Mabuhay ang Los Chabacanos

By Francine Maigue

     Growing up, I would regularly accompany my parents to Point Point Joint for different community meetings on the weekends. Each visit was like a family reunion. Titas, Titos, and warm hugs galore. This extended family included Los Chabacanos of Cavite City, Inc.My dad, Butch, served as Treasurer, then as Vice President. My mother, Oly, always worked hard to assist with the coordination of big events and performances. My sister, Theresa, was even crowned Miss Los Chabacanos. Theresa and I knew that, if there was a fi esta, foundation ball, or party…we needed to be ready to perform. We offered up our talents to our community and, of course, to the Lord and Nuestra Senora de la Soledad de Porta Vaga.
     Inspired by my parents’ and my sister’s leadership, I, too, wanted to contribute more to this very special organization, one that represented our faith, heritage, family, and hometown community in the Philippines.
     I remember being about 10 years old and sharing my desire to help LCCCI with its then President, the hardworking Gene Macapagal. I was invited to join the offi cers and board of directors on stage as they conducted a very important members’ meeting and was asked to take a seat just like them to take important notes. Though the organization obviously had a proper Secretary taking offi cial notes, I accepted my responsibility and approached it with great seriousness. I understood that these mentors were making a difference in our community—preserving and sharing an important piece of who we are and uniting and inspiring our people. I wanted to help just like them.
     When the meeting was over, I proudly presented my extensive notes to the offi cers, who graciously looked at my work and thanked me for helping and caring so much about our community. I hopped of the stage in delight when my friends, also children of the offi cers and board members ran up to me and said, “We saw you up there! It looked very important. We want to start a Los Chabacanos Kids Club. We already talked about it, and you’re going to be our President.”
      I remember feeling so honored by their faith in me, so humbled by the responsibility, and so excited that I had inspired my peers to join in and help make a difference. It was our fi rst taste of grassroots organizing. We conducted meetings, performed at events, represented our community in parades, and built great friendships… “Just like our parents,” we proudly thought.
     Fast forward to over 20 years later when I was asked by LCCCI’s current President, Julia “Jhigs” Legaspi, to serve on the organization’s Board of Directors and as its Master of Ceremonies for its upcoming gala. The rush of emotions had me feeling just like I was 10 years old again— so honored, humbled, and excited to serve our community. I thanked God and Nuestra Senora de la Soledad de Porta Vaga for the incredible blessing and opportunity.
     On Valentine’s Day, led by our illustrious, dedicated President Jhigs, LCCCI hosted its Installation of Offi cers & Valentine’s Gala at the Handlery Hotel in Mission Valley. The special event only comes every two years, and this year’s was one for the memory books. Looking out from the podium at the warm, smiling faces of the very same Titas and Titos, who watched me grow up, the Reynosos, Bartolomes, Joses, Alcantaras, Villareals, Maulas, and more…I felt like I was home with my dear family… and I was.
     The beautiful, sold-out celebration was both fun and poignant, complete with a delicious dinner, special performances, installation and award ceremony, coronation of Miss Los Chabacanos, exciting raffl e, and, of course, DANCING. The full house was especially moved by President Jhigs’s beautifully written speech, which moved attendees to both hearty laughs and tears of inspiration.
     Thank you, Los Chabacanos of Cavite City for 43 years of outstanding leadership. You continue to bless our community with events that preserve important tenets of our culture and unite & inspire our people. Mabuhay!
     SPECIAL EVENT The Filipino American Chamber of Commerce is hosting its first big event of 2015. Back by popular demand is FACC’s Monthly Mixer program. This event, which welcomes ALL members of our community is part networking night, part inspirational TEDx Talk. It is an opportunity to mix and mingle with community leaders, learn of new resources to grow your business or organization, and hear tips from a featured speaker. This month’s speaker happens to be (drumroll, please) yours truly.
     Join us this Tuesday, February 24th, 6pm, at the beautiful Barnhart Cancer Center at Sharp Chula Vista Medical Center located at 769 Medical Center Drive. CRAFT Pizza, San Diego’s hottest new artisan pizzeria, will open the event with a delicious reception during which we encourage hearty eating and hearty networking. My presentation will focus on, “Our NET Worth: The importance of Networking across sectors, Engaging under & mis-represented communities, and Teaching & empowering our young people.” Following the presentation, attendees are welcome to take a special guided tour of the awe-inspiring Barnhart Cancer Center.
     I hope to see you all there, my friends! Your support means everything to me…such a blessing. Maraming, maraming salamat po. Space is limited, RSVP today! To RSVP, contact Alicia DeLeon Torres: adeleontorres@gmail.com or 619.985.5904. Originally from Cavite City, Philippines and raised in Chula Vista, Francine Maigue received her master’s degree from Harvard University and bachelor’s degree from UCLA. Francine is the District Director for Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez, serves as Secretary of the Filipino-American Chamber of Commerce of San Diego County, is a Board Member of the Sharp Chula Vista Medical Center Foundation and Los Chabacanos of Cavite City, is a member of the San Diego United Lions Club and Silayan Filipina, and is a former Miss Philippines of San Diego. A trusted voice in the community, Francine serves as a Special Advisor to Philippine Honorary Consul General of San Diego, Audie de Castro.
     Exclusively here in The Filipino Press--Follow Francine Maigue’s adventures as she represents our region with grace and honor as the FilipinoAmerican History Achievement Award Winner in Humanitarianism, Arts, and Community Service and as an Outstanding Filipino American Young Leaders Awardee as selected by His Excellency Ambassador Cuisia and the Philippine Consuls.
     Want to view more event photos and join fun chats with other Francine fans? Visit francineandfriends.com or search “Francine Maigue” on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Your comments could be featured here! See you online! Got an organization, business, or event Francine should know about? Wish to agree or “agree to disagree” with her? Want to send her a love note? (She loves those.) Email Francine at thepamperedpinay@yahoo.com.

