National Federation of Filipino American Associations

_____

From: Deborah Clearwaters
Date: Fri, Oct 2, 2009 at 5:31 PM
Subject: Re: For Sun., Oct. 4 in San Francisco, Asian Art Museum “Filipino American History Month Celebration * FREE admission courtesy of TARGET Stores
To: Lorna Lardizabal-Dietz

Thank you for helping us get the word out Lorna!

FYI, all donations at the museum on Sunday will go towards typhoon disaster relief in the Philippines.

All the best
Deborah

Deborah Clearwaters
Director of Education and Public Programs
———————————————-
Asian Art Museum
Chong-Moon Lee Center for Asian Art and Culture
200 Larkin St, San Francisco, CA 94102
www.asianart.org
_____

From: Jose Pecho, NaFFAA Region 8 Chair
Date: Thu, Oct 1, 2009 at 11:04 AM
Subject: Sincere Appreciation to One and All…

Dear Kick-Off Celebration & Academy of Sciences Teams, Sponsoring Supporters and Volunteers:

I wanted to express a big thank you to all who made last night a smashing success. We had planned for an intimate event with about 120-150, I think we were close to having almost twice that with 250+ guests. The only downside for the bigger than expected attendance was not having enough food for all. My sincere apologies for those of you who didn’t get a chance to eat some of the wonderful food donated by Mercury Lounge, Gold Ribbon Bakeshop, Subway Sandwiches, Haliya Wines, VuQo, Inc and Zebulon Restaurant. We thank them for their generosity and spirit of giving in such difficult economic times.

The Academy of Sciences is a venue our community certainly won’t forget. The ambiance created an elegant and glamorous evening, highlighted by the showcasing of the Philippine Coral Reef. From the moment discussions began with the Academy in planning our event to the final volunteers leaving last night, it was first class treatment all the way. We are honored and humbled by your support and partnership. A special thank you to Executive Director, Dr. Gregory Farrington, Chief of Staff and CFO, Allison Brown for her welcome remarks, Dr. Meg Burke, Director of Education for her enthusiasm and support, Dr. Terry Gosliner, Sr. Curator for the Coral Reef and Bart Shepherd, the Sr. Curator for the Academy for their wonderful stories of how it all happened. Meg and Terry, thanks for honoring us with the wearing of beautiful “Barongs” to the event. A special, special thank you to David Nemoyten, Sr. Event Coordinator, who handled our event from start to finish and who guided us every step of the way. Our community is grateful to the entire Academy Team!

Also, thanks to Suzanne Kavert of Best Beverage Catering for working with us to ensure our event happened.

Our sincere gratitude and thanks to our volunteer crew, for without you, our event wouldn’t have been such a success:

Norman and Mariluz Ragasa, our Event designer http://mariluzdesign.com/, who created wonderful designs and helped create the elegance of the evening.

Michelle Caabay-Brokstein, of Jux.ta.pose www.jux-ta-pose.net who took the bull by the horns and ensured we got things done. Thanks to hubby Mr. Brokstein for running around and helping the team.

We even have to have a special shout out to Wade the Chef, who works at the Academy and lent and huge helping hand with food and table presentations.

Derric Gargaritano and Jinni Bartolome for helping with the finishing touches, as well as the Jazz Band who set the mood for the Coral Reef!

Lastly, thanks to the Kick-off Celebration Team of Al Perez, Rich Pio Roda, Emile Deguzman, Esther Chavez, Dennis Normandy, Hydra Mendoza, Keesa Ocampo and of course our very own Lisa Ang!

Always at your service…

Sincerely,

Jose Pecho

UPDATE AS OF JULY 1, 2009 * 12:30AM

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.

June 29, 2009

June 30, 2009 - Solidarity Rally to Include Filipino Community in San Francisco’s Funding for Non-Profit Ag…

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!

Lorna Dietz
NaFFAA Region 8 Vice Chair & NaFFAA Online Coordinator

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.

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/save-west-bay-and-other-filipino-non-profits-in-san-francisco

Best Regards,

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)

gavin.newsom@sfgov.org, Michela.Alioto-Pier@sfgov.org, John.Avalos@sfgov.org, David.Campos@sfgov.org, David.Chiu@sfgov.org, Carmen.Chu@sfgov.org, Chris.Daly@sfgov.org, Bevan.Dufty@sfgov.org, Sean.Elsbernd@sfgov.org, Eric.L.Mar@sfgov.org, Sophie.Maxwell@sfgov.org, Ross.Mirkarimi@sfgov.org,

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.

