National Federation of Filipino American Associations

PHOTO ALBUM: CLICK HERE TO GO TO ELMER DOLERA’S COLLECTION OF THE NAFFAA R8 SUMMIT’S PHOTOS. Click on “View Now” located on the upper right-hand corner. Elmer is NaFFAA R8’s official photographer when he’s not busy with his favorite advocacy, conducting free tennis clinics in the Philippines.

A note from Lorna Dietz, the documentalist: This is a “live blogged” posting, that is, written in real time during the summit, except for the segments starting with Fil-Am Community Center’s Best Practices. Although there was a live video recording of the proceedings, Ben Menor (the emcee), 10 minutes before the summit started its first session, asked me to provide written documentation for the website and for any media inquiries. This posting will be edited for grammar and syntax as well as fact-checked, especially where statistics are mentioned. Links and Photos will also be added.

Announcement: To all our NaFFAA members, supporters, and their families, we want to wish you all a very Happy Thanksgiving!

Please note that there will be an announcement next week when the first general meeting under newly-elected NaFFAA Region 8 Chair, Jose Pecho, will take place.

Click here for a full-sized photo of the new NaFFAA R8 officers 2007-2009

THE THEME

EXPANDING OUR ROOTS: PROVIDING ACCESS AND OPPORTUNITIES TO STRENGTHEN OUR FOUNDATION

THE HIGHLIGHTS

After an invigorating walk toward Westfield Shopping Center for a VIP tour of the San Francisco Filipino Cultural Center and Museum from 9:00 am to about 9:45 am, the summit’s participants convened at Bayanihan Community Center. A sumptuous continental breakfast, prepared by Jinni Mabalot Bartolome and her volunteer corps, welcomed everyone.

WELCOME AND OPENING REMARKS

Marivic Bamba, NaFFAA R8’s regional chair, recounted her first experiences in the neighborhood where Filipino community centers didn’t exist. The importance of Bayanihan Community Center was highlighted. Sometime during the summit, she referred to NaFFAA Region 8’s members as “initiators and instigators.”

Hon. Marciano Paynor, Consul General of the Philippines - San Francisco, assured NaFFAA about the consulate’s 100% support. “We will do everything we can to make things happen.” He also commented about the Filipino community’s lack of political clout compared to other ethnic communities. “One wonders why. We have the numbers but they don’t come. We spread ourselves too thin, we have too many ideas.” Paynor added. “Before we expand our roots, we must strengthen our foundation — which should be our primary goal and objective, not only NaFFAA’s. We have about 375-something organizations in San Francisco alone.”

Consul General Paynor added: “Come election time, the candidates don’t go to the Filipino community.” He also said that there could be one white candidate, one black candidate, and three Filipinos vying for the same political position. “This summit must be able to come up with what we can do that every Filipino can think ‘Filipino,.’ We’re Americans, too.” Paynor also told the participants about Filipinos worldwide being subjected to adverse conditions in different parts of the world yet adapt beautifully. “We have the numbers! We must count! That is my message.” Paynor concluded that he hopes the mainstream political community will come and court the Filipino community. He noted that we are not “Flips” but are Filipino Americans. “We can raise the consciousness of Filipino Americans here in San Francisco. Making it work is first. Maintaining it is more difficult.”

San Francisco Superior Court Judge Ron Quidachay noted that many people who attended this year’s summit have been involved in Filipino community advocacy work for the past four decades. There was a lot of laughter from the crowd. “We have certainly come a long, long way. It doesn’t mean that everything has been resolved.” Judge Q also introduced a “brand-new” judge from Monterey County, Hon. Efren Iglesia, “although this new judge isn’t new in community activities (Filipino American Community Council, the forerunner of NaFFAA),” he said. “When I went to law school, in 1970, there were only nine lawyers in California and no Superior Court Judges. Currently, three of the 10 judges were appointed in the last three months.” Quidachay continued: “I concur with the Con-Gen. There’s a lot happening in our community. There’s a lot of struggle — but we’re making it. We’ve got a long way to go. In this summit, we’re going to find out, communicate, and what steps we will take.”

