NOVEMBER 12-14, 2010 – SCOTTSDALE, AZ

Federation of Philippine American Chambers of Commerce
Announces Bi-National Annual Convention

“Entrepreneurs without Borders” Converge in Phoenix
to Address Global Recession

San Francisco, CA, February 22, 2010 – The Filipino American business community is coming together in a highly-visible, unprecedented move to align its empowerment activities with an eye toward evolving as a borderless, globally-focused network of entrepreneurs and professionals. The “Federation 2010: Entrepreneurs without Borders” Convention, slated for November 12 to 14, 2010 in the newly-built, lush and luxurious venue, Talking Stick Resort and Casino Arizona in Scottsdale, Arizona, promises to engage local, national, and international participants alike with a strategic, innovative convention program that “connects the dots” in building a business global mall and promoting technological advancements, opening the doors to green wealth and green building opportunities, and bridging business and community through humanitarian and trade missions, among its many offerings.

In addition to the attendance of luminaries and dignitaries, keynote speakers include Arizona Governor Jan Brewer; Dr. Yolanda O. Stern, international entrepreneur and philanthropist; Jaime Lim, President of the Federation of Philippine American Chambers of Commerce (FPACC) and Philippine American Chamber of Commerce of Oregon, acclaimed for his outstanding work in building business coalitions that win government contracts; and Marie Cunning, a successful Arizona-based Filipina American developer who advocates green building practices. After the highly-awaited Philippine Presidential Elections on May 10, 2010, the new President of the Philippines will be invited to address the expected 800 attendees coming from 40-plus FPACC chapters throughout the United States and Canada.

“The road to a world of Entrepreneurs without Borders provides the Federation’s chapters, members, and affiliates with the ability to connect the dots in real time. We will renew and enhance our commitment to improving the business climate for Filipino entrepreneurs during these uncertain economic times, provide a rich directory of resources and networks, and truly help each other grow and succeed. In this year’s bi-national annual convention, we will increase our delegates’ opportunities to meet potential partners from other parts of the world besides the Philippines,” Marie Cunning announced. Cunning is the convention’s chair and President of the Filipino American Business Chamber of Commerce of Arizona (FABCCA).

The Federation is offering its first 200 registered delegates “first come, first served” benefits such as an invitation to a special event within the convention: the opportunity to meet with venture capitalists, investment groups, and companies seeking joint venture agreements. Delegates, guests, and local visitors will also be treated to a diversity of exhibitors’ products and services inside a high-traffic Exhibition Hall as part of the convention’s Business Global Mall.

As the Talking Stick Resort gets ready for the Grand Opening festivities in June, 2010, sparking global attention with its 100,000-plus square feet of indoor and outdoor convention space amidst a backdrop of the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Tribe’s Indian cultural heritage, the Federation looks forward to being one of the first groups to enjoy the 5-star facilities. Delegates will be greeted with a Welcome Reception at the resort, sponsored by FABCCA, the Host Committee.

“Becoming an Entrepreneur without Borders means that you are ready to be an impetus to actions that change the world,” says Jaime Lim in his invitation to prospective delegates.

Early convention registration information can be found at FPACC.com.

About the Organization: The U.S. Federation of Philippine American Chambers of Commerce, Inc., is a 501(c)3 not for profit corporation, incorporated under the not for profit laws of the State of Oregon with corporate offices at 447 Sutter Street, Suite 701, San Francisco, CA 94108. It has 42 chapter members from all over the United States mainland to include Hawaii. Incorporated in 1997, it bridges US Philippines trade and commerce, promotes goodwill and mutually beneficial projects between the two countries. It holds an annual convention in the US and one trade mission a year to the Philippines. It currently has several major Memoranda of Agreement with major Public and Private sector departments of the Philippines, including a major one with the US-SBA.

Press Contacts: Ben Menor at FPACC2010@gmail.com or Marie Cunning at MCunning@cox.net.

Calling all Filipina bloggers worldwide! Join FilipinaImages.com’s collaborative project with wikiPilipinas.org, the “Filipina Stories” Writing Contest, to celebrate Women’s History Month.

TITLE: IF YOU CAN E-MAIL, YOU CAN WIKI

SUB-TITLE: About wikiPilipinas.org, a human-edited encyclopedia about Filipinos worldwide

PRESS CONTACT:
Lorna Dietz
Co-Founder, FilipinaImages.com
lornadietz@gmail.com
Skype phone: 415 508-5326 or lornadietz
For ID purposes only: Member, “Shape the Filipina Image Campaign” Committee of Filipina Women’s Network (FFWN.org)

TEXT FOR PRESS RELEASE (FOR MEDIA OUTLETS OUTSIDE THE PHILIPPINES):

Gus Vibal of Vibal Publishing House, a respected name in the Philippines’ educational book business industry, is tenacious and unstoppable in his efforts to get the word out about “the joys of the wiki” for Filipinos and about Filipinos. Vibal’s substantial investment in wikiPilipinas.org, the hip ‘n free Philippine Encyclopedia, is accomplishing major milestones by attracting partnering organizations to collaborate with writing projects. Wiki writers can now take advantage of the opportunities to promote literacy and history in the following languages: English, Filipino, Cebuano, Waray, Ilokano, Bicol, and Kapampangan. Those who are familiar with Wikipedia’s platform will find wikiPilipinas’s format familiar territory.

A month-long program of activities has been organized to celebrate March as Women’s History Month in the Philippines. According to WikiPilipinas.org, a special portal called the “Encyclopedia of Philippine Women” will be launched during March 2008, compiling and detailing the achievements and triumphs of Filipinas everywhere. Vibal announced that “Filipiniana.net will also host a Philippine Women Microsite containing selected scholarly texts, research documents and abstracts, as well as selected literary works from Filipina writers.”

Philippine-based bloggers are also providing an online community presence for the March activities through FilipinaImages.com, an advocacy portal and news site that promotes an empowering “Reshaping the Filipina Image Online” campaign. Co-founders Noemi Lardizabal Dado, Dine Racoma, and Lorna Lardizabal Dietz collaborated with wikiPilipinas.org in launching a writing contest, “Filipina Stories,” for bloggers. Details about the writing contest are found at the main page of wikiPilipinas.org or FilipinaImages.com. The deadline for entries is March 15, 2008.

