Parangal Dance Company
Come and celebrate Parangal’s 3rd anniversary show, in association with Kularts, and kick off Filipino American History Month on Saturday, October 1, 2011 at 7pm with
Pamana, Preserving Our Heritage
Parangal presents Pamana - a celebration of Philippine culture through ethnic textiles, music, and dances. Pamana means “inheritance” or “legacy.” Pamana will highlight traditions and rituals passed down by native ancestors, national and master artists, and community elders. In Pamana, Parangal honors and shares what has been taught by those who came before, hoping to inspire the community and next generation so the traditions and stories can be preserved for the future.
The program for Pamana will include a new world premiere piece, a few nostalgic Philippine folk dances, and our latest piece, Subanen, from this year’s San Francisco Ethnic Dance Festival.
Featured Artists
American Center of Philippine Arts
Josefina and Levi Malabuyo
Location
Cowell Theater, Fort Mason Center, Herbst Pavilion, San Francisco
Tickets
$28 in advance
$32 at the door
$23 each for groups of 7 or more
$18 students and senior citizens (60 and over) with I.D.
“First-come, first-served seating”
Purchase tickets at
At Location: Fort Mason Center Box Office
Phone: (415) 345-7575
Online: www.fortmason.org/boxoffice
Parangal’s production of Pamana is part of the In Performance Series at the Fort Mason Center, which is supported by Grants for r the Arts.
Video excerpt from SFEDF2011 by Kirk Schroeder
Pamana design by Jon Cruz
SFEDF2011 Music by Kawayan Folk Arts & Parangal — with Paul Silverio, Maricris Macabeo, Hazel Belga Dela Cruz, Victoria Hafalia, Vanessa Gomez Brake, Yekim Nayacam, Caroline Calderon, Melisa Mayeda, Dio-Ann Valmores, Ophelia Nombrado Sampang, Marissa Cruz, Hazel Ayn Benigno, Karina Fantillo, Ritchel Tan Gazo, June Arellano, Renalyn Tan, Jeff Jermaine Mancilla, Allyson Tintiangco-Cubales, Gilbert Laylay, Major Julian, Kimberly Requesto, Shari Almario, Ben Menor, Mary Jo Malabuyo, Mark Diao, Onardem Mari, Tfc’s BarangayUsa, Patricia Barretto Ong, Jojo Malabuyo, Jon Cruz, Shelly Tomas, Levi Malabuyo, Balitang America, Carlos “Mouse” Munoz, Nika Maglasang, Helen Serafino-Agar, Rachel Perey, Destyn Hernandez Bravo, Elizabeth Deleon, Jay Salazar, Eric Solano, Lorna Lardizabal Dietz, Al Perez and Julius Claros.
Myrna Lardizabal de Vera’s remarks on Mayorship are found here at the Hercules Patch.
Excerpts of Myrna Lardizabal de Vera’s acceptance speech (when she was sworn in as Councilmember) last December 14, 2010 can be found at the Hercules Patch.
Lorna Dietz’s Notes: Myrna de Vera also created her own website (with a lot of help from Google and initial guidance from her new media publisher-sister, Noemi Lardizabal Dado). She personally maintains her website’s content. Mayor Myrna is an aspiring novelist.
Myrna Lardizabal de Vera: There’s a new mayor in Hercules, California
July 5, 2011, Hercules, CA — Myrna Lardizabal de Vera was appointed as the new mayor of Hercules, California at 7:17pm on June 21, 2011 during a special Council meeting at the City of Hercules’s Council Chambers. The 20-year resident of Hercules, California, according to a political observer, was accelerated into office as a result of many factors that stimulated a “fast track” within the city government. After serving in the Planning Commission for five years, De Vera had run for a seat in the city council during the November 2, 2010 elections, pledging “The Right Change, based on Competence, Commitment, and Character.”
Myrna de Vera and John Delgado were elected as Council members and assumed office in December 2010. After Mayor Ed Balico resigned in January 2011 and Vice-Mayor Joanne Ward took over the vacant position, de Vera was appointed as the city’s new vice-mayor. The June 7, 2011 Special Elections resulted in a successful recall of Mayor Ward and Council member Donald Kuehne. Three members of the grassroots recall movement were sworn into office as the newest council members on June 21: Dan Romero, William Wilkins, and Gerard Boulanger. After the ceremony, Myrna de Vera was appointed as Mayor and John Delgado as Vice-Mayor.
