm Jacinto “Tony” Siquig Northside Community Center
488 North 6th Street ~ San Jose, CA 95112
Community Partner & Sponsor: Community Child Care Council of Santa Clara County, Inc.

5:00pm – 10:30 pm Programme

Transportation & Carpooling to Hyatt Regency San Francisco Airport commences as early as 9:30pm.

3:00pm – 5:30pm Carpool Volunteers bring guests from Hyatt Regency San Francisco Airport, Burlingame, CA to JTS Northside Community Center, San Jose, CA;
10:00am – 6:00 Registration at the Hyatt, managed by Jinni Bartolome. See E-2010 information desk at Hyatt Regency San Francisco Airport (details to follow)

5:00pm – 6:00pm A light dinner reception, tours of JTS Community Center, networking
Tours is from 4pm to 5pm.
As soon as guests arrive, start tours.

6:00pm – 10:30pm Programme of Activities

10:30pm – 11:30pm Carpool Volunteers bring guests from JTS Northside Community Center, San Jose, CA to Hyatt Regency San Francisco Airport, Burlingame, CA

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2010

E-2010: Building the Next Generation of Community Advocates Hyatt Regency San Francisco Airport
1333 Bayshore Highway
Burlingame, California

7:30am – 2:00pm REGISTRATION (Each participant will be assigned one table number for all sessions; volunteer-participants’ assignments; NaFFAA members’ voting credentials)

9:30am – 10:30am SESSION 1 - The Future is Now: “Isang Diwa” Intergenerational Succession Building of Advocates – NaFFAA shall engage the YP’s to be involved in all levels of decision-making as well as the development of the organizational structure.

10:30am – 11:00am SESSION 1 Table Workshops

11:00am – 11:30am The State of NaFFAA Report (SONA) presented by Greg B. Macabenta, NaFFAA National Chair and collaborated by the Regions (represented by Regional Chairs)

11:30am – 12:30pm WORKING LUNCH (Transfer to Luncheon Function Room; Table participants stay at the same assigned tables)

12:30pm – 1:30pm SESSION 2- Empowerment through Community Development: These empowerment actions can be housed in an edifice that promotes, empowers, and innovates culture, education, health, labor, economics, philanthropy, and international advocacy.

1:30pm – 2:00pm SESSION 2 Table Workshops

2:00pm – 3:00pm SESSION 3: Political Empowerment and Legislation: In order for NaFFAA to have a voice in public policy decision-making that will impact the quality of life in the US and the Philippines, the next generation of community advocates needs to be fully engaged at all these levels of decision-making that directly affect public policies.

3:00pm – 3:30pm SESSION 3 Table Workshops

3:30pm – 4:30pm SESSION 4 – Sustainability: From Passion to Permanence / Intergenerational Succession Planning: “If I’m gone, it doesn’t mean the world stops. I’m not infallible.” As the builders of sustainability who seek to establish permanence at all levels of empowerment, these intergenerational leaders also infuse technology as a vehicle to achieve permanence and impact social change. The next generation of community advocates has a strong background in social entrepreneurship and enterprise entrepreneurship. There is equal energy and passion for “social” and “enterprise.”

4:30pm – 5:00pm ACTION PLANS Table Workshop: “Where do we go from here?” The intergenerational process of sharing and learning concludes with each table submitting an action plan that consensually reflects the group’s answers to the following questions:

? What did we gain from this ONE DAY of “building the next generation of community advocates” in an intergenerational environment?
? What tools in intergenerational succession planning are we going to institute in our home organizations?

5:00pm – 6:00pm NaFFAA BUSINESS MEETING: NaFFAA National Elections

6:00pm – 7:00pm FREE TIME

5:15pm – 7:00pm AUTHORS BOOK SIGNING AT THE BOOK DISPLAY OF PHILIPPINE EXPRESSIONS BOOKSHOP: At the Foyer of Isang Diwa gala event (Tentative)

7:00pm – 12:00am “ISANG DIWA: CELEBRATING OUR PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE ADVOCATES” is produced by our Honorary Intergenerational Co-Chairs — our great-grandmothers, grandmothers, mothers, daughters, and all the women and girls in our lives. Event tickets are priced at $75 per guest. Silent auction, Opportunity Drawing, and a Special Drawing. Dancing, entertainment, recognition and awards. Isang Diwa Talent Contest winners will be announced. Business Attire or Filipiniana/Barong.