Philippines Focuses on Economic Growth

MANILA -- The Philippines is restarting efforts to do an accounting of its natural resources through a World Bank-backed program that would help to unlock the potential of the sector for economic growth and address environmental issues – particularly in the mining industry. The Philippines is one of the eight countries that are implementing WAVES, or Wealth Accounting and the Valuation of Ecosystem Services, World Bank Phil-WAVES task team leader Stefanie Sieber said in a briefi ng in Pasig City. Other countries implementing the program are Botswana, Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Indonesia, Madagascar and Rwanda. WAVES is a global partnership that aims to promote sustainable development by ensuring that natural resources are mainstreamed in development planning and national economic accounts. Citing a 2006 World Bank Application that looked at produced capital, intangible capital and natural capital, Sieber said natural capital is the most important for low income countries but is not measured. "[WAVES will] help countries adopt and implement accounts that are relevant for policies," she said. "You can think of many natural capital accounts we could produce, but the main purpose is really to do something that policy issues are suppressing in individual countries." Nothing new But compiling a natural capital account (NCA) is nothing new to the Philippines since it has been done in the 1990s, National Economic and Development Authority Deputy Director-General Emmanuel Esguerra said in the same briefi ng. However, it was not fully institutionalized due to the lack of budget as well as global standards in measuring natural resources, he said. "Reasons alluded to was there was no standard methodology. There were also challenges to institutional capacity and resources for agencies that were supposed to take the responsibility for natural capital accounting," Esguerra noted. But early in 2014, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) was give a small funding by the government to restart environmental accounting – even prior to the approval of WAVES – interim assistant national statistician Raymundo Talento said. In April 2014, the Phil-WAVES project was signed with the World Bank, and was offi cially launched in September. From then on, the PSA has started gathering data for the NCA. Among the data being collated were gold, copper, nickel and chromium. "These are the major metal minerals we have... Simply because of the data and time constraint... we're not doing any extra survey but only relying on data from the NSO [National Statistics Office] and MGB [Mining and Geosciences Bureau]," Talento said. "But what we notice is we need to do more labor since we discovered there are a lot of data sitting around in the bureau that needed to be processed," he added. The PSA hopes to come out with initial data after the fi rst semester, after which it will hold several consultative forums with mining companies and the public, Talento noted. A useful tool Esguerra said the NCA is a useful tool for development planning that can serve as a guide to formulating plans and policies for sustainable development. "If we're able to measure changes in natural capital, that gives us an idea about sustainability of development and design policies in order to address those issues," he said. One issue that can be addressed with the program is in the mining industry. "I think it's still going on and they have to do with sustainability of these operations," Esguerra said. Confl icting land and water use, particularly in Palawan and in Laguna Lake, can also be addressed through the Phil-WAVES, project consultant Elisea Gozun said. But the acceptance of NCA in relation to policy development and economic planning will take some time to get traction, Esguerra said. "It’s not easy to change behaviors or mindsets... "If it took years for GDP (gross domestic product) accounting to take hold and to be appreciated and for a standard to be adopted across countries, now you’re introducing national capital accounts for a system that’s been there for generations, let alone getting budgets for this effort to be supported," he added. (MNS)