For bloggers and non-bloggers alike, a wiki project can be the next best thing to publishing and showcasing the stories of Filipinos worldwide without burdening financial resources. Media organizations, researchers, industry leaders and experts, community activists, and people from all walks of life are given an equal opportunity to interactively collaborate in writing and editing an ongoing documentation and history about the Filipinos’ evolution and progress worldwide — as it happens.

For more information about how to get involved in a wiki project for your organization, contact any of the following: Noemi Dado (AboutMyRecovery.com) at NoemiDado@gmail.com, Dine Racoma (DineRacoma.com.ph) at bracoma@gmail.com, or Lorna Dietz (RadiantView.com) at lornadietz@gmail.com.

wikiPilipinas.org’s schedule for Women’s History Month is subject to changes without any notice. Please check the website for updates and revisions.

March 3 (Monday) 9:30 am – 11:30 am
Venue: Manila Hotel
Event: Helena Benitez Global Forum on Women, Power and Sustainable Development
(Sponsored by Ugnayan ng Kababaihan sa Pilipinas & AWNGAD)
Attendees: Local women leaders from different local government units nationwide

Tentative Program
9:30–9:40 am: Introduction; Viewing of wikiPilipinas.org and Filipiniana.org videos
9:40-10:10 am: Women, Leadership and the Internet – Tin Mandigma (Read or Die Philippines)
10:10-10:25 am: Using Technology in Uplifting the Image of the Filipina – FilipinaImages.com
10:25 – 11:00 am: Ceremonial Unveiling of Two Women Portals; An overview of WikiPilipinas.org & Filipiniana.net
11:00-11:30 am: Question & Answer session; hands-on session

March 8 (Saturday) 8:30am – 12:00nn
Venue: UP Theater
Event: National Women’s Day Celebration (headed by NCRFW)
20 minutes presentation: An overview of wikiPilipinas.org & Filipiniana.net; A Call for more entries to the Filipina Writing Contest
Attendees: 2000 students, NGOs

March 11 (Tuesday)
Event: UP Centennial Lecture of Dr. Carol Sobritchea
An overview of wikiPilipinas.org & Filipiniana.net; A Call for more entries to the Filipina Writing Contest

March 13 (Thursday)
Venue: Batangas Provincial Capitol, Batangas City
Event: A short message from Vibal Foundation announcing its Women Portal Projects and the partnership with NCRFW to local women leaders and government officials

March 24 – March 26 (Monday to Wednesday)
Venue: Miriam College
Event: Women’s Studies International Conference
An overview of wikiPilipinas.org & Filipiniana.net; Filipiniana.net will sponsor one lecture for its (Filipiniana.net Lecture Series) featuring Dr. Carol Sobritchea, the director of the UP Center for Women’s Studies; Announcement of Filipina Writing Stories winners

Notes for media outlets: Please e-mail Noemi Dado at noemidado@gmail.com if you need a jpeg image of the wikiPilipinas.org Filipina Stories’ logo and some photos. Thank you.

The article is found on pages 20 and 21 of the January 2008 edition of Filipinas Magazine.

“Taking a chance on running a travel agency nearly 30 years ago, Johnny Francisco has built a business that continues to soar.”

It is 11:00 p.m. in San Francisco. A sleepy Filipina travel sub-agent, who has an online booking engine at her website, answers a telephone call from a friend in Chicago. Apologetic, he asks, “My grandmother just passed away — and I want to leave in a couple of days for Manila. I need the best internet airfare. Can you help me?”

After noting some basic information, she guides her prospective passenger with his first online booking experience. Then, she calls 1-800-2-MANILA (626452) or 1-866-2-MANILA for additional assistance on quotes and advice for emergency travel. The “24-hours a day/7 days a week” live operator phone service is based in Manila. Within an hour, her friend feels comfortable with the internet sales tool, courtesy of Travelfast International, a.k.a. Travelfast.com, the sub-agent’s consolidator. Amadeus, Travelfast’s technology partner, provides the cutting-edge global distribution system that is connected to over 220,000 travel agency terminals worldwide.

Johnny Francisco, the President of Travelfast International, whose company has served the ethnic Asian travel community since 1978, takes pride in being able to give his 3,543-plus travel agents and sub-agents the technological clout of an automated booking system with real time availability and instant confirmation. With a 30-year milestone coming up on March 6, 2008, Johnny reflects about his company’s prominent and seasoned leadership in an industry that is expected to boom exponentially in internet airfares.

“I had no choice!” Francisco declares. “I already had a lucrative import-export business in the Philippines. This was the only way for my family to stay permanently in the United States. So, I bought this existing travel agency — lock, stock, and barrel. I had to learn the ropes quickly.”

Johnny’s San Francisco office in the historic Flood Building at Powell and Market Streets, close to the daily cacophony of cable cars’ bells and shoppers’ traffic at nearby Union Square, has proven to be an ideal location. “The overhead was pretty low. There were no computers then. With one other person helping me, we used an index card system for our reservations. It was all about hard copies before the era of the database system,” he recalls. Francisco was confident about Travelfast’s product mix, comprised of carriers such as Philippine Airlines, Pan American Airways, and Northwest Airlines.

Johnny’s entrepreneurial spirit also honed his guerrilla marketing techniques for building his company from the ground up. His belief in the power of “personal connection” meant distributing fliers to Filipinos he met at the crowded Market Street corridor and members of Filipino community-based organizations. San Francisco, during the late 1970’s, was home to a larger Filipino population compared to Los Angeles or Chicago.

“I was one of the first to add my photo to my business cards so that people could relate the name to a face. I inherited existing clients from the previous business owner but I still had to win their trust. My word had to be good,” Johnny said. “After the first year, I was hooked. The commissions at that time ranged from 10% to 25% per plane ticket. There was also a lot of competition from five large Filipino-owned travel agencies that controlled the market in 1979. These agencies eventually closed shop.”

Dealing with an economically-diverse clientele, Johnny marketed a Fly Now, Pay later program for the next 10 years. A relationship with an established Asian Indian wholesaler gave Johnny Francisco the break he needed for “direct blocking” with Japan Airlines and China Airlines.