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2010

10:30am – 11:45am
NAFFAA BUSINESS: First National Board Meeting for NaFFAA (venue to be determined)
Identification of the E-2012, 10th NaFFAA Empowerment Conference

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.

See a similar news article here.

* * *

SAN FRANCISCO COORDINATING MEETING SCHEDULED

FROM: VIKI BAMBA
October 1, 2009

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.

(more…)

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.

FOR APRIL 19, 2009

The FREE foreclosure prevention clinic will be a collaboration with 4C (Community Child Care Council of Santa Clara County, Inc.)

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.

There are three ways to register.

1. Click here to register.

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.
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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.

San Jose Foreclosure Prevention Clinic - April 19, 2009

Watch out for more details!

PRESS RELEASE
April 16, 2009

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!

FinancialStability.gov - Learn About the Making Home Affordable Refinance and Modification Options

http://www.financialstability.gov/makinghomeaffordable/index.html

US Department of the Treasury - Making Home Affordable: Summary of Guidelines
http://www.treas.gov/press/releases/reports/guidelines_summary.pdf

US Department of the Treasury - Home Affordable Modification Program Guidelines (March 4, 2009)

http://www.treas.gov/press/releases/reports/modification_program_guidelines.pdf

H.R. 1106: Helping Families Save Their Homes Act of 2009
http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=h111-1106 (Thank you to Francis Neri for showing us the way to Govtrack.us on Facebook.

March 13, 2009
Contributed by Baylan Megino

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.

Take action to support the passage of S. 61 TODAY!

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.

Date: Wed, Oct 15, 2008 at 11:52 AM

Dear Valued Member, Affiliate and Supporter of NaFFAA and Region 8 Northern California:

I attended the recently concluded NaFFAA, 8th National Empowerment Conference in Seattle from September 26-28 where NaFFAA delegates, young and old, traveled from all parts of the US to take part in “Forging a New Filipino American Agenda for the 21st Century.”

Joining our NaFFAA R8 team in Seattle was our new NaFFAA R8 Youth Chair, Jenab-i Pareja. We are very excited to have Jenab-i on board. Jenab-i has a long, illustrious community organizing background (and he hasn’t graduated yet!) and he is currently enrolled at UC Berkeley. We look forward to all members assisting Jenab-i with strategic plans and implementation for our youth/young professional members. We bid “Good luck” to former youth chair, Caroline Iwamoto, who has started her college freshman classes at NYU.

We were also treated to meeting 17 year old, Filipino American David Gilbert-Pederson of Minnesota. David is the NaFFAA Youth Chair for Region 3 (Midwest Region) and has been interviewed recently by Time Magazine for having been the youngest delegate at the recently completed Democratic National Convention in Denver. His charisma and maturity is beyond his 17 years and if David is representative of our Filipino youth across the nation, then our future looks 100 times brighter. During the plenary session of “Forging a New Filipino American Agenda for the 21st Century, in which he was a panelist, David announced his candidacy to run for City Council in his home town of Minneapolis to huge applaud by the NaFFAA delegates (both Republicans and Democrats present). Here is links to the Time Magazine interview http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1834668,00.html and a video interview http://www.pbs.org/kcet/tavissmiley/archive/200808/20080827_gilbertpederson.html.

The highlight of the conference was the voting of a new Chairman to lead NaFFAA. I’m happy and proud to announce to you our very own Greg Macabenta has been voted to succeed Alma Kern and lead NaFFAA for the next 2 years. See http://naffaar8.com/congratulations-to-greg-b-macabenta-naffaas-new-national-chair/ for Greg’s initial thoughts after the election.

Region 8 played a pivotal role in stopping a vote to the amendments to the bylaws proposal. On behalf of Region 8, I wrote a position paper, which was circulated to conference attendees:

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For the record. Delivered by Lorna Dietz, regional vice chair on behalf of Jose Pecho, regional chair and members, on Friday morning.

In the light of the upcoming national elections at the 8th NaFFAA National Empowerment Conference, one of our Northern California region’s brightest stars, Greg B. Macabenta, has decided to run for the office of NaFFAA National Chair. When he announced his intention to Region 8 Chair Jose Pecho and Region 8 Vice-Chair Lorna Dietz, the two regional officers immediately promised their support and personal endorsements. Somebody as results-driven as Greg Macabenta who has successfully trained business and community service leaders is someone we need during these fast-changing times. Both of these regional officers had trained with Greg B. Macabenta during the highly successful Third Global Filipino Networking Covention in 2005.