It has been less than a month since a new council has been in place, all freshmen council members, with Mayor Myrna de Vera as the oldest “rookie.” De Vera seems to take everything in stride. According to Mayor Myrna, good governance practices are critical to the city’s success in its financial recovery.
Tom Lochner of Contra Costa Times best explained in his article, “Hercules Councilman-Elect, despite resume padding, plans to accept seat,” dated June 11, 2011, how the recall drive started.
“The recall occurred at a time of public anger over the city’s financial crisis and over its business relationship with a company that Nelson Oliva founded and that he said he transferred to two daughters shortly before he became city manager in April 2007; that company, NEO Consulting Inc./Affordable Housing Solutions Group, had $3 million in city contracts over a three-year period, approved by the City Council. But the pivotal event that triggered the recall drive was the council’s firing in December of interim City Manager Charlie Long, who had publicly disclosed the gravity of the financial crisis, and its reinstatement of Oliva from medical leave, if only temporarily. Oliva resigned in January under an agreement that gave him a year’s salary and benefits.”
Mayor Myrna de Vera, during her first address at the City Council meeting, immediately assessed the developments of the first half of 2011 and articulated the direction of her administration for the remainder of the calendar year.
“The past six months have been filled with tough decisions and painful cuts. Projects shelved, contracts cancelled, and the most sobering of all, the laying off of 40 percent of our city staff. City morale is at its all time low.
But many recent changes have been positive. We started engaging the community through citizen ad hoc committees, achieved transparency through a more open city hall culture. We also laid the groundwork for the next stages of change.
We have a long way to go. The council’s priorities are to restore the people’s trust in our city government, build strong city leadership, put our finances in order, and develop new sources of revenue.”
After de Vera stated the kind of workload that was expected of the city council and staff, she added:
“During my oath-taking speech last December, I talked about the journey we are embarking along a steep and rough terrain. Today, we are continuing on this road to recovery, driving our car balanced with the four wheels of community, family, finances, and faith.
What is our destination? We are driving toward achieving our vision of the City of Hercules, free of corruption and fiscally-sound, a city with a transparent council, responsive to the will of the people. Together, we are heading to our vision of a Hercules that — once again — shines, a city we can be once again proud of.”
Myrna de Vera is originally from Cebu City, Philippines. She was selected as “Woman of the Year” by the Hercules City Council, and given a Special Recognition Award by the Hercules Chamber of Commerce in 2010. Myrna de Vera was awarded as one of 2009’s 100 Most Influential Filipina Women in the U.S. under the “Policymakers and Visionaries” category by the Filipina Women’s Network.
De Vera owns and manages an insurance agency in San Francisco. Her husband, Manuel, and she have been residing in Hercules with their three sons, Mark, Christian, and Emmanuel since 1991.
For the Asian American community in Hercules, Mayor Myrna de Vera symbolizes the relevance of diversity, reflecting the city’s population, in political empowerment. She is the sixth American of Filipino ancestry to sit in office. Vice-Mayor John Delgado is also one-quarter Filipino. The former Filipino American mayors were Goni Solidum, Andy Paras, Ed Manuel, Frank Batara, and Ed Balico. Myrna de Vera is also the first Filipina woman mayor of Hercules, California. For more information about the City of Hercules, go to http://www.ci.hercules.ca.us/. You can reach Mayor de Vera by email at citizensformyrnadevera@gmail.com.
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BEFORE THE NOVEMBER 2010 ELECTIONS: On the Campaign Trail
Myrna de Vera and her siblings visited Seafood City in Concord, California. Adin Martin Villanueva, who takes care of Seafood City’s Northern California Events, asked Myrna to speak to shoppers. You can also catch a glimpse of Rudy Fernandez (formerly of the Antioch City Council) who is a community developer at Seafood City, Concord, CA.
In preparation for the upcoming Global Summit on September 27-29 in Manila, spearheaded by the Commission on Filipinos Overseas, a series of town hall meetings are taking place worldwide.