Johnny ventured into the corporate market in the 1980’s. “There were two of us who got the Pacific Bell contract. From this experience, I realized that there was a glass ceiling for minority-owned businesses. In fact, most minority-managed or owned travel agencies were really owned by big corporations. I decided to concentrate on the Filipino market.”

In 1996, the forward-thinking entrepreneur analyzed the technological trends affecting the business of travel. Johnny reveals, “My edge is my basic knowledge of the industry — from ticketing to restrictions. I’m one of the few who understands the business in relation to the market. For instance, after 9-11, there were zero commissions since travelers could book their domestic tickets directly with the airlines. To counteract the loss in commissions, the airlines decided to assign a few agents to handle their international ticket sales. Travelfast International consolidates for 10 airlines to Asia with the ability to offer cheaper airfares versus the airlines’ published rates. I would like to think that Travelfast’s credibility and financial stability were deciding factors for these carriers.”

Johnny Francisco’s foresight about the emergence of internet airfares as the industry’s premier sales and promotions vehicle helped him develop Travelfast International’s 21st century business model which included “easy name and number recall” and branding for the toll-free telephone numbers and retail websites selling wholesale consolidator tickets, the opening of branch offices and retail kiosks from Los Angeles to Las Vegas, and a Hongkong office. “We are the only US-based consolidator that has a fully-owned corporation in the Philippines and a 24-hour call center staffed with trained travel consultants. Since the previous business owner retained the Travelfast International business name in the Philippines, we chose the name Mango Tours for our ancillary and overseas operations,” Francisco explains.

The Travelfast International and Mango Tours infrastructure and operations, linked by telephone and the internet, are handled by approximately 80 employees. At any given time, Johnny Francisco knows how many people are logged into their computer network. He discloses, “We field an average of 2,000 telephone calls a day plus handle the activity in the websites that provide online bookings: MangoTours.com, FlyToManila.com, FlyToCebu.com, IFlyPAL.com, and FlyToAsia.com. We also saw a need to bus and house our customers so we started offering value-priced tour packages to the Philippines.”

Since online booking also means electronic tickets, Francisco urges travelers to obtain their internet airfares from online booking engines that are supported by established consolidators. “When you receive your confirmation number after your online booking, we direct you to a website where you can check your reservation. You can also call the airline to confirm your flight,” Johnny points out.

When asked what advice he has for the Filipino immigrant who wants a career in the “Wild, Wild West” world of entrepreneurship in the United States, Johnny Francisco thoughtfully enumerates his life lessons: “Be patient. Wait for your time. Don’t do everything overnight. Wait for the right moment and opportunity. Find your niche — where the glass ceiling doesn’t exist. You don’t have to be a jack-of-all-trades. Always deliver your promises. And, just remember that we’re the most affluent among the ethnic groups in the United States.”

With a twinkle in his eyes and a satisfied smile, Johnny terminates his reflective mood. “We haven’t reached 50% of our objectives yet. This is only the beginning,” Johnny Francisco adds.

Lorna Lardizabal Dietz, a Filipino community publicist, writes profiles about people, places, and events. She is based in San Francisco, California.

I have always admired Gemma for her writing skills and insightful perspectives. There were times when her essays caught me unaware — and had me crying for no reason at all or smiling in amusement. Did Gemma’s prose appeal to every immigrant who mirrored her experiences? Feeling the way she does, about being a “heart in two places?”

After we had a meeting at the Filipinas Magazine last week, I hurriedly informed some of my Philippines-based friends to meet Gemma this Saturday. I’m posting this announcement here as well.

Here are the details:

WHAT THEY SAY ABOUT “HEART IN TWO PLACES”

If there is one territory that Gemma Nemenzo navigates so well, it is the heart. She knows its dark crevices as well as its bright spaces, its rough edges and silky contours. This is what makes her write so tenderly about a range of emotions. Her feelings for country, family, her children, friends and lovers always run deep, you can’t help but be moved.

Heart in Two Places tells us that, whether in America or the Philippines, there is one constant: the emotional pull of people. Nemenzo’s book reminds us that personal geography is just as important as the physical.

Marites Danguilan Vitug
Editor in Chief
Newsbreak Magazine

*

Gemma Nemenzo’s essays are eloquent explorations of the Filipino American journey from various viewpoints––that of an expat, a woman and mother, an activist-journalist still deeply concerned about the future of her homeland. This collection is a must-read for anyone who hopes to understand the Filipino diaspora in America.

BEN PIMENTEL
Reporter, San Francisco Chronicle
and author, U.G., An Underground Tale: The Journey of Edgar Jopson and the First Quarter Storm Generation

*

True to her name, Gemma (Nemenzo) proves with Heart in Two Places that she is a brilliant writer who can move you to tears as easily as she can move you to laughter with her thought-provoking and insightful essays. Here, the witty essayist proffers a writer’s harvest that sparkles with disarming humor (delightfully dusted with Pinoy pixie)[avh1] and, to great effect, cuts with hard-edged passion and intelligence.

BERNARDO BERNARDO
Fil-Am Actor/Director

*

What a delightful collection! Indeed, Gemma Nemenzo writes from two places––from then and now, from laughter and tragedy, and always from a generous heart and unfaltering wisdom.

Cristina DC Pastor
Author, Scratch the News: Filipino Americans in Our Midst
and Managing Editor, Philippine News, New Jersey

*

With artful poignancy and extraordinary honesty and humility, Gemma Nemenzo speaks of experiences that are, on one hand, deeply personal to her yet also live, craving to be bared, within the heart of every single Filipino immigrant of her generation. To read her is to understand what Filipino expatriates only wish they could say.

Alcide “Sonny” Alforque
Artistic Director, Sinag-tala Filipino Theater and Performing Arts Association Sacramento, California

*

The courage that saw Gemma Nemenzo end her marriage, pull up stakes and migrate to American with three young children is the same courage that she trains on herself in this book––a pained, sometimes ironic, sometimes amused record of life as she has since lived it.

Here a staunch nationalist turned U.S. citizen, a female born to relationship raising her children alone, a writer turning separation from her roots into literature––proves her examined life to be truly worth living.