Here are some of Greg’s thoughts and ideas as he looks forward to NaFFAA’s growth as an empowerment organization. 

Dear Friends,

First of all, thank you for your support. I am encouraged to pursue this candidacy in spite of the sacrifices that the position will subsequently entail. Para sa NaFFAA.

I have received a copy of Ernie Ramos’ platform and I’m forwarding it to you along with some comments. Please be assured that I am making these comments with no malice aforethought and only in the interests of NaFFAA. I am also resending my strategy document, the better for you to compare that with Ernie’s. I will appreciate your comments.

Ernie proposes to solve the problems of NaFFAA and achieve its objectives by way of his platform which I have taken the liberty of summarizing (divested of the verbiage).

In effect, Ernie Ramos is proposing to do the following:

TO RAISE MONEY FOR NAFFAA

1) Write grant proposals in the hope of raising millions from “Federal, State and County agencies”;
2) Call on corporations doing business with the FilAm community and solicit funds.

TO ACHIEVE FILAM EMPOWERMENT THROUGH NAFFAA

1) Assist green card holders in becoming US citizens.
2) Launch an aggressive voter registration (FilVote) and GOTV (Get Out The Vote) campaign;
3) Encourage you, as Regional Chair, and the State Chairs to organize ‘Getting to Know Your Candidates’ forum(s) in cooperation with “other Asian-American and minority organizations”;
4) Encourage you and the State chairs to hold fundraising events.
5) Challenge you and the State Chairs to expand your NaFFAA membership.

TO MAKE NAFFAA MORE INFLUENTIAL WITH THE WHITE HOUSE AND CONGRESS

1) Get to know White House and Congression leaders better in order to get their support.
2) Help you, as Regional Chair, and the State Chairs frame your strategies and draft your talking points in dealing with Congress. .
3) Impress upon you and the State Chairs the importance of FilAm voting power so that you can use this argument in dealing with your Congressmen.
4) Coordinate with you and the State Chairs in advocating for issues affecting FilAms before your respective State officials and before Congress.
5) Link up with other minority associations to get ““numbers support” and “network support” for legislation that will benefit FilAms;

TO STRENGTHEN RELATIONS WITH THE PHILIPPINE GOVERNMENT

1) ” Establish mutual relationship” with members and leaders of the Congress;
2) “Impress” Congress and the administration with “NaFFAA’s role…in representing the issues and concerns impacting FilAms, immigrants and OFWs” and as a “responsible catalyst” in relations with the US.
3) Assist you and the State Chairs in facilitating dual citizenship and amending the Overseas Absentee Voting Act, as well as other rules affecting Filipinos in the US.
4) Express NaFFAA’s position on the merits or demerits of proposed bills and executive orders affecting FilAms and OFWS;
5) Be an active advocate for or against presidential resolutions or proposals that affect overseas Filipinos, using our “14 billion plus” remittances as leverage.
6) “Establish a mechanism” for making use of FilAm talents, skills and assets to benefit the Philippines.

The question is: Can Ernie commit to raise funds from grants soon enough to keep NaFFAA alive? Alma Kern and Loida Lewis thought that it was easy and found out that getting grants approved is easier said than done. Meanwhile, NaFFAA is running on empty.

If Ernie can achieve in a timely manner what Alma and NaFFAA have not been able to achieve in the past two years, then he will surely deserve to be NaFFAA chair. You might want to ask him if he is prepared to make such a commitment.

With respect to my modest proposals, I AM COMMITTING TO RAISE FUNDS IMMEDIATELY. It’s as simple as that. The grants should be written but, in the meantime, we need to sustain NaFFAA operations.

Another question: Of these proposed ways to”empower” FilAms, which ones are not already being done to a greater or lesser degree?

I know that many of our friends across the US have been conducting FilVote and Get-Out-The-Vote campaigns relentlessly for years. But the harsh reality is that what is required is an attitudinal change.

Making NaFFAA and our community “more influential” with the US Congress and the White House is something that you and other hardy champions for Veterans Equity have been trying to do for years. Slowly, success is being gained. But we’re still not sure of a victory in the House. This is the reason why we need to address the issue of organizing a potent political action committee at the national and local levels, something that you have been actively espousing for years. I hope they will discuss this at the national conference.

Perhaps Ernie Ramos can demonstrate his capabilities by using his Capitol Hill connections to get the Veterans Equity Bill passed in the House. You might want to ask him to do that. If he succeeds, he surely deserves to be National Chair of NaFFAA.