COMMUNITY VOICES FORUM

Preamble: Looking through the lens of Change and Community Development, this forum presented a broad understanding of the many issues that are currently impacting Filipino communities in Northern California. Voices shared from Sacramento, Vallejo, the Tri-City area, Santa Clara, and Stockton were joined by the voices of Poetry, Youth, Mentors, WWII Veterans, Culture, Civil Rights, Domestic Violence, and Young Adults. Each shared wisdom gleaned from years of engagement in their areas.

Ben Menor, the emcee, mentioned the three generations in the Megino family who were present today. Mom Liz Megino was handling video-recording duties while Baylan’s daughter, Caroline Megino Iwamoto, a high school senior, was busy helping her mom in this forum.

Baylan Megino, the co-moderator of this segment, had asked each “community voice” to tell the participants what he or she would want to say to the succeeding generations.

Caroline Iwamoto, Baylan’s daughter, accompanied by Evelie Sales Posch’s unique-indigenous musical instrument, rendered a reading of a poem.

Jerico Abanico, a freshman at San Francisco State University and a youth activist, wasn’t able to make it today. Thus, Baylan read his speech. “There is a divide between the youth born in the Philippines and who moved to the United States and the youth that have been born and raised here.” He had wanted to find out about Filipino culture because he didn’t get it in his school’s History class. Jerico talked about a “war that exists” between these two groups. He interviewed Filipino Americans about the F.O.B.’s and vice-versa. “We have power. We are the future leaders of this world.” Jerico noted.

Eric Lachica, straight from Washington DC, gave the crowd some updates about Fil-Am Veterans Equity. “The major problem is in the Senate. What’s at stake is about $50 million a year in pensions. We need to win it this month of November.” Eric also acknowledged the presence of the Fil-Am veterans who went door-to-door in Washington DC. He added, “Senator Akaka said that the bill cannot pass without the support of the Republicans.” Hopefully, before Thanksgiving, something will happen — was Eric’s optimistic wish. “We’re going to shift our attention to Nancy Pelosi, the Speaker of the House, to support our Filipino American Veterans.” They will be meeting on Monday next week.

Mel Orpilla, spoke on behalf of Belle (his indisposed spouse) and himself.

Belle Orpilla’s theme was “Connections.” She talked about being a “change agent” and a mentor. As a young girl, she learned that there were professions, other than medicine, that served a community. The Filipino Youth Coalition in Vallejo (which she and Mel helped organize) is patterned after the FYC program in San Jose. “Connecting them (youth) to various influencers. I constantly grow and am inspired by them.” She concluded that “the participants should be the connections to bring the community forward.”

Mel Orpilla, a second-generation Filipino American, talked about Solano County’s Filipino involvement in their communities. Filipinos comprise 15% of Solano County and 25,000 Filipinos reside in Vallejo. Seven Filipinos are elected officials in Solano County. Some of the earliest Filipino businesses originated in Vallejo, California. “By and large, Filipinos in Solano County are homeowners,” Mel told the crowd. Solano County has over 40 Filipino organizations.

From Sacramento, Lilia Rivera talked about the dreams of a Filipino community center soon becoming a reality. There are about 70 Filipino community-based organizations in the area. “All of these organizations compete for the same dollars in the community.” Lilia also talked about the history of their group’s dream. She also acknowledged the able assistance of Ben Menor, the community development expert in NaFFAA R8, with their business plan. “We hope that during the next summit, we will have a team from Sacramento.”

Rudy Asercion spoke about the importance of Veterans Day on November 11, 2007. He recalled the history of our Filipino American veterans during World War II who had served with dignity and courage.

Stockton-based Mel LaGasca said that two projects, the AFO board (the Filipino Plaza), was a community collaboration of concerned citizens, students, and others that aimed to build a commercial high-rise in downtown Stockton — a source of pride in the Filipino community. “We’ll have 35 years in that mortgage.” (Lots of clapping!) “There are about 60-65 Filipinos who live in that complex,” Mel noted. He also talked about FANHS (Filipino American National Historical Society)’s museum project that is in the conceptual stage. Mel reminded the crowd about the documentary about the Filipino American veterans, “An Untold Triumph.” LaGasca had also brought reference materials for summit participants to look at.