Sylvia L. Mayuga
Columnist, Philippine Daily Inquirer

*

Heart In Two Places goes beyond geographic and cultural bilocation. Between the covers of this book are scintillating vignettes of Gemma Nemenzo’s experiential PhilAm sojourn.

Ms. Nemenzo’s essays are masterfully crafted “sentipieces,” much unlike vapid musings that cram less cerebral bookstores. Verbally gifted, she amazes readers with the way her words flow in facile procession: the obvious are precise, while inferences are delicately nuanced. Her versatile pen, as the situation demands, morphs into an incisive scalpel or a blunt bludgeon or, when mortally whimsical, slays nonetheless with the gentle swirl of a scimitar.

Essentially, Heart in Two Places is about the author’s PhilAm life journey, punctuated with defining moments and crucial life choices. In the process, she raises philosophical questions that disturb, yet edify. Somehow, one senses that in her heart of hearts, her life choices are unarguably impelled by a living, breathing, sensitive, considerate soul. Then, perhaps, the book should be retitled Heart in Right Places.

REY DE GUZMAN
VP for Corporate Communications
United Laboratories Inc. Philippines

*

True, there were times when I found myself chuckling, “She is just like me!” But much more often, and many more times when I wished I could be more like her. Gemma is courageous when it would be acceptable (but not necessarily smarter) to be cautious; behaves honorably even when no one is around to notice; and forgives––both others and herself––when it would be much easier to cling to the wreckage. All with such grace, candor and matter-of-factness that one can so easily overlook what a hero we have in our midst. Mabuhay ka, Gemma. May your tribe increase!

MARGARITA GO SINGCO HOLMES, PhD
Clinical psychologist and best-selling author

You can write to Gemma Nemenzo at g.nemenzo@filipinasmag.com. Check out www.FilipinasMag.com as well! And if I haven’t been saying enough of this to all of you, please contact me at l.dietz@filipinasmag.com if you would like to subscribe or advertise with us!

It’s too bad that this “well-meaninged” friend, who is supposed to have a global outlook and vision of Filipino empowerment, doesn’t understand that “Vagina Monologues” and its all-Tagalog version, “Usaping Puki” are integral components of FWN’s social justice campaign. As I write this, I can clearly see that the archaic, negative misperceptions about the words “vagina” and “puki” still exist.

Filipina Women’s Network seeks to pro-actively reshape the Filipina image. It’s a good sign that when I type the word “Filipina” in a google search, out of approximately 3,530,000 answers, the first entry is from Wikipedia’s definition of Filipino people. The second entry says, “Filipina Lady Free Online Dating Asian Ladies Filipina Penpal Service.” The sixth google posting announces “Filipina Women’s Network.” I haven’t dared make a poll yet to see how many entries there are about Filipina dating, Filipina women’s rights, or Filipina women’s careers.

I guess my colleagues and I at FWN have a lot of marketing and public relations work (community outreach work is a better term) to do in bringing the Filipina woman to the next level of her career (in decision making and policy making), to reshape the Filipina image, and to end violence against women and girls.

The founders of the FWN organization were very clear that they wanted their name to be redundant: FILIPINA AND WOMEN. Whoever thinks that we’ve made a typographical error, that is, we do not use the words “Filipino Women”, now know that it really is FILIPINA WOMEN’S NETWORK.

Let’s go back to FWN’s social justice campaign, “Filipinas Against Violence,” world-wide through its support of V-Day. We had originally thought of celebrating V-Day for three years but there was such a strong demand for anti-violence resources from our community… and thus, we are honoring V-Day during our fourth year’s community production.

It is not all right for me to be perceived ONLY as a Vagina.

I am a Vagina Warrior.

Vagina Warriors understand that the words “vagina” and “puki” plus all its other names ARE words of honor.

There are many of us, Filipina women, who are emerging as early feminists. I know I am learning to understand what my rights are as a woman. I’m getting better at identifying when my rights as a human being, especially as a woman, are being trampled.

I am also getting more adept at gently correcting my male friends’ statements. For example, a Filipino male friend told me the other day that if his girlfriend and he broke up, he would find it easier to find another girlfriend and implied that his girlfriend would have a harder time. The couple are in their early 30’s. I said to my friend, “Wait a minute! I would tell your girlfriend that she would also find it easy to find another boy-friend. Who says that only men would find it easier to find love on the rebound? Be careful about what you are saying.”

I am now acutely aware when men (AND women) say disrespectful, unwarranted remarks or off-colored jokes. I realized that I had really changed my beliefs about how women need to be honored and respected when I was gagging at Jose Mari Chan’s jokes during a fundraiser in San Francisco. Although I didn’t walk out of the event, my admiration for Jose Mari Chan’s music has somehow been tainted by his sexist jokes.

Being a Vagina Warrior doesn’t mean to say that I take my femininity for granted. On the contrary.

The title of “Vagina Warrior” isn’t exclusive to women, either. There are many men who wear this badge of courage proudly.

Here are excerpts from our marketing and public relations notes for members of the Filipina Women’s Network and its V-Day steering commitee in San Francisco and New York.

FWN is a “virtual” organization that strongly relies on e-mails to make things happen. We hope you can learn from our experiences — and our successes as Vagina and Puki Warriors.

WE ENCOURAGE YOU TO WATCH THE ALL-TAGALOG VERSION, “USAPING PUKI.”

From: Marily Mondejar
Date: Mar 7, 2007 3:09 PM
Subject: Marketing and PR for V-Day Filipina 2007 (San Francisco & New York) – Filipinas Against Violence Campaign

Kumusta mga Kapukis!!!

This is a long email so please scroll down and read our plea.

Our Filipinas Against Violence Campaign is a grassroots effort which means that all of us need to do our part in getting our message out there. We have several activities to promote and market our benefit performances and we are encouraged by your support, participation and enthusiasm.

However, WE need to do more. PLEASE help in any way you can. Our goal is to fill Herbst Theatre and the Philippine Center NYC for all the shows ESPECIALLY the Tagalog shows at 7:30 pm (March 24 San Francisco) and 7pm (April 14 New York)!!!