Meanwhile, let me summarize what I propose to do as National Chair:

TO STRENGTHEN NAFFAA’S IMAGE

1. Publish the book, NaFFAA: The First Decade,” a book on the struggle for empowerment, the role played by NaFFAA (citing specific cases) and featuring the winners and nominees in the first NaFFAA Kabayanihan Awards for Community Service; distribute the book among key publics: U.S. government policy/decision makers; Corporate sponsors and donor organizations; Media; Philippine government, business and NGOs; FilAm communities (NaFFAA and non-NaFFAA). This is something I can do with available resources, including my personal resources, clients and business contacts.

2. Mount a sustained information and communication campaign to strengthen awareness and image of NaFFAA before key publics. Again, this is something I can immediately implement with existing rescources, specifically my own, starting with a regular section on NaFFAA in Filipinas Magazine.

With these tools, NaFFAA can approach government and corporate targets with head held high and negotiate from a position of strength. This is something I do all the time for my clients, including the Seafood City Group and GMA Network.

TO BUILD NAFFAA’S FINANCIAL AND OTHER RESOURCES

Writing grant requests (which is the main program of Ernie Ramos) is fine but remember that this is a long-gestation exercise. We need activities that will deliver immediate tangible results and will also lay the foundation for securing grants.

1. Having revived and then built up NaFFAA’s image, we can market NaFFAA’s current assets to corporate sponsors, funding agencies and foundations. Our websites, conferences, database and community networks are worth their weight in gold as far as corporate sponsors are concerned - but first they must be impressed with NaFFAA. Right now, they are not.. This is why image building is so vital as a first step. Consider that with my little magazine - Filipinas - I am able to organize an annual awards presentation with corporate support from Anheuser Busch, Wells Fargo Bank, Set, Triple A, Hawaiian Airlines, Seafood City, Ayala Corporation, Genentech, State Farm, etc. A national organization like NaFFAA should be able to attract a lot more support, if our image can be properly revived and built up.

2. Mount programs that can be funded and sponsored immedaitely:
(a) Kabayanihan Community Services Awards.
(b) A national NaFFAA directory of FilAm organizations, social services, community assets and elected/appointed FilAm public officials. This is not a new idea but it can generate substantial revenues and will also help strengthen NaFFAA’s links with community organizatioins and services nationwide (after all, we will list them for free and give them prominence).
c) Programs/seminars/forums/conferences focusing on Seniors, Youth, Women, Health, Education, Civic Involvement, etc. which are of interest to foundations, corporations and other funding sources. SIPA (Search to Involve Pilipino Americans) in Los Angeles has been able to build a senior housing facility, buy a building and mount youth, senior and other community services by way of tangible programs. Joel Jacinto, executive director of SIPA told me two weeks ago that his organization would get actively involved with NaFFAA if I agreed to run for National Chair (one of the reasons why I made this decision). I hope to replicate SIPA’s programs in other cities, with Joel’s guidance.

3) Reactivate involvement with the Greenlining Coalition. This multi-ethnic organization has clout with all the major corporations and is able to access to community development funds that these corporations (specifically banks) are mandated to make available. This was how Alex Esclamado managed to secure funding during NaFFAA’s early years.

4) Hold an annual NaFFAA fund-raiser. This is not a new idea but it always works. NaFFAA has not done this at all.

5) Set up a Corporate Advisory Board through which we can access corporate and foundation funds. SIPA, La Raza and other ethnic organizations have this as a mandatory component. Loida Lewis attempted to set this up but there was no corresponding set of programs to which funds could be channelled (youth, education, health, seniors, etc.). This can be revived with the required program components. Operating funds can be derived from a percentage of proceeds (similar to SIPA).

6) Write Grants. Perhaps Ernie Ramos can be harnessed for this since he appears to be such an expert in doing it. But, again, we must remember that this takes a while bearing fruit and we need to have the requisite programs to justify the grants.

ESTABLISH A SUSTAINABLE NAFFAA STRUCTURE

1. Establish and activate task forces or working committees to undertake the programs earlier mentioned, delegating to members of the NaFFAA Board and the leaders of the Regions and the States. That way, we will not lack in heads and hands. More importantly, we will be able to harness the skills, expertise, time and resources of the key leaders of NaFFAA. We know you guys are just raring to prove yourselves. You should be given every encouragement and incentive to assume leadership in your various areas of expertise (Ernie in Grant writing, for instance). This way, we will no longer agonize over who should be the next National Chair of NaFFAA. The stars of the organization will shine and we will always have a deep bench. That is what I mean by sustainability.