Baylan welcomed the “Joey Ayala of America,” according to Joey Ayala — Evelie Sales Posch.

Evelie Sales Posch, representing culture, thanked the organizers for being asked to join “The Council of Elders.” She talked about culture, a daily practice of her life (and her ancestors). Evelie encouraged people “to create heaven here on earth.” She also said,”See the common ‘diwa’ or spirit in everyone.” Music, according to Evelie, is for healing. Her involvement in the community (and mainstream) is far and wide, including inter-faith dialogues. She says to the future generation, “Know yourself! Be grounded and centered in yourself.”

Lillian Galedo, a civil rights activist, said she is shocked to be called “manang” (a title of respect for older people) nowadays. During her generation, a gallon of gas was about 25 cents a gallon. The highlight of her years was playing softball before she entered college. Lillian’s civil rights consciousness developed in the 1960’s and 1970’s, typical of her generation. She got involved — among others — with the farm worker movement (because her father was a farm worker), the I Hotel, immigrant rights, and the anti-martial law movement. Currently, immigrant rights is what shapes her civil rights work. Last month, her group started a new project for home care workers. For instance, in the East Bay, some of these home workers are senior citizens (beyond retirement age) and youth (just out of high school). Lillian also noted that we make up 29% of California’s electorate — thus the need to “get out the vote!” It only recently dawned on her in past few years that the Asian American population is now much larger than the African American population. “We should start projecting ourselves as the leaders. It’s working with the young people. It’s sustaining the institutions we’ve built over the past decades.” To the next generation, Lillian advised: “You have to be in it for the long haul. You have to have alliances with other ethnic populations.”

Elmer Dolera from Monterey County gave the audience an insider’s view about his program in bringing American tennis professionals to teach tennis in the Philippines. He did quite a lot of cold-calling. Some of his volunteers continue conducting tennis camps in the Philippines. “We’ve introduced about 80 Filipinos to the introductory level of tennis,” Elmer reported. “Today, with the power of the internet and digital phones, you can do things in real time,” he said.

Tessie Zaragoza, a community advocate, talked about women’s issues. “Numbers are important,” she emphasized. To be counted, Tessie said that there are three ways: (1) electoral - but you have to be a US citizen; (2) census - it’s very important that everyone fills up a survey, immigrant or citizen; and (3) research studies - that’s how resources are allocated.

Tessie is an interviewer. She has to interview 100 Filipina women who have experienced intimate abuse. “This is a two-year study. I told myself that the finding the first 50 women will be easy. The last 50 will be like squeezing water out of a stone. Today, I need 59 women more to interview. This is necessary so we can recommend responses to law enforcement agencies based on our research. We have planted roots in the Filipino American community but I think we have to take these roots to the Filipino American immigrant community.” Tessie still feels she is a Filipino immigrant, even if she had arrived in the US in 1969. “80,000 visas are issued by the US Embassy in Manila every year,” she informed the crowd. Tessie’s provoking question: “What do we do with these numbers?”

Clarence Madrilejos, a young professional in the real estate industry from Santa Clara County, spoke about how important coalition-building is for the Asian American communities. He has been involved with the political empowerment movement for the past 10 years. “Build strong foundations,” he reminded the participants.

Aethel Kay Cruz, a knowledge activist and a senior based in the University of San Francisco, will be one of the first students to graduate with Philippine Studies as her major (aside from Nursing). “The older generation has much to teach us.” She recounted the intergenerational programs that her “Uncle Ben” (acknowledging Ben Menor’s mentorship) involved her with, stressing on the interaction and exchange of knowledge between the youth and older generations. Aethel also devoted some time to talking about ignorance.

Ben Menor, before the luncheon’s junction, asked the participants to give the Filipino American veterans a huge round of applause.

POLITICAL AND CIVIC ENGAGEMENT

Preamble: Elected and appointed officials discussed the importance of political and civic involvement, as well as their particular challenges and experiences in their respective communities. Lessons learned and suggestion/recommendations for empowering Filipino Americans were discussed by the panel and participants.