If you can’t make it, please consider sponsoring a DV resident or advertising in the V-Diaries 2007, our anti-violence resource guide.

We need to continue to publish the V-Diaries which is funded by advertising and proceeds from our campaign. We need $10,000 to get the publication to print as we have a 20,000 print run and the magazines are distributed all year. We are saving lives – I cannot emphasize enough our urgency in your assistance.

Okay – here are our marketing activities to promote ticket sales for our benefit performances in San Francisco & New York and the publication of the V-Diaries:

1) Press Conference (March 14, 12-1pm, San Francisco) – spearheaded by Luna Salaver, SF Cast Member. An outstanding group effort of San Francisco cast members to raise awareness of the urgency in ENDING violence in the Filipino community. Perla De Jesus, a domestic violence survivor and SF cast member, has opened her salon to be our press conference venue at 7348 Mission St., Daly City, CA 94014.

Perla was stabbed six times by her ex-husband after a 22-year abusive marriage. He is now serving a 15-year prison term at Folsom prison.

In Jersey City, Teris Casco, was savagely murdered by her husband after her birthday celebration a couple of weeks ago. Teris told her husband she was leaving him. She leaves two young children. We learned that she did not reach out to seek help although co-workers knew she was in an abusive relationship. They did not know how to help.

Let’s keep our community outreach alive!

At the San Francisco press conference on March 14, we have invited Rose Zimmerman, Daly City District Attorney; Marivic Mabanag, Executive Director, California Partnership to End Domestic Violence among others as guest speakers in our Filipinas Against Violence Campaign. WE NEED YOUR HELP. If you can come and join us, bring your friends, help with lunch sponsorships, set-up and breakdown, and invite potential sponsors, DV resident sponsors, advertisers (V-Diaries) and ticket buyers….PLEASE let us know by replying to me directly at marilyM@ffwn.org.

2) Filipinas Magazine – full page color ad in the March issue is out so please try to secure a copy of the magazine. Owen Donnahoo is on the cover! If you are coming to the Power Lunch on Friday, March 9 at the City Club
, Ferlie Andolong, Advertising Manager for Filipinas Magazine will have some extra copies. Otherwise, please contact FWN member, Lorna Dietz < lornadietz@gmail.com> to subscribe and secure a copy.

3) Postcards – we printed 5,000 postcards featuring Mara Salazar. You all received copies of the postcard so PLEASE start mailing them out to your family, friends, colleagues (don’t forget to use the postcard stamp instead of the 39 cent first class).

PLEASE carry them around with you so you can give them out wherever you go. We have found that this is the best way to personally promote our shows because it has all the info to purchase tix. Also, some of you are planning to drop them off at restaurants, malls, schools, and locations where there are Filipino Americans (YOO HOO!!!).

4) Philippine News – check out the March 7 (today!), March 14, March 21 and April 4 issues. WE have b/w quarter page ads. Genevieve Herreria, Kathleen Ben, Theresa Tantay Wilson and Rosalinda Rupel alternate in being featured on these ads.

5) San Francisco Chronicle Pinoy Pod – Leslie Guevarra, Deputy Managing Editor for the San Francisco Chronicle, will be interviewing Elena Mangahas and moi tomorrow (Thu, March 8). We don’t know yet when it will be released. We will keep you posted. This Pinoy Pod interview can be downloaded and forwarded to your contacts.

Check out our previous Pinoy Pods:

Filipina Summit 2006 (8.33 mins) –
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/sfgate/detail?blogid=5&entry_id=9946

Usaping Puki 2006 (19.24 mins) –
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/sfgate/detail?blogid=5&entry_id=5647

6) Domestic Violence workshops – part of our cast/crew requirements is attendance at DV workshops to deepen our understanding of our campaign and get to the roots of DV and issues around power and control.

The training initiative will allow FWN members and V-Day cast/crew members to become trained DV advocates and peer counselors in our campaign to end domestic violence in the Filipino community. Workshops were held in New York (Feb 24; facilitated by Bincy Jacob and co-sponsored by FAHSI and CONNECT NYC) and San Francisco (March 3; facilitated by Kathy Moore and co-sponsored by APIHF Domestic Violence Institute).

San Francisco Cast Members- If you have not attended a DV workshop yet, please come to CORA’s DV event on March 17, Saturday, sponsored by the Archbishop of San Francisco and many other organizations. This is a BIG deal – with the Catholic Church involved!

In collaboration with the Archdiocese of San Francisco, the Phil. Consulate General, Catholic Charities CYO and API Legal Outreach, the CORA Kumares are key presenters and organizers of this educational presentation to be held at
St. Augustine Parish Hall on March 17 from 1-4 p.m.

Please RSVP by calling CORA at (650) 652-0800

New York / New Jersey Cast Members – Ludy Corrales and Rosalinda Medina Rupel (FWN members and NY 2007 cast members) have galvanized the Filipino community to action in light of the savage murder of Filipina Teris Casco, 33, in Jersey City, a couple of weeks ago.

If you have not attended a DV workshop:

April 7, Saturday, 1-5pm – Please RSVP by emailing Ludy at CCorra4828@aol.com or Rosalinda at rosalinda.medinarupel@cliffordchance.com. The workshop is co-sponsored by CONNECT NYC and PAFCOM.

7) Men Against Violence workshops – NEW this year is our outreach to the men and boys in our lives. We are co-sponsoring Men Against Violence workshops both in New York and San Francisco. Please HELP in encouraging the young and mature men in your friend and family circles to attend the workshops.

PLEASE RSVP by replying directly to me at .

New York – March 17 (Saturday, 1-5pm) facilitated by Daniel Jose Older and will be held at CONNECT NYC.

San Francisco – March 22 (6:30-9:30pm, Thursday) and will be facilitated and sponsored by Antonio Ramirez, Executive Director of CECEVIM) held at 474 Valencia St. corner 16th St in, San Francisco.

V-Day Filipina posters – please download the poster and the advertising kit attached.

The success of this campaign is up to YOU! Let me know how you can HELP!

Sulong na…at tumulong kayo sa FWN.

Marily and Tessie

vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv

Filipina Women’s Network
www.ffwn.org
415.278.9410/p

We finally emerged, after a lot of arguments, with a basic pantry list that reflected our busy lifestyle, included our preferences, and delivered a compromise: Mediterranean, Italian, and bistro-style fusion cuisine.