Al, I hope you find all of this both interesting and valuable. Warmest regards.

Greg B. Macabenta

READ GREG B. MACABENTA’S PROPOSED ORGANIZATIONAL AND DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY FOR NAFFAA IN THE NEXT PAGE.

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Introduction: We, at Region 8, have painstakingly provided additional links and information from the original organizer’s announcements from Region 7 so that you can plan your conference travels comfortably. Another tidbit for you: Greg B. Macabenta, NaFFAA National Vice Chair Emeritus, will be running for National NaFFAA Chair during this conference’s elections. We need your support to rally behind Greg — and to spread the word to our NaFFAA leaders in other regions as to why his leadership will help NaFFAA evolve magnificently through the upcoming changes and challenges. Check out the upcoming First NaFFAA Kabayanihan Awards for Community Service, Rodel and Greg’s brainchild!

NaFFAA’s National Chair, Alma Q. Kern, talks about NaFFAA and the Upcoming 8th NaFFAA Empowerment Conference.

Conference Fee: $195.00 Includes all conference materials, events, meals and gala night.
Gala Dinner only (for non-delegates): $80.00 per head.
Price per Display Table: Exhibitor/Vendor: $400 ea.; Non Profit organization $200 ea.

HERE ARE SOME UPDATES AS OF AUGUST 30, 2008!

A few REMINDERS and some information for immediate release:

1) Deadline for HOTEL REGISTRATION for 8NEC at Westin Hotel is September 2. Go to http://www.naffaa-pacnw.org/for hotel link or call Starwood Central Reservations 1-888-627-8513 and mention NaFFAA Empowerment Convention Room Block. Please make your hotel reservations quick!

The address for the 8th NaFFAA Empowerment Conference is:

The Westin Seattle
1900 - 5th Avenue
Seattle, WA 98101
(206) 728-1000
Check in: 03:00 PM
Check out: 12:00 PM

Our 891 smoke-free guest rooms and suites are designed to provide ultimate comfort and tranquility for our guests. All guest rooms offer High Speed Internet Access and flat screen televisions and feature The Westin Heavenly Bed® and Heavenly Bath®.

2) Deadline for 8NEC DELEGATE REGISTRATION is September 8. Go to http://www.naffaa-pacnw.org/for registration link. Please register for the conference now! See the schedule/program below.

3) Press release was sent out with official attendance of Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo (PGMA). Click here for the press release found at NaFAAR8.com. Following changes in schedule are:

a. Gala Night will be moved to Friday night with PGMA as Guest of Honor

b. Fellowship Night - will be held Saturday night at the Westin Hotel

Other events/schedule remain unchanged.

4) For those regions who have not sent in their ads, please email them soon to Virgie at ciscopalis@cablespeed.com and mail payments to NaFFAA c/o Filipino Community of Seattle, 5740 M L King Jr Way S, Seattle WA 98118.

5) Presentations for the Fellowship Night - Please coordinate with Marilyn Doromal (R4) and Ian Purganan (R7). We would like to see all regions participate!

6) We also have a golf tournament on September 25, 2008. If interested, visit www.partneringworks.org.
The Filipino Chamber of Commerce of the Pacific Northwest is handling this event. You can register on line.

General Information:

1) For transportation from airport to Westin Hotel (click here for SeaTac International Airport information): The Downtown Airporter is the least expensive transportation between the downtown Seattle hotels and the Seattle-Tacoma (SeaTac) International Airport. Charge is $15. Downtown Airporter by Gray Line (airport shuttle) serves the Airport outside Door 00 on the Baggage Claim (lower) level. Departs twice an hour from 5:30 a.m. - 11:00 p.m., with service to and from major downtown Seattle hotels: Madison Renaissance, Crowne Plaza , Fairmont Olympic, Hilton Hotel, Seattle Sheraton, Grand Hyatt, Westin Hotel and Warwick Hotel.

Downtown Airporter Service
206-626-6088
Recorded Schedule Information
206-624-5077 / 800-426-7532
Gray Line of Seattle Assistance
Departures from Downtown Seattle daily 5:00am-11:00pm
Departures from SeaTac Airport daily 5:30am-11:00pm

Additional downtown properties are served via Connector Service. (Note: Connector Service is available between 5:30 am and 9:00 pm to connect passengers to and from outlying locations to the Downtown Airporter Service. Please call 206-255-7159 one hour prior to needed pick up time for Connector Service. Please note, these numbers are to request Connector Service pick-up on the day it is needed ONLY.)