While people ate their lunch (siopao, siomai, sandwiches, and cut-up veggies and assorted beverages — oh, so healthy and nice!), Greg Macabenta moderated the political and civic engagement segment. “The Filipinos in the US are very insular. We don’t reach out to the mainstream,” Greg told us. In California, where about half of the three million Filipinos live, there is no Filipino representative in the legislature. Then, he introduced Mayor Jose Esteves of Milpitas, California. Esteves intends to run for County Supervisor when his term runs out and who knows — the California legislature?

Mayor Jose Esteves believes that we shouldn’t attack our political opponents or say derogatory words. He said that politicians shouldn’t compromise. “If you’re pro-life, then be pro-life,” he said to the audience. An avid fan of his birthplace, the Philippines, Mayor Esteves proudly stated: “I always promote the Philippines. I tell people, ‘If you’re thinking about taking a vacation or retiring,’ think about the Philippines.” He also expressed his opinion about Filipino media. The mayor believes that the media should start promoting qualified Filipino Americans. “What if there are two Filipino Americans running for office? Be neutral OR feature both the positives and negatives of both candidates,” was his message. “Qualifications” might mean “contributions” to the community and community-at-large.

Mayor Esteves also addressed one Fil-Am veteran’s comment about “dirty politics.” He noted, “It happens everywhere.” Daz Lamparas commented that there needs to be a paradigm shift of Filipino immigrants who are used to Filipino politicians having money to help build their support. Esteves acknowledges that it is difficult to get a solid Filipino political donor base. He thoughtfully said, “You have a choice when you get here. You can either be corrupt and stay the way you are OR change for the better. You need to realize that, with this kind of environment, there is a real significance and need for representation. It’s a slow process. Don’t give up. Go on.” Mayor Joe pointed out to the audience.

Vice Mayor Larry Formalejo from the Town of Colma and Superior Court Judge Efren Iglesia were the next speakers. The topic: “The things that we need to do to get politically involved.”

Vice-Mayor Larry related how he entered politics. The voters didn’t even know he was Filipino. He emphasized to that “we must make sure that the youth is politically and civically-engaged.” One of the things Formalejo learned from Alice Bulos was to participate in the Filipino communities’ activities and to be fully-committed. He advised people to talk to their councilpersons if there is an issue they would like to discuss. “What I learned at the Council was about ‘resolutions,” he continued.

Superior Court Judge Efren Iglesia paid tribute to the veterans in last week’s proceedings at his courtroom. Iglesia reminisced that during his investiture, he thanked the manongs and manangs as well as the Filipino American veterans of World War II. “I can’t get involved with political matters anymore but I am behind the Fil-American veterans 100%.” He gave a brief backgrounder about his career in the United States. Judge Iglesia talked about the mainstream’s “lack of cultural knowledge” of Filipinos in the past few years. Due to some tragic situations, changes were made in one of the city’s legislative process. The question of whether the National Filipino American Council (NFAC) should give way to NaFFAA in 1997 was also discussed. There were a few who weren’t willing to give way to NaFFAA, he recalled. “Let’s look at the objective here. The objective is to establish a spokesperson here in Washington DC. NFAC was then based in Northern California. It didn’t matter what organization represented the Filipinos. Today, NaFFAA has become a more nationwide organization,” Judge Efren acknowledged. He told us, “Don’t be ashamed of your accent. Why is it that if it is a European accent, people find it cute. What about the Filipino accent? Maybe because we are ashamed of it.” His job as an attorney for public officials got him the respect that he deserved.

Judge Efren said: “If I didn’t go mainstream — that is, seek the assistance of groups other than Filipino — I don’t think I would have made it. You’ve got to be qualified, for one thing. I’m a Republican and I’m proud of it. I did seek the assistance of the Republican Party. It meant attending Republican events and rubbing elbows with many Republicans. Let’s be proud of our heritage and culture BUT let’s go mainstream like Mayor Esteves and Vice-Mayor Formalejo.” He also introduced his wife, Lite Iglesia, to the audience.