The preliminaries: The key to a healthy and efficient cooking experience is to use fresh ingredients and mixes. Once every two weeks, I pre-cut or pre-cook, and then freeze certain ingredients. This activity also becomes a one-day meditation exercise as well as my “patience” practice.

What’s destined for the freezer? Spring onions would be chopped and transferred to Ziploc containers, one bag for “white” and one bag for “green.” We prefer red onions, so they go into the food processor — and are then saran-wrapped in small portions, and tucked into the inevitable Ziploc bag. The chicken pieces are boiled, and then shredded for my prized “Bam-i,” a classic Cebuano noodle dish. In fact, the rest of the ingredients for this dish — minus the silver and canton noodles — are simmered, cooled, and transferred to Ziploc bags. The cooled chicken broth is also refrigerated and skimmed off of its surface fat, then packed in Ziploc containers prior to freezing. All Ziploc bags are dated, to be used as “first in, first out.”

Organic, fresh produce from the farmer’s market and supermarket are limited to favorites such as zucchini, tomatoes, spinach, alfalfa sprouts, mung bean sprouts, basil, and cilantro. Before prepping, I wash “solid” vegetables like zucchini with “Environne,” a fruit and vegetable wash that removes pesticides, fungicides, herbicides, and waxes. Then, these are dried, wrapped individually in paper towels, and transferred to Ziploc bags bound for the refrigerator. Parsley, basil, and cilantro are washed and dried in the salad spinner. Yes, each huge Ziploc bag is lined with paper towels for our fragile herbs. Every time we use these vegetables and herbs, we don’t have to worry about washing them.

The staples: Frozen green peas, cut corn, and pre-chopped mixed vegetables from the supermarket are regulars in our freezer. I like to use plastic squeezers of concentrated lemon and lime juices. Prepared vegetable salads in plastic wrap — no more washing! — are so convenient. Then, there’s the trip to Costco for pine nuts and flash-frozen vegetable pot stickers and shrimps. Costco carries inexpensive bottles of pre-chopped garlic and McCormick’s Montreal Steak Seasoning, the latter being our favorite condiment for our culinary concoctions. There’s frozen edamame beans, too, which are green vegetable soybeans, harvested at the peak of ripening just right before it reaches the hardened stage.

Cost Plus is for hard-to-find spices and salad dressings. Trader Joe’s, on the other hand, is our ultimate shopping paradise. We love its couscous, cheese, and wine selections. Couscous replaces rice since it cooks in seven minutes. A large bottle of julienne-cut sundried tomatoes and smaller bottles of organic dried tomato and basil pesto and regular pesto sauce are our standard mixers to enhance the taste of omelettes and pasta dishes. Extra virgin olive oil and Modena’s balsamic vinegar transform my versions of “Beef Tapa” and “Chicken Adobo” to an Italian experience for Erik.

Together: We typically cook once a day. For an evening meal, I would fricassée chicken breasts in Mama Sita’s “kare-kare” sauce, interspersed with sundried tomatoes and soy sauce. I would serve this dish over couscous that had been infused with extra virgin olive oil and interwoven with a handful of pine nuts, green onions, and zucchini slices. Or, “Adobo” is served over buttered fusilli pasta that has been sprinkled with poppy seed. “Lumpia” wrappers or phyllo dough provide elegant pouches for spiced beef chunks. Sometimes, garlic bread or focaccia bread, fresh from the bakery, completes a menu.

Erik and I, strong-willed about our comfort food preferences, believe that our kitchen is one of the unifying elements in our marriage. Inter-cultural cooking adventures can provide sacred space for peace and harmony. We highly recommend it!

(This is dedicated to the memory of my departed mothers, Sally Lardizabal and Sandra Dietz, my eternal heroes in the kitchen.)

Lorna Dietz is the Executive Secretary of the Philippine American Press Club, USA and Executive Coordinator of the 3rd Global Filipino Networking Convention on January 20 to 22, 2005 at Waterfront Cebu City Hotel, Philippines. She specializes in public relations, marketing, event management, and intuitive life skills coaching. Lorna can be contacted at lornadietz@yahoo.com.

© September 2004 by Lorna L. Dietz. Originally published in Manila Bulletin USA.

PERSPECTIVE

“I am looking for an established organization that thrives in a visionary approach to creating and redefining images or ideas for its projects. My search will lead me to work with a design team that is a leader in visual artistry and creativity. I can contribute my 10-plus years of experience in photo styling, art direction, project management, and fashion design principles. A trained sense of color, proportion, or texture goes a long way in working with cutting edge imagery or expounding on a cosmopolitan theme. My distinctive competence includes credentials in multi-cultural and fusion fashion design, hand-woven and embellished natural fabrics and accessories.

I have a “go getter” attitude that defines my work ethics in being detail-oriented, taking the initiative in research activities for a project, understanding collaborative work relationships, and handling the triumphs and challenges of a deadline-driven work environment. I always aim to do my best. Are you the group I am destined to work with?”

ACADEMIC BACKGROUND AND TRAINING

- Magna Cum Laude, Associate in Science, Fashion Design. Fashion Institute of Technology, New York, New York.
- Associate in Science, Fashion Merchandising. City College of San Francisco, San Francisco, California.
- Certificate of Achievement, Filipino American Leadership Program. Support Center for Non-Profit Management, San Francisco, California.
- Internship in Filipino Indigenous Fabrics and Folk Art. Patis Tesoro, President of Katutubong Filipino Foundation and Fashion Designer, Manila, Philippines.

RELEVANT EXPERIENCE AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Art Direction
- Researched and identified concepts and themes in the production of advertising or marketing collateral showing fashion items for own design collection and art-related establishments as well as for fabric, accessories, or clothing designers. Chose photographs, models, copywriters, and illustrators who worked in the production stage of the marketing materials. Followed through with the project’s reproduction phase, using type and layout. Examples include art direction for a possible cover for “One” magazine; website art direction, herword.com, that focused on renowned Filipino fashion designer Patis Tesoro; art direction for numerous photo shoots undertaken by Kalaw Photography.