2) If you have any free time left and interested in what Seattle can offer, please visit: http://savorseattletours.com/about.htm.

Eat your way through Seattle!

Savor Seattle specializes in guided walking food tours of Seattle’s tastiest restaurants, eateries, and artisan shops. Tantalize your taste buds with Pacific Northwest seafood, artisan hand-made cheese, microbrew beer, gourmet chocolate, fine wine, and much, much more.

Enjoy a taste of Seattle, while going behind the scenes to experience the exciting culture, history, and people that are the “heart and soul” of the Emerald City!

3) Click here for current information on Seattle’s weather.

4) Don’t miss Seattle’s landmark - The Space Needle - From the Westin Hotel, walk a few steps to Westlake Mall and catch the monorail from the 3rd level of the mall and it will take you (for a couple of dollars and make sure you buy a round trip ticket) to the Seattle Center where the Space Needle is located. For more information go to www.spaceneedle.com.

5) The Westin Hotel is conveniently located in downtown Seattle. It is the front door for downtown shopping and attractions, which include Seattle’s premier destinations Pacific Place Center and Westlake Shopping Mall, dining and the vibrant theater district. Westin is just steps away from the Pike Place Market (visit www.pikeplacemarket.org).

6) Scroll below to learn some fun facts about Seattle.

See you in Seattle!

Mariela Fletcher
NaFFAA R7 Vice Chair
NaFFAA 8th NEC Overall Conference Chair
Sept 26-28,2008, Westin Hotel, Seattle
www.naffaa-pacnw.org to register
Join NaFFAA now!
Unite & Empower…be proud…
You are Filipino!

Mariela Fletcher, CRS, ABR
(206) 963-8838; (888) 322-7576
Remax Metro Realty
www.marielafletcher.com

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8TH NaFFAA EMPOWERMENT CONFERENCE PROGRAMME
(as of August 30, 2008)Theme: “Forging A New Filipino American Agenda for the 21st Century”

Thursday, September 25, 20089:00AM REGISTRATION OPENS3:00PM NaFFAA Board Meeting / Other Networking GroupsGolf Tournament
Sight Seeing
Exhibits

6:00PM HOSPITALITY NIGHT
Hors D’oeuvres sponsored by NaFFAA Region 7

Friday, September 26, 2008

7:00AM REGISTRATION

8:30AM PARADE OF REGIONAL COLORS

8:45AM OPENING

National Anthems
Invocation by National Vice Chair Rozita Lee
Welcome by National Chair, Host R7 Chair, Filipino Chamber Pres, Conference Chair
Invited guests include:
WA State Governor Christine Gregoire
King County Exec Ron Sims, Mayor Greg Nickels

9:45AM PLENARY SESSION 1

NaFFAA National Chair’s Report
NaFFAA Regional Chair’s Report
*Filipino Chamber of Commerce

12:00 NOON LUNCH - KEYNOTE SPEAKER

1:00PM TO 2:15PM PLENARY SESSION 2 - PANEL DISCUSSION
“Small Steps, Big Results”

1:00PM TO 2:15PM WORKSHOPS 1

1.1 Healthy Active Lifestyle
1.2 PRA Retirement Program
1.3 Fund Raising 101
1.4 Navigating Change: Leadership in the 21st Century (Y)
1.5 Remembering Our Roots to Empower our Future Generation (Y)
1.6 Branding & Marketing - Chamber
1.7 Access to Capital - Chamber
1.8 Immigration & the US Workshop Shortage - Chamber

2:30PM TO 3:45PM WORKSHOPS 2

2.1 FilAm Democrats Caucus
2.2 FilAm Republican Caucus
2.3 FilAm Wellness Center - A Model for Health & Socio Cultural Empowerment; An Advocacy Campaign Thru Environmental Change
2.4 Talk Story: Our Voices, Our Future (Y)
2.5 PINAAY – Providing Information Network Among Asians and our Youth (Y)
2.6 IT Infrastructure for Small Business-Chamber
2.7 International trade Opportunities for the Small Business – Chamber
2.8 Supplier Diversity – Chamber