Mel LaGasca asked what the two officials are doing to “role model” in their communities. Larry talked about awards being given in elementary and high schools wherein he encourages the kids to “think outside the box” and “do your homework.” Judge Efren told the crowd that when he was at NFAC, there was a woman’s club that awarded scholarships to students — wherein he also spoke to the students. “Here’s how I did it, it might work for you!” was his favorite topic for these pep talks.

Jun-Jun Villegas asked the two officials how Filipino Americans could get involved so that they become mainstream. Larry answered: “Any organization will do!” Judge Efren talked about his days at the Rotary Club of Castroville. “You’ll be amazed at the networking possibilities,” he added.

THE “DESPERATE” SLUR

Preamble: Was the “Desperate Housewives” slur an innocent slip-up or a mere oversight on the part of its writers and producers? Was it an isolated incident? Was it just an insulting and defamatory remark on Filipino doctors educated in the Philippines? The ugly fact of the matter is that it was reflective of a harsh reality and a general attitude that many in Hollywood and mainstream America have about Filipinos, that even the most esteemed and the most educated among us are supposed to be suspect and undeserving of respect. The panel covered the importance of this issue and the options for action for the community.

Terry Bautista, from the Filipino Civil Right Advocates, moderated this particular segment about the “Desperate Housewives” issue.

Dr. Carmelo Roco encouraged the NaFFAA members and supporters to partner with the medical community to organize around this “racial slur.”

Perry Diaz, an opinion writer, stressed the importance of finding a way to take advantage of the situation and turn it into an opportunity for the Filipino American community. “They’re willing to talk to us,” he continued. “We can create role models in our community by seeing them on the screen. It’s about time!”

A youth representative, Aethel Kay Cruz, also spoke about her sentiments since she is a nursing student. “Every clinical site where I’m at, there are many Filipino nurses,” Aethel observed. This issue had also been raised at the Immigrant Rights Commission, wherein Aethel’s professor, Jay Gonzalez, is a member of the commission.

Josie Shaiken, President of the Philippine Nurses Association, spoke about the integrity of the Philippine educational system for the doctors. “This is clearly a defamation of our integrity as professionals and we, as nurses, are outraged by this racial slur.” She went on to educate the participants about the process in being able to practise in the United States. She concluded, “We must feel empowered as a Filipino group.”

Armando “Doy” Heredia, NaFFAA’s Executive Director, came up to the podium and gave an account of the first meeting with ABC executives. “I understand your frustrations and all — but here is an opportunity. The television industry shapes stereotypes. We can help change perceptions. Steve McPherson said, ‘The industry is so fast-breaking that the people they know is the same group of people. It’s important to get Filipinos in there.” Heredia cited an example of how a South Asian was able to play a coveted role in one TV show. “Why was he in there? Because one of the advisors to the Indian program was an Indian doctor.” Doy reiterates that ABC is opening their doors to Filipino casting. “They have learned their lesson. It’s a terrible mistake. You have to understand, too, that the APA Media Coalition is recognized by the industry. ABC values the ratings of the industry. Get Filipinos into the industry. That’s what we need to do!”

Charito Benipayo, president of the Philippine American Press Club, USA, asked, “To sue or not to sue ABC?” due to the divergent opinions.

Perry Diaz answered: “Suing is counter-productive. It’s nice to threaten them with a lawsuit and to let them meet at the table. Like the Black Community, they are good at the negotiation table. You’re going to sit down with us — or else!”

Daz Lamparas asked, “I represent the labor sector. The Filipino community in general is divided in terms of tactics. We need to use every tactic we have to achieve what we want. Whether or not ABC is willing to open the door, what do we have in writing? My question to the negotiators is, ‘What agreement are you guys able to get for this corporation to satisfy the other Filipino communities in the United States and around the world?’”

Perry Diaz answered: “I don’t think there is something on paper. They promised that they are going to work with us. So I told Jon Melegrito, ‘Let’s get our act together and be all-inclusive.’ I’m getting e-mails from people who want a break in the industry.”