Project Management
- In conjunction with artistic direction, involved with the administrative, operational, marketing, and production aspects of special events, stage performances, art exhibitions, photo shoots, and fashion shows. Established budgets and controlled expenses for projects. Handled staffing schedules, managed clothing production, visual art presentation, music and choreography. Directed musicians, dancers, models, and performers of several stage productions. Supervised stage crew for technical direction and backstage management. Examples include fashion theater productions: “Arkiteknik: The New Cultural Landscape” and “Pilipinas 1998.” Other events: Irish & Filipino Celebration of St. Patrick’s Sesquicentennial Anniversary and Fiesta Filipina 1997 Art Exhibit.

Fashion Design
- Accomplished in “au courant” and “haute couture” clothing trends and fashion industry forecast. Areas of design expertise cover elegant evening wear, wedding attire, avant garde designer clothing, and fusion fashion (merging elements of Asian, American, and European influences). Researched art and cultural styles to ensure accurate depiction of a period and place for a specific theme. Redesigned traditional textiles and accessories for contemporary applications by creating variations in motif, color, detailing, and correcting errors in sizing, design, and finish. Created fashion illustrations and technical specifications for each garment. Directed the clothing line production, working with pattern makers, drapers, and seamstresses and tailors. Set finished garment’s cost and price for wholesale and retail.

WORK EXPERIENCE

- Sales Associate, Macy’s West – Men’s Designer Clothing, San Francisco, CA. October 2002 to present.
- Artistic Director, Bayanihan Movement, Inc., San Francisco, CA. October 1998 to present.
- Fashion Designer & Project Manager, Arkiteknik, 2000 and Pilipinas 1998.
- Product Designer & Developer, Anthony Cruz Legarda/Koleksyon, Manila, Philippines. November 2001 to August 2002.
- Stage Director, Filipino American Arts Exposition, San Francisco, CA. August 2001.
- Program Project Leader, Yerba Buena Arts and Events: Irish & Filipino Celebration of St. Patrick’s Church’s 150th Anniversary, San Francisco, CA. March 2001 to June 2001.
- Exhibit Curator, Fiesta Filipina 1997, San Francisco, CA. June 1997.

PORTFOLIO AND REFERENCES AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST

Let happiness flourish,
Let sadness disappear,
Let your pain and hurt thaw
And flow into the heat of your healing warmth.

Let your love and trust
Guide you through life’s spirals,
Let your dreams and realities
Direct your path to happiness.

Through the course of your journey,
There will be people who will need you,
Others who will be captivated by you,
And those who will support your search for happiness.

Your talents are your power tools,
Use them wisely and with precision,
Your magnificent essence is your center of comfort,
That kindles passions to excite and pacify.

Share your happiness with the world,
Write your thoughts to celebrate your feelings,
Paint with colors of joy and emancipation,
Your bliss will touch the people you love.

© Lorna Dietz, November 2000.

I noted our successes and opportunities for improvement. Thus, when Jason Chan, the Liaison to the Asian Pacific American community at the Mayor’s Office, asked me if I could do a “repeat performance” for the first-ever Mayor’s Community Celebration of October as Filipino American History Month within 10 days time, I told him that I wouldn’t do it without the gracious and super-efficient Helen Marte-Bautista, a NaFFAA charter member and a Commissioner of the San Francisco Library Commission, who had been my partner in organizing and managing the food and beverage donations as well as the physical lay-out of the reception area. Jason was able to recruit the talented Al Perez to handle the program.

The logistics could have been difficult to handle if it weren’t for the fact that I hadn’t created a checklist for the potential donors to look at. I sent out the following e-mail blast — and crossed my fingers that everything would work out! AND IT DID! We had a wonderful first celebration… Of course, the next year, Jason had a budget to work with — so we were happy to be guests at the 2nd Mayor’s Reception.

I am sharing my checklist with all of you so you know that there is an art to preparing an elegant potluck reception. I am not including any lay-outs here, just the basics. Please feel free to use this as your guide in preparing a potluck party or reception. Do let me know how it works out for you, ok?

This is an actual e-mail that I sent out on October 18, 2005.

Lorna Dietz Reports about THURSDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2005 in San Francisco: Organized by Mayor Gavin Newsom, through Jason Chan, Liaison to the Filipino Community, Office of Neighborhood Services (415) 554-6253;

BY INVITATION ONLY! Please do not forward to your yahoo groups. Please contact us if you intend to bring guests. We would appreciate having the names of your guests so we can do a head count for the food and beverages to be donated and served.

[You can copy and portion this part of the e-mail so you can forward it to your friends --- and invite them to support you and be there for you!]

Where You Can Help: On behalf of NaFFAA-Region 8, one of the organizations supporting this event, Helen Marte Bautista and I are co-chairing the Food Committee. This is a volunteer effort — and it is up to us to be resourceful in being able to fund this community celebration.

(1) We are seeking food and beverage donations and party supply donations from all of you who are receiving this invitation — Filipino appetizers or finger food, hors d’oeuvres, and “kakanin” that will be served in trays during the reception, NOT a buffet menu — so that everyone who will celebrate with us can taste authentic Filipino Cuisine. Remember, the food will go to us — we don’t go to the food (except for the drinks, perhaps). Who else but you, our friends, can determine what would be good for first-timers to eat at the Mayor’s Reception to celebrate our Filipino American history!!!
(2) We will need volunteers during the event itself to help us with the set-up, during the event, and break-down. This is the true bayanihan spirit calling for all of us to show off our Filipino American history and heritage to all of the San Francisco Bay Area!

There is very little time to do this — and although we are calling many of you, please take the pro-active approach and contact us immediately. You can contact Helen Marte Bautists at (415) 564-9765 also. Our thanks to our NaFFAA Northern California Regional Chair, Viki Bamba, for encouraging us to help out in any way we can.

This is the most succinct planning checklist I could come up with that we can use in future community events. We used the same formula in putting together the Community Celebration for Victoria Manalo Draves. This is the result of your “bayanihan spirit!” A workable action plan! Remember, we’re all in this together!

Please note: RSVP requested.