3:50PM to 5:20PM NaFFAA BUSINESS
ByLaws Amendment

3:50PM FilipinoVillage.com -Global Village Online

4:15PM TO 5:30PM Filipino Chamber - Networking Session
Cocktails - No Host Bar

6:30PM RECEPTION WITH PRESIDENT ARROYO

7:00PM GALA NIGHT - AN EVENING WITH PRESIDENT ARROYO
National Anthems
Invocation
Welcome Remarks: National Chair Alma Q Kern
Remarks by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo
Dinner
Entertainment: FYA Drill Team; Angelo Pizarro; Live Band and Dancing
Emcee: (ABS-CBN/TFC) Gel Santos-Relos

8:30PM Youth Fun Night

Saturday, September 27, 2008

9:00AM TO 10:15AM WORKSHOPS 3

3.1 Education: National Study on K-12
3.2 Filipino Voter’s Drive
3.3 Health & Domestic Violence
3.4 Empowerment Through the Filipino Language
3.5 Empowerment to Address Cancer Disparities
From Advocacy to Filipino Vagina Monologue
3.6 IRS: EIC Initiative & VITA Program
3.7 Medical Missions: Its Relevance & Effectiveness in the Philippines
3.8 Teamwork: Developing Effective Teams (Y)

10:30AM Youth Field Trip & Lunch (All Youth)

10:30AM PLENARY SESSION 3 – PANEL DISCUSSION ON “FORGING A NEW FILIPINO AMERICAN AGENDA FOR THE 21ST CENTURY”

12:00NOON LUNCH

1:30PM “POWER OF YOUR VOTE AND VOICE” (Speakers)

2:45PM TO 4:00PM WORKSHOPS 4

4.1 College Access & Success for Filipinos
4.2 The Many Faces of Human Trafficking
4.3 Equity & Justice for FilAm WWII Veterans
4.4 Acupuncture & Alternative Medicine: Its Relevance in Today’s Health Care
4.5 Media as Change Agent: Media as A Tool to Empower Global Filipinos
4.6 NASA Space Shuttle Orientation
4.7 On Civil Rights & Discrimination
4.8 How To be A “Techy” Non-Techie with Internet & Technology Tools for Effective Communications

4:00PM Filipino Village.com - Global Village Online

4:15PM TO 6:15PM NaFFAA BUSINESS
Open Forum & Elections

7:00PM FELLOWSHIP NIGHT - “NaFFAA’s GOT TALENT”
Dinner at Westin
Contest by Regions
Ceremonial Turnover
Remarks: Incoming National Chair
Awards/Announcements

Sunday, September 28, 2008

9:00AM Interfaith Service – Westin Hotel

10:00AM Mass at St James Cathedral

11:00AM APPRECIATION Brunch & CLOSING (Filipino Community of Seattle)

(revised 8.28.08 subject to change)

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GO TO THE NEXT PAGE FOR MORE INFORMATION ON:

- Some Fun Facts and Tidbits about Seattle

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 28, 2008

Contact: Ning Rogge, Media Relations Manager
NaFFAA 8th Empowerment Conference
Tel. 206 949 9676; elizrogge@gmail.com

Seattle, WA - In just a few weeks, hundreds of community leaders members and advocates throughout the United States and other countries will gather in Seattle to discuss how to “Forge a New Filipino American Agenda for the 21st Century” and promote the welfare and well-being of Filipinos and Filipino-Americans by fostering unity and empowerment.

The National Federation of Filipino American Associations (NaFFAA), will hold its 8th National Empowerment Conference, a three-day event on September 26-28, 2008 at the Westin Hotel in downtown Seattle. Since its founding in 1997, leaders from across the nation and around the world convene every two years to discuss how Filipinos can help each other improve their quality of life.

Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo will be the keynote during the Gala event on Friday, September 26, 2008. Over 1,000 attendees are expected.

“We are really looking forward to hearing what President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo has to say to us. We are a diverse community, some of us are third, fourth generation Filipino Americans, but regardless of how far back we can trace our Filipino ancestry, we remain attached to the culture. We would also like her to hear how we are very much part of day to day struggle to have the quality of life we hope for, as Filipino Americans. NaFFAA is a young national organization, only 11 years old, yet has had major successful projects such as dual citizenship for global Filipinos. But we are still and will continue to fight in the United States for Equity for Filipino WWII Veterans, for voter education, civil rights advocacy, better educational and business opportunities. It is good for President Arroyo to hear all that.” states Kern.

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Telltale Signs/ THE NOT SO IMPOSSIBLE DREAM OF ALEX ESCLAMADO

Rodel E. Rodis

November 19, 2007

ALEX ESCLAMADO was looking forward to blissful retirement and to writing his memoirs when I invited him to travel with me to New York in April of 1997. I had been invited to speak at the regional conference of the Filipino Intercollegiate Networking for Dialogue (FIND) to be held at the State University of New York in Long Island when I unexpectedly received a round-trip ticket from the Filipino student group after I had already purchased my plane fare.