Judge Efren Iglesias talked about the legal implications. “If there is a cause of action, maybe!” he answered. “You have to be able to prove that there is a defamation. With these defamation actions, if you are in the public eye, it’s hard to say that you are defamed. Lawyers might say that doctors are not celebrities. There is also a lot of leeway for media. Watch Comedy Central and you’ll be amazed how much defamation is committed, sometimes against their own ethnic race. The lines are blurred these days. If someone wants to take action, it might be an uphill battle. The fact that you have initiated those meetings, the next time something happens, you will be in a better bargaining position.”

Dr. Carmelo Roco compared this to the Black civil rights movement. “We have to protect our integrity. We have to stand up as a community. The one that is affected here is the Filipino American community. It’s up to the community. Filipino American doctors cannot do it alone.”

Tessie Zaragoza asked, “What would achieve more for the community — the legal route or the political route? Even if there is no signed agreement, the ball is in our court. Are we — as a community — strong enough to bring these resources together and put it in our court?

Tess Gitan queried about Perry Diaz’s statement about “Even if they signed a paper, it’s useless.” Tess disagreed. “A piece of paper is not useless,” she continued.

Emil Guillermo of Asian Week mentioned how gratuitous the joke was because the punch line was supposed to be about the Harvard Medical School graduate. Snippets of Emil’s comments: “However, Teri Hatcher chose Filipinos as third-rate. Why did she say that? It was so specific. And that’s what hurts. That’s why we need to rally our community. Stand up — and really sit down and negotiate. Try to rectify what happened. What does the erasing do? We’re still invisible. We want to see Filipinos mentioned in a positive way. Public Service Announcements must be aired. A massive information campaign about Filipino pride would be a nice way to assuage our hurt. If there is a quality product, there is no reason to reject it. There’s some kind of pain but the pain is in the misinformation presented by ABC. Let’s make sure that all the stations affiliated with ABC can run these PSA’s. We want to be proactive and aggressive. This is the way to do it. I was waiting for the NaFFAA leaders to respond. It’s now November 10 (we gave ABC a month to respond) and they haven’t done anything. It’s going to be a grassroots effort.”

Sophie Pasibe (46 years married!) took the opportunity to ask Judge Iglesia about his three children who had been born in the US. “If the parents work two or three jobs, can these children be culturally-immersed in Philippine culture?” She talked about Lakbay Aral. “How can you effectively immerse your children in the Filipino culture?”

Judge Efren replied, “The NFAC had a couple of cultural dancing instructors. Every weekend, we’d drop off the children for folk dancing classes. Every June, there would be an event that would showcase their expertise.” Sophie asked for Judge Efren’s assistance in launching Lakbay Aral in Monterey County.

DOING BUSINESS WITH FEDERAL, STATE AND LOCAL MUNICIPALITIES

Preamble: The Economic Development Panel shared some of the policies and initiatives that support the small business community in Northern California, in particular, policies and initiatives that greatly affect women- and minority-owned, as well as disadvantaged small business owners. The goal of the panel discussion was to help those in attendance gain the knowledge on competing for business opportunities and winning contracts with these agencies. Attendees learned how to access the many resources available to them including professional development, training, and mentoring. OUr goal is to provide a more strategic understanding of the wealth of resources available to the minority and disadvantaged small business owner desiring to do business with these agencies.

Jose Pecho, the moderator, told the audience that “our biggest competition is US. There are other things that we can do to benefit the community.”

Moses de los Reyes, Contract Compliance Officer of the Alameda County Contract Compliance, talked about opportunities in the construction industry. $19.9 billion dollars will be awarded to many projects, including road infrastructure. “Who’s going to do the work?” He asked the audience. The issue, he believes, is on workforce development. “The prospects are real!” Mr. de los Reyes said. “Our doors — wider than those front doors — are open. You’ll see me welcome you with open arms. I’ll be able to make appointments for you, with whoever is in charge with those contracts. Those project managers will be waiting for you.”

Scott Hauge of Small Business California mentioned some of the broader resources available to California’s residents. “The key is to find out what’s out there and get certified. I talked to someone who got certified within two hours. It’s relatively easy. SBA is quite good. The most important contact for you is the Small Business Advocate. ‘The website sba.ca.gov links you to other websites. CalBiz.gov (Lorna will verify) is also very good resource. California Economic Development Partnership is another one.” Scott noted that there are many issues that affect small business organizations. His pitch is “I would love to work with minority and women’s groups.” There are 3.2 million small businesses in California. “The problem is we don’t work together. We don’t recognize that we’ve got to be involved in the political process, to be advocates,” Scott added. “Small businesses need to be unified.”