Click here to view the invitation from the Philippine Consul General’s Office in San Francisco, California.
For more information about the September event, click here.
Please check in with us regularly for upates about the DREAM Act.
We encourage every city to pass a Resolution that supports The DREAM Act.
If you have out-of-the-box ideas regarding how we can all help out, please email Jose Pecho at JP8cho@aol.com or Lorna Dietz at NaFFAANorcal@gmail.com.
Updates:
Filipina Council member, Pat Gacoscos, in Union City, is requesting the members of the City Council to support the DREAM Act on June 28, 2011 at the Council meeting. The Hayward City Council, she wrote, had passed a resolution in May 2011.
Jose Pecho, NaFFAA R8 Chair; Joanna Rees, San Francisco Mayoral Candidate; Lorna Dietz, NaFFAA R8 Vice-Chair; and Ben Menor, NaFFAA R8 Santa Clara County Chair
At the Gala Dinner, “A Celebration of Philippine Heritage: A Coming Together,” commemorating the 113th Anniversary of Philippine Independence, the 150th Anniversary of the Birthday of Philippine National Hero Dr. Jose Rizal, and the 50th Anniversary of the Founding of the San Francisco Manila Sister City Committee on June 12, 2011 at San Francisco City Hall.
Photo Credits: Bradford Adkins, Manila Mail
Jet Tagle of Parangal Dance Company Photo by RJ Muna
In Milpitas, California.
The Filipino Association of Milpitas’ Filipino Fiesta, June 11, 2011 at 2:00pm at the Milpitas Community Center on Calaveras Avenue.
Seasons Marketplace at Landess in Milpitas, California, co-sponsored by the National Federation of Filipino American Associations (NaFFAA), Region 8-Santa Clara County Chapter, will be holding a Philippine Independence Day Celebration on Sunday, June 12, 2011. The theme is “Celebrating Our History and our Community Leaders.” The program, organized by Ben Menor, NaFFAA Region 8’s Santa Clara County Chair and Clarence Madrilejos, NaFFAA R8-Santa Clara County Vice-Chair who represents Filipino young professionals and other YP’s (young Pilipinos/young Pilipinas), will be from 1:00pm to 3:00pm.
A Grand Opening and Blessing of G’s Day Spa kicks off the festivities. There will be an opening procession with the “Colors of the Philippines” by the youth and opening prayers by Father Andy Ligot. A special recognition program officiated by City of Milpitas’ Mayor, Jose Esteves, highlighting Santa Clara County’s community leaders and contributors in the success of Seasons Marketplace at Landess and its Community Studio, will also take place.
Entertainment will be provided by the Community Studio’s regular users, students, and honorees. The program will be followed by a “merienda-cena,” sponsored by G’s DAY SPA.
NaFFAA Region 8 is also a participating organization at the first-ever regional gala event, “A Celebration of Heritage: A Coming Together,” a gala dinner on Sunday, June 12, 2011 in celebration of the 113th Anniversary of Philippine Independence, the 150th Anniversary of the Birthday of Philippine National Hero Dr. Jose Rizal, and the 50th Anniversary of the Founding of the San Francisco-Manila Sister City Committee. Expected to attend the festivities will be public officials from national through local levels, members of the diplomatic corps, and movers and shakers from among the Bay Area’s diverse communities. In addition to a sumptuous filet-mignon dinner, a unique program is planned, involving dancers, singers (choral, operatic and pop) and mixed-media graphics. The affair will be strictly formal: black-tie (tuxedo) and long-gown, or alternatively, “formal barong” and “terno.” As of press time, tickets are almost sold out based on a “first paid, first served” basis. For inquiries, contact Jose Pecho, NaFFAA Region 8 Chair, at JP8cho@aol.com or (925) 286-6607.
In Berkeley, California.
One of NaFFAA Region 8’s community partners, Parangal Dance Company, who many NaFFAA members and supporters connected with during the 9th NaFFAA Empowerment Conference (E-2010), will be performing dances and rituals from the Subanen people of Lapuyan, Zamboanga del Sur in the Philippines at the 33rd Annual San Francisco Ethnic Dance Festival on June 11 and June 12 at Zellerbach Hall in Berkeley. They will feature dancers leaping onto a sinalimba, a type of swing, representing a mythic vessel used for journeying.