So, with an extra round-trip plane ticket in hand, I asked Alex if he would like to join me. By then, Alex had lotS of free time then as he had just sold Philippine News to his good friend, Ed Espiritu. For the first time probably since 1961 when he and his wife, Luly, started publishing the weekly newspaper from the garage of their home in San Francisco, Alex did not have a weekly editorial to write, a newspaper to edit.

Alex said yes and off we flew to New York. On the flight, we recalled how, after People Power ousted the Marcos Dictatorship, we had set about to unite the Filipino American community which had been bitterly divided between the proponents and opponents of martial rule. It was Alex’s “impossible dream” (his favorite song) to have a united, empowered community. In1987, Alex traveled the country inviting Filipino community leaders to meet in Anaheim, California in August of 1987 to form an organization that would work to empower the community.

About 1500 delegates from around the US heeded his call and gsthered to form the National Filipino American Council (NFAC). We all agreed that martial law was a thing of the past and that we should now look forward to being Americans and to fighting for our place at the table. It was exactly the political frame of mind that Alex had hoped for.

But perhaps Alex was too successful. When the time came to electing a chair who would guide the organization forward, an influential group of Filipino Republicans threatened to walk out of the convention if Alex was elected chair because they believed he was too partisan a Democrat to lead a bipartisan organization. In the interest of forging unity, Alex gave way to a Republican from San Francisco, Dennis Normandy, a corporate executive who did not share Alex’s vision of chartered chapters in Filipino communities throughout the US. His “spokes in a wheel” model envisioned a more modest growth.

On the flight to New York, I told Alex that NFAC had not become the vehicle for community empowerment that we had envisioned and that it was time to form another organization that would be true to his vision at Anaheim. I told him that with what remained of the NFAC, a decision was made in Salinas in January of 1997 to call for a summit of Filipino community organizations to meet in August in Washington DC. I was going to the FIND conference (1,000 students attended) to invite the members to join us in DC.

When we arrived in New York, Alex and I were met by a FIND member who took us to his home in Brooklyn where he put us up for the night. It was not a hotel but Alex did not mind. I remember thinking that Alex would have been a very rich man, flying first class and sleeping at the Plaza, if he had sold his newspaper in 1977 when the Dictator Ferdinand Marcos offered to purchase it for $10 million to silence the paper that had become the leading anti-Marcos newspaper in the US, if not in the world.

But though Alex needed the money as he had borrowed heavily to keep his newspaper afloat in the face of iron-fisted pressure on advertisers applied by the Marcos government, he rejected the tempting offer, declaring that his principles were not for sale.

(more…)

This perspective was developed as a result of intense discussions among Ben Menor, Terry Acebo Davis, Bren Bataclan, Cheryl Platon, and Lorna Dietz on July-August 2002 while the group was preparing for  NaFFAA’s 5th Empowerment Conference at the DoubleTree Hotel, San Jose, California on August 28 to August 30, 2002.

“Empowerment begins with the individual in order to care for others.” – Ben Menor, Jr.

 

Preface

During our interactions with Filipino American communities during the past 30 years, we often heard the words “Filipino identity” and “identity crisis” used interchangeably to describe the “state of affairs of the Filipino in America.”  We also witnessed the plethora of talents and skills coming from Filipinos in America — from the business executive, political leader, health professional, union organizer, to the sports celebrity — making significant contributions to their communities.  The 1960’s and 1970’s were decades that encouraged the development of affirmative action and diversity in most facets of the Filipino lifestyle and psyche.  30 years later, we assumed that we had gone beyond thinking about “Filipino identity” and “identity crisis.”  The reasons, however, for what we are haven’t changed.  Many Filipinos in America still believe that the core of our fortunes and misfortunes lies in the Filipino Identity. 

The purpose of this perspective is to involve the reader in the process of consciousness and to explore ideas that have always been inherent in our internal make-up yet ignored.  It is also a compilation of inputs and insights from networks of Filipinos across America.  “Filipinos in America” is an all-inclusive term that embraces Filipino Americans, temporary and permanent residents, and recent immigrants.  This perspective is meant to be thought-provoking and attempts to shift the perception of Filipinos in America from deprivation to abundance, from the “I” to the “we,” and from “Filipino Identity” to “Filipino Consciousness.”

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