Agnes Briones-Ubalde, Director of the Small Business Commission, City and County of San Francisco, commented about the positive changes that are going on in small business development. “I want to commend Marie Romero, owner of Arkipelago Books, who got an award last year as one of the most innovative business entrepreneurs.” Agnes wanted to inspire the audience about the possibilities. A “How To Do Business with San Francisco” workshop will be held on Tuesday afternoon this week. “We’re going to have two city departments that will be presenting what we will be bidding out this year.” In San Francisco, there is a fragmented system of resources. Non-profits are located in geographic areas, funded by various sources — from government to philanthropy. Agnes mentioned that the city government provides resources such as information and referral services, help with the permit process, where you need to go to get information about basic services such as plumbing services, etc.” There are 375,000 small businesses in San Francisco. “99% of our businesses in San Francisco are small,” she added. “There isn’t an organizing front because there are so many issues in the small business sector — and many of them don’t interact with each other. If we are to be a force — the Fil-Am community — one of the greatest strengths you could accomplish would be to be an entrepreneur.”

Antonio Ubalde made a comment that it is good to do business outside the Filipino community.

FIL-AM COMMUNITY CENTER’S BEST PRACTICES

Preamble: The Community Development Panel shared best practices fro cultural and community development in promoting the collective strength, unity, and dynamism of the Filipino American Community. The goal of the discussion was to help empower, inform, and mobilize community participation in directing our attention to the transfer of knowledge gained from successful high profile Community and Cultural Development projects in Northern California by engaging stakeholders for other potential developments throughout our region. Projects such as the Bayanihan Community Center, Stockton’s Little Manila, as well as the San Francisco Filipino Cultural Center and Museum in San Francisco faced many extreme challenges in getting their projects completed and thus should be used as the templates for future developments.

Ben Menor, who had spearheaded the concept and the construction of San Jose’s new Northside Community Center and its adjacent senior housing, The Mabuhay Court — which were inaugurated in late 2003 — graciously accepted Lorna Dietz’s request to moderate this session (so she could prepare for her own segment).

Don Marcos of the San Francisco Filipino Cultural Center (where Viki Bamba is the current chair of the Board of Directors) explained what the vision of this future centrally-located and highly-visible landmark of “Proudly Pinoy!” is going to be. He walked the audience through a PowerPoint presentation which showed the layout of the space. Don, since his presentation at the NaFFAA Empowerment Conference & 4th Global Filipino Networking Convention in Honolulu (2006) is always open to hearing from Filipinos worldwide if they are interested in building their own cultural centers.

MC Canlas, representing Bayanihan Community Center’s executive director, Bernadette Sy, talked about how the Bayanihan model captures the “village” concept within San Francisco’s South of Market area, the historical bastion of Filipinos. Since the gentrification programs of the city have extended far into displacing the Filipino residents, many of whom are seniors, this center serves as a haven and sanctuary. The ribbon-cutting ceremony is scheduled for Saturday, November 17.

Rudy Asercion, a member of the city’s War Memorial Commission and the executive director of West Bay Pilipino Multi-Service Center, focused his talk on the “phoenix rising” development of the agency. Its 30-plus year existence had gone through tremendous challenges in the past few years. When Rudy took over a few months ago, he started from “square one.” He wanted to make sure that the staff would get paid — and he was happy to announce to the crowd that he was able to make this happen. As a fledgling grant writer, Asercion was also able to successfully get three grants on breast cancer awareness. Right now, the center’s focus on youth and women’s programs is taking on fresh approaches. With community support, Rudy makes the center available to meetings, especially “kapihan” forums of the Philippine American Press Club, Inc. and Global Filipinos Coalition, among the many.