Since this is sent to you as an “invitation only” event, please contact me asap at April Financial, Inc./Insurance Agency/Intero Real Estate San Francisco Sunset (415) 242-8106, or lornadietz@gmail.com or radiantview@gmail.com. Or, you can contact Jason Chan directly.

How Can You Help Out In “True Bayanihan Spirit?”

1. Deadline for donations: Monday, October 23, 2005.
2. The food must be delivered at 4:00 p.m., Thursday, October 27 at the Grove Street entrance of the San Francisco City Hall.
3. We are expecting around 500 guests from all over the San Francisco Bay Area. If you have a favorite Filipino-owned restaurant, caterer, or retail store selling Filipino food and beverages, please call them and invite them to this event. Ask them, too, if they would be willing to donate food or beverage items good for 50 people (if a small establishment) or 100 people (if a large, well-established business). The goal is for us to patronize Filipino-owned businesses when we make our donations.
4. Get your group of friends, business, or organization to pool your money and patronize your favorite restaurant’s food items for your donation to the event.
5. Since Jason Chan wants to be sure all donations are properly acknowledged, please e-mail me the names of the donors (including the restaurants, caterers, retail outlets and their contact information) and the items to be donated. It is also helpful if you have a brief description of the donated items for our mainstream visitors.
6. Some more guidelines:
a. Any noodles or saucy food need to be presented in small, consumable containers (like endive leaves, wrapped in lumpia wrappers, pastry shells, or mini-quiche pastry cups, or Italian cannoli shells) or party favor containers (like Pancit inside small Chinese to-go boxes, mini cupcake paper cups or cupcake foil cups)
b. A helpful suggestion: Whoever donates the food/beverage items takes care of getting the food to the venue, whether it is grouping food orders from one establishment and one person brings them. Each establishment is asked that the food to be donated should be cooked no later than one hour before pick-up time. This is to make sure that there is no opportunity for food spoilage to happen. This does not apply to baked products that do not contain meat or seafood, vegetable dishes, fruits and cheeses or food items with a high sugar or salt content.
c. No knives, please.
d. No raw food items, such as kinilaw (Ceviche).
e. How to determine serving portions: Lumpia shanghai – 2 pieces is equal to 1 serving; large empanada – 1 piece is 2 sliced servings; Large banana turon – 1 piece is equal to 2 sliced servings.
f. Please be mindful about our vegetarian guests. Let’s make sure we have vegetarian items on the menu.

Suggested Menu Items:

From Food Distributors, Retail Outlets, and Groceries from the frozen section and produce departments – Your group can assign a caterer-volunteer to cook and assemble these items for the event.
1. Chorizo, Longaniza, beef tapa, beef or pork tocino – any preserved meat items
2. Empanadas, empanaditas
3. Assorted Asian vegetables and fruits
4. Filipino salted eggs – Should be ask for “Balut” and “Penoy”?
5. Spreads, dips, cheeses, and crackers – authentic goat cheese, small biscocho (not sugared), Sunflakes (and similar brands) crackers
6. Packaged products – Nagaraya peanuts (in all flavors), Dried Squid (Pusit)
7. Non-alcoholic beverages – Calamansi juice, pineapple juice, Buko juice, Guayabano juice, Guava juice, and other Filipino-inspired punch suggestions that you might have
8. Dried fruits – dried mangoes, papaya, pineapple
9. Philippine ice-cream – hopefully in individual containers, for individual consumption (let’s think this through; we don’t have cold storage facilities)

From Restaurants and Caterers: This is only a starting list.

1. We need to ask the establishments what they recommend.
2. When they donate, we also want their list of recommended food items and pricing (ask for a discount for our donors who will be buying from them)
3. Ask the donor-caterer that if they would be willing to come and celebrate with us, bring their donated items as well as their customers’ donated food items.

Meat: Lumpia Shanghai; Fried Lumpia – can be cut into half, diagonally; Pinsic Frito; Siomai, Filipino-style (like Ma Mon Luk); Siopao, Filipino-style; Embutido; Lechon – Jason Chan’s favorite (someone will need to chop this!); Lechon Kawali; Short Ribs Adobo (Pork Adobo)
Chicken drumettes or chicken wings adobo (Helen Marte Bautista is taking care of this one!); Mini Pan de Sal Sandwiches – No mayonnaise; substitute with salad dressing (which has a higher shelf life); Filipino Sate Sticks – Barbecue, Filipino-style (appetizer sizes); Chicken Relleno – this might be difficult; but if there is an expert carver who can slice these pieces and put them over Sunflakes crackers (or the like), then it might work; Sisig on Endive Leaves – a Patio Filipino specialty
Seafood and Shellfish: Baked Tahong; Ukoy (Shrimp Patty) – can be cut into half; Fish Croquettes; Spicy Shrimp recipe
Vegetables: Veggie Lumpia – presented Lumpia Shanghai-style; Fresh Lumpia – smaller lumpia sizes wrapped with individual paper wrapper; Laing on Pastry Cups – another Patio Filipino specialty; Achara
Rice:
If there is anyone who actually makes Cebuano “Puso,” rice cooked and presented in coconut leaves, then this could be cut into half; Paella in Tahong Shells – I wonder if Patio Filipino would be willing to do this
Noodles: Pancit in Chinese To-Go boxes – again, this is a Patio Filipino Specialty
Fruits: Authentic Filipino Fruit Salad – must be served in small plastic cups (a food supply store would have these containers); Pineapple-Ubod Salad – Banana hearts salad with Salad Dressing (not mayonnaise) with chopped canned pineapple and raisins or sultanas; Authentic Philippine fruits like Mangoes
Kakanin: Filipino Snack Foods (Please coordinate with Helen Marte Bautista re: this since a group of friends are coordinating this! 415 564-9765) – Banana Fritters; Turon; Cassava Cake; Leche Flan – cut and scooped into mini metallic cupcake containers; Puto; All the banana-wrapped puto, puto bumbong; Filipino-style hopia; Ube desserts, Etc.
Supplies: Paper Napkins; Hand Wipes (in packets); Whatever paper goods we need; Any party supplies; Ice, lots of ice; if food warmers are needed, we will coordinate with you on October 23. Or, contact Helen Marte Bautista at 415 564-9765.