FIL-AM Inventor Seeks Kickstarter Support

SAN DIEGO, CA – On January 26th, Reincarnate Manufacturing launched a Kickstarter campaign to raise money for their patented sixwheeled skateboard. Reincarnate’s skateboard includes snowboarding characteristics to allow for more maneuvers on the street. Invented by Jay Bermal, a local Fil-Am whose desire is to provide the experience of snowboard-like ride without travelling to colder climates. For San Diegans, this will save the need to take that 5 hour drive to the nearest snowboarding resort,adds Bermal who hopes to gain support of his project from kababayans The trick is in the caster wheels that rotate 360 degrees, making it easy for riders to carve and slide in a way that traditional skateboards aren’t capable of. “One of the great things about skateboarding is self-expression by showing your sense of style through how you ride... What can be challenging is managing those steep hills,” Reincarnate Manufacturing says. “What is particularly interesting about snowboarding is the ability to easily manage downhill speeds by carving and sliding. Showing your sense of style is present in snowboarding, however, being bound to the board can limit other maneuvers.” Reincarnate Manufacturing wants to provide riders with more freedom and to share with backers the unique experience of using their patented gearing mechanism. This mechanism allows all six wheels to remain on the ground while going straight. When riders lean in the direction they want to turn, four wheels stay on the ground while the opposite two lift up. The caster wheels, which are centered underneath the deck, provide the rider with support and offsets when the rider carves or slides. This helps provide balance and takes away the need for bindings. This project has been in development since November 2010. Reincarnate Manufacturing used computer-aided design and 3D modeling to test their idea. In 2012, after verifying that their idea would work, they filed for a patent. The company now has functioning prototypes but is working on the design. They have come to Kickstarter to get funding for the final prototype, a pneumatic riveter that is needed for assembly, and mass production. “I think Kickstarter is good because the Kickstarter community supports people that like to create,” states Jay Bermal, mechanical engineer and owner of Reincarnate Manufacturing, “With these trucks there’s a lot more parts than your typical skateboard truck, so I hope that people will back the project.” Supporters of this project can choose from several different rewards, including a Reincarnate t-shirt with their ambigram logo, a cap with their logo, trucks that you can screw onto your own deck, or the full assembly (trucks, wheels, bearings, and deck). This campaign runs until March 12. For more information or to support now you can check out the Reincarnate Kickstarter page:

Kickstarter: http://www.reincarnatemfg.com/kickstarter/ 

Website: http://www.reincarnatemfg.com/ 

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ReincarnateMFG

Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/ReincarnateMFG 

Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/ReincarnateMFG/

Unity for Progress in the Filipino Community

The launch of UniPro San Diego brought out the support of several groups from the community

Their previous summits have drawn attendees from across the globe and have progressive themes from “Building Bridges” - Locally, regionally and globally, “Renaissance” - The awakening of the individual Pilipino’s earnest passions and aspirations. “Rise” - to move from a lower to a higher position, move upward, ascend, to last year’s “Your Move” challenging attendees to fi nd themselves in, and move their community forward. Founded in 2009, UniPro (Pilipino American Unity for Progress) is a non-profi t 501c3 by Steven Raga in New York City which aims to facilitate and encourage cooperation through coalition development among Filipino organizations, institutions and programs. “It’s a great time to start UniPro. In my position I’ve never seen the community this well organized and united. I think UniPro is in good position to unify especially the emerging leaders in San Diego and It’s very important to my position because one of my roles is to help promote unity. To have an organization like UniPro assist in that regard will be great for the community. “ Stated Honorary Consulate General, Audie De Castro when asked about UniPro’s presence in San Diego. San Diego’s staff consists of President Romyn Sabatchi, Vice President Alicia Ricafrente, Director of Community Relations Anthony DeGuzman, Brandon Cerezo High School Liason. They are supported by staff members Julius Alejandro and Alyssa DeGuzman. Their educational backgrounds range from political science to sociology, sectors range from real estate to non-profi t and altogether have combined decades of experience volunteering and working in the Filipino community. There were several community cornerstones in attendance which shows UniPro’s ability to draw support and encourage teamwork among groups including Honorary Consulate General - Audie DeCastro, Rey Monzon, Dr.Aurora Cudal, Secretary to the House of the Philippines - Joanne Rullan, Registrar of Voters - Jr Amor, Vice President of UniPro Noel Aglubat. Community organizations represented by their staff and members included FilAmFest, AB Samahan, Pagkakaisa, PAYO, Salayan, KAMP, Operation Samahan, Copao, and NaFFAA. The main prompt for the evening was “What does community mean to you?” After breaking out into discussion, groups came to several conclusions in identifying the needs of the Filipino community. Some of the concerns included: Creating visibility, which includes the lack of political voting power and participation of the Filipino people. A participant stated that altogether we “either lack communication, have miscommunication or don’t have communication at all”. Another stated that at times we are “competitors instead of collaborators” which has proven true in the past when members of an organization fail to see eye to eye and end up leaving to start their own chapter or group. When asked about expectations for San Diego, Noel Aglubat, Vice President of UniPro stated “They want to focus on professional development, aligning their passion and interest with the community so I just want them to build a foundation here for what they think is needed in San diego, because each community is different” UniPro plans to have a monthly discussion centering on one issue per meeting all of which are open to the public. They can be reached on their website www.unipronow.org, e-mail sandiego@unipro.com and Facebook. com/UniProNow Expectations for the organization are high per Audie De Castro: “I would like to see UniPro develop leaders for the future and help build our legacy as a community and to also address issues that we haven’t addressed before. In the past what i’ve seen is issues especially with the younger Fil-Ams, don’t always get addressed and this is a great vehicle for that.” Are there other needs that were not covered by the community? Are there any concerns that UniPro should look into? Is there more we can do? Let’s talk ErnieS@TheFilipinoPress.com