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.
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.

San Jose Foreclosure Prevention Clinic - April 19, 2009

Watch out for more details!

PRESS RELEASE
April 16, 2009

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.

Dexter Ligot-Gordon is a Past NaFFAA National Youth Chair. He is based in Region 8.

This past week has been for me a whirlwind of celebration, inspiration, and emotion. Filipinos for Obama (now named Kaya) gathered in Washington DC, to be a part of this historic moment–a pivot in the trajectory of our nation. Despite all the fanfare, the flurry of celebrity, and the behind the scenes politicking- one particular experience symbolized the gravity and the meaning of this inauguration to me.

On the Monday before the Inauguration, our Washington DC Chapter of Filipinos for Obama/Kaya responded to President Obama’s call to service and organized a project to make care packages for our Filipino World War II veterans, write letters to recent veterans, and to fundraise for USO in support of our nation’s current service-women and men.

I arrived at the OCA office where we hosted the service project. I was taken aback by what I saw. The entire building was full to the brim with tourists, locals, youth, elderly, community members, current service men and women—most of whom were not Filipino. While the organizers had only brought enough supplies to make 50 care packages, over 200 volunteers showed to give a part of their busy schedule to answer a call to service.

The DC Chapter provided a brief educational on the Filipino World War II Veterans issue, about the proud service that our manongs and manangs gave to the United States, and their unjust dismissal. For most, this was their first exposure to the Veterans Equity issue—they were astonished at this injustice, and pledged their support for our cause.

(more…)

Congratulations to Rodel Rodis, Esq., one of the co-founders of the National Federation of Filipino American Associations (NaFFAA) and the founder of the Global Filipino Networking Convention (6thGlobalCebu.com), for his 18 years of service as a City College Trustee of the City College of San Francisco.

Download your invitation here: http://www.scribd.com/share/upload/6035394/5lvbn9ww3oy9jvmp6gr

Board President Lawrence Wong & Board Vice-President Dr. Natalie Berg cordially invite you to join the City College community in celebrating three-term Board President Rodel Rodis’ 18 years of service as a City College Trustee.

(more…)

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.

January 15th at 11:30 am

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

UPDATE:

From Baylan Megino

Congratulations to NaFFAA on their participation in the Bailout protest which made the SF Chronicle:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/01/16/BUSF15B9KR.DTL.

Since this clinic was confidential in nature, we will not be publishing any photos.

PRESS RELEASE

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.

FLIER

12132008 Flier for Today’s Foreclosure Clinic

(more…)

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

* 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

12182008 - Community Protest at CA PUC, San Francisco, CA

This video was recorded by Lorna Dietz on November 11, 2008 in Salinas, CA during the formal chapter creation of NaFFAA Region 8 Monterey Bay Chapter. Elmer Dolera-Chapter chair, Orly Jimenez-Chapter ViceChair, & Susan Aremas-Chapter Treasurer.

The National Filipino American Council’s most active chapter was located in Monterey Bay. In its early years, NFAC had recognized the need for having a national organization that would somehow bring Filipino Americans on the same table in their shared advocacies. NFAC, during a historic meeting in Salinas, CA in January 1997, agreed to be a major force in convening like-minded Filipino Americans and community-based organizations in Washington DC on August 1997, and paved the way for the formation of NaFFAA in that same event that brought together more than 1,500 Filipino Americans nationwide.

Dennis Normandy was the first National President when NFAC was formed in 1987 at a convention in Anaheim, CA. Rodel Rodis was the first National Vice-President.

In 1997, Rodel Rodis, Alex Esclamado, Michael Dadap, Loida Nicolas-Lewis, and many other Filipino Americans, founded the National Federation of Filipino American Associations.

On November 11, 2008, NaFFAA Co-Founder Rodel Rodis, NaFFAA Region 8 (Northern CA) Chair Jose Pecho, NaFFAA R8 San Franciso City & County Chair Rudy Asercion, and NaFFAA R8 Vice-Chair Lorna Dietz went to Monterey County, CA to formalize the chapter formation of the Monterey Bay chapter of NaFFAA Region 8.

From NFAC to NaFFAA… We went back to the place where these historic milestones took place.

Full circle.

Congratulations to NaFFAA R8 Monterey Bay!