Tickets can be purchased at http://bit.ly/jywLft. Previous years have sold out, so don’t wait! Tickets are $18 - $58; Subscriber discounts are available when purchasing tickets to four separate performances; Group discounts for 20 or more are available; and kids 12 and under receive half-price admission for all matinees.
For more information about the festival, log on to http://www.worldartswest.org. To check out Parangal Dance Company’s FREE Philippine Dance and Music Workshops this summer, where you can learn new dances for your 2012 Philippine Culture Night (PCN) presentations, go to www.ParangalDance.org or call 415 244-5203.
At NaFFAA Region 8, Parangal Dance Company’s contact is Ben Menor at BenMenor@yahoo.com.
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Ben Menor, Santa Clara County’s chair at NaFFAA Region 8, and Clarence Madrilejos, the County’s NaFFAA vice-chair, are very busy community coordinators and community developers, with Milpitas’ newest Filipino-centric mall, Seasons Marketplace at Landess, foremost in their collaboration activites and projects. As Seasons’ community developer and E-2010’s “intergenerational leadership in succession planning” champion, Ben explains why a coordinated event schedule in the Filipino American community is a practical, efficient, & collaborative solution. For The Community Hall’s Bulletin Board, go to Ben’s Season’s Marketplace at Landess blog at http://bit.ly/gMwDyF.
In a message to his friends and fellow advocates, Ben said:
This first year of “Building Community at Seasons Marketplace” will offer several programs and activities that will engage your senses — complementary to your shopping and dining experiences. We would like to hear your ideas, too! Email me at Menor360D@gmail.com. The website: http://www.theseasonsmarketplace.com/
You will also be meeting our Community Partners during future events, among them, Seafood City, ChowKing, Xoom.com., and GMA Pinoy TV & GMA Life TV If you are interested in being one of our community partners, please email me.
‘Tis the season for giving — and there’s no place like Seasons Marketplace to make your thoughtful gestures count.
The following videos were taken by members of the NaFFAA Region 8 Media Group (Lorna Dietz and Ben Menor) on October 24, 2010.
Philippine Consul General Marciano Paynor, Jr. gave a 20-minute talk (shown in two parts) about the methods and strategies that would provide a “continuum of Filipino leadership” in coordinating the yearly events. The reality for the local Filipino American community is that our Consulate officials come and go (the nature of their work) — so as a community, we need to formally set up an infrastructure and process that is able to work effectively and efficiently with the Philippine Consulate General’s office.
IF YOU WANT TO INQUIRE HOW TO BOOK YOUR COMMUNITY-BASED EVENT AT THE COMMUNITY HALL, CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION OR FILL UP AN INQUIRY FORM.
Our gratitude to our techie gurus whose collaborative experiments in bringing E-2010 accessible to NaFFAA members, affiliates, and supporters worldwide succeeded! We’ve embedded a few videos at a time. Enjoy!
AT THE JACINTO “TONY” SIQUIG NORTHSIDE COMMUNITY CENTER - NOVEMBER 19, 2010 at the Welcome Reception: A Legacy of Pride” http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/10966817
Hello, everyone! Thank you to our techie gurus who helped put this together. Our 9th NaFFAA Empowerment Conference will be accessible online — and your smart phones! If you are not able to make it this weekend, you will still be able to participate. Let’s thank Grace Esteban, John Juan, Ben Greer, and other members of our delegate-volunteer team.
Since this is still in the experimental stages, please bear with us as we keep on experimenting. The plan is for Grace to use an HD webcam to capture the proceedings — and then we can embed the edited videos online. Great documentation for our institutional memory.
Check out The #NaFFAA Daily newspaper built from all the articles, blog posts, videos and photos shared on Twitter using the hashtag: #naffaa. NaFFAA Voices for Empowerment daily newspaper (based on @NaFFAAVoices tweets) is coming soon!