USING TECHNOLOGY AND INTERNET TOOLS FOR EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATIONS

Preamble: From a non-techie’s perspective, Lorna walked the audience through the basics of Web 2.0, a.k.a. social networking, for effective online communications. “Every organization needs to tell their own story” is NaFFAA Region 8”s call-to-action. The basics of blogging, the use of Google Docs for collaborative work, and other internet tools were discussed. This session is a “must-learn” for any community-based organization, small business, or professional who wants to attain high visibility with a minimum investment. “If you can e-mail, you can blog or wiki!”

For the past two weeks, right before her NaFFAA R8 workshop — that was done within 20 minutes — Lorna had travelled to Washington DC to present an online campaign on “Crafting the Filipina Image” at the Filipina Women’s Network Summit and The Netherlands, where she shared her insights on Web 2.0 tools with her fellow members of the newly-formed Overseas Filipino Caucus on Sustainable Development and a self-organized Filipino group of undocumented domestic service professionals (a.k.a. domestic workers). The NaFFAA R8 overview-type of workshop gave interactive, useful tips that were, according to Viki Bamba, “informative and entertaining.” Lorna told the audience that if there was an interest in having classes, this could be arranged with the incoming regional chair. As part of the region’s initiative on TRAINING (aside from ACCESS to a national network and CHOICES of empowerment), watch out for cutting-edge techniques to make coordination and collaboration a more efficient process for NaFFAA Region 8’s advocacy work.

NAFFAA

A National Report was given by NaFFAA’s executive director, Armando “Doy” Heredia. A reminder for NaFFAA members: Mark your calendars for NaFFAA’s 8th National Empowerment Conference on September 26 to 28, 2008 at the Westin Hotel, Seattle, WA. The conference theme is “Forging A New Filipino American Agenda For The 21st Century.”

The Elections Process Overview was conducted by Daz Lamparas of the NaFFAA R8 Comelec. Per NaFFAA’s by-laws, the region’s Electoral Board elected the new regional officers for 2007 to 2009 (regional conferences happen once every two years).

NaFFAA R8 Chair – Jose Pecho
NaFFAA R8 Vice-Chair – Lorna Dietz
NaFFAA R8 Treasurer – Marites Coloma

The following officers were also appointed:

NaFFAA R8 Youth Chair – Caroline Megino Iwamoto
NaFFAA R8 Vice-Chair – Rudy Asercion (who is also the San Francisco District Chair)
NaFFAA R8 Vice-Chair – Rene Pascual

Viki Bamba, outgoing NaFFAA R8 chair, gave her closing remarks and acknowledgments. Since NaFFAA was conceived in 1997, Viki had served as the region’s vice-chair until she became the regional chair in 2003. Succession Planning and Membership Development have always been a priority for Viki. Together with Rodel Rodis, they fathered and mothered the First Global Filipino Networking Convention in 2002, successfully gathering over 4,000 Filipinos worldwide at Moscone Center, San Francisco.

RECEPTION FOR SUPERIOR COURT JUDGE EFREN IGLESIA

We believe Judge Efren got quite a reception throughout the day (that really started at 10:00 a.m.). By the time the whole-day summit ended, a more intimate crowd gathering celebrated his achievements before he headed out to the Cathedral Hill Hotel to Rene Pascual’s event, the 10th Anniversary of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines, California Chapter. Thank you, Judge Efren, for inspiring us!

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Special thanks are given to the Bayanihan Community Center and Bernadette Sy, Don Marcos of the SF Filipino Cultural Center and Museum, and Summit Committee Planning Members: Jose Pecho, Ben Menor, Lorna Dietz, Peachy Mathias, Rudy Asercion, Rodel Rodis, Jinni Mabalot Bartolome, and Baylan Megino.

We would also like to acknowledge the significant support of Alex and Luly Esclamado and Rex Tabora of Zebulon. Thank you to our volunteers: Teresita Bautista, Helen Marte Bautista, Frannie Pecho, Vivian Poblete, Caroline Megino Iwamoto, and Liz Megino. And yes, thank you to Jose Pecho and Baylan Megino, for managing the contents of the summit programme.

Thank you to Monterey County’s Elmer Dolera, who is appointed as our NaFFAA R8 official photographer. Watch out for the photos!

KABAYANIHAN AWARDS:We will be launching this soon!