What: “Isang Diwa” (One Spirit) Community Forum, Celebrating Filipino American History Month When: Sunday, October 24, 2010 What Time: 4:30pm to 6:00pm Where: Seasons Marketplace at Landess, Room 112
1535 Landess Avenue
Milpitas, CA 95035
Your Host: Seasons Marketplace at Landess Your Community Coordinator: National Federation of Filipino American Associations (NaFFAA), Santa Clara County Chapter (Region 8/Northern CA) * Ben Menor - County Chair * Clarence Madrilejos - County Vice-Chair
Our Special Guest of Honor: The Honorable Marciano A. Paynor, Jr., Philippine Consul General-San Francisco.
Merienda will be served.
Limited Seating. Please RSVP by October 21, 2010 to Menor360D@gmail.com (Ben Menor).
This is an initial step for coordinating, collaborating, and sharing the community-based organizations’ Filipino American Community Event Calendar in Santa Clara County. If you have “Save the Date” events that your organization would like to share for the upcoming holiday season and for 2011, please email us at Menor360D@gmail.com.
“Meet and Greet” the Merchants of Seasons Marketplace and Introductions.
Website: http://www.TheSeasonsMarketplace.com
For previous media coverage, click here: http://www.filipinasmag.com/?tag=seasons-marketplace
Map and Directions: http://bit.ly/cQPKjc
Thank you — and see you at the Seasons Marketplace!
Seasons Marketplace at Landess, Milpitas, CA
RELATED VIDEOS: We searched for avaliable youtube videos. If we are not able to feature all the merchants due to the limited time in posting this entry, please email us at NaFFAANorcal@gmail.com so we can update this entry and include your youtube video.
E-2010: 9th NaFFAA Empowerment Conference’s theme is “Building the next generation of community advocates.” Click here to enter the E-2010 blog for more information. Please join us on November 19-21, 2010. Ben Menor chairs the E-2010 Organizing Committee. The early bird registration rate has been extended to October 31, 2010. Details about sponsorship and advertising opportunities are available here.Baylan Megino is E-2010-NaFFAA R8’s special events coordinator.
**BAY AREA BENEFIT is in the process of organizing a blood drive in the next few weeks. Please stand by for announcements. (www.bayareabenefit.org)
In the meantime, Blood Centers of the Pacific has an immediate need is for O negative donors and are asking that non O- donors schedule an appointment for the upcoming week. Additionally, we are asking that donors review the attached eligibility guidelines order to review the qualifications before coming into a center.
Please call your homeowner’s insurance agency or the California Department of Insurance 1-800-927-4357
SCHOOLS:
All San Bruno Park School District schools will be closed Friday. Capuchino High School in San Bruno, which announced earlier that it would open, will also be closed. For further questions please call (650) 624-3100
PETS:
Tanforan PETCO, (650) 589-3757
1150 El Camino Real, San Bruno
Owners can drop off small animals from 9am to 9pm
SPCA
12 Airport Boulevard
San Mateo, CA 94401
Phone 650.340.7022
Fax 650.348.7891
HOW TO HELP:
Red Cross
Best way to help is by giving money online at the Red Cross’ website at http://www.redcross.org/
1-888-4-HELP-BAY (1-888-443-5722)
Blood
1-888-393-GIVE (4483)
Type O will be needed. People urged to wait until next week to donate
Last evening’s high-pressure natural gas explosion in San Bruno has destroyed numerous homes, displaced dozens of residents, and tragically taken the lives of at least four individuals. My heart goes out to all who are affected.
While the cause of the explosion of the PG&E-owned natural gas line is currently under investigation by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), right now the top priority is ensuring the safety and well-being of those who survived the initial blast and ensuing fire.
On that note, I would like to express my sincere thanks to the emergency crews, firefighters, and other first responders who have been helping residents affected by this emergency since immediately after the initial explosion.
For those who need assistance and live in the affected area, or have friends or relatives who do, it is recommended to contact the Red Cross Disaster Help Line at 650-259-1750. You may also call my District Office at 415-557-2312 for assistance. Another option is to call 2-1-1 for information and referrals of services.
If you do not live in the affected area but would like to help those who do, one of our highest priorities right now is ensuring a constant supply of blood to treat those injured by the fire. If you are interested in giving blood, please call 888-393-GIVE or visit www.bloodcenters.org. For other ways to help, please visit the Red Cross’ local Bay Area website at www.redcrossbayarea.org.
Thank you for helping our neighbors in their time of need.
