PBRC IN THE MEDIA
Congresswoman Jackie Speier Celebrates Filipino American Heritage Month; Recognizes Filipino Veterans
10/2/2012
SAN MATEO, CA – Congresswoman Jackie Speier (D-San Francisco/San Mateo) today released the following statement in celebration of Filipino American Heritage Month:
Mabuhay! I am pleased to join you in recognizing October as Filipino American Heritage Month. The Filipino American community has a rich and storied culture that has greatly contributed to the success and prosperity of our country. The celebration of Filipino American Heritage Month acknowledges the numerous achievements of Filipino Americans.
It is an honor to represent the 12th Congressional District, home to one of the largest Filipino American communities in the Country. The Filipino community has contributed greatly to the success and prosperity of our region - from Filipino veterans who have served our country admirably in every war since World War II, to the thousands of successful business owners, nurses, educators, laborers and public officials of Filipino descent - words alone cannot express my gratitude and respect for the Filipino community.
South San Francisco resident Alice Bulos, the grandmother of Filipino-American politics, has worked tirelessly to encourage the participation of minorities in the political process and has led the effort to empower Filipinos and other Asian-Americans in their personal and professional lives. Tita Alice has served on numerous local and national advisory committees like San Mateo County’s Commission on the Status of Women and as President Bill Clinton’s appointee to the Federal Council on Aging.
I am thrilled that the 12th Congressional District is home to the Pilipino Bayanihan Resource Center where comprehensive services like Tagalog classes, folk dancing, health and legal clinics are offered. Perla Ibarrientos has been one of the biggest advocates for PBRC and is a true gem in the community.
While today is a cause for celebration as we recognize the achievements of Filipino Americans, it is also a time of reflection. During World War II, about 250,000 Filipinos volunteered to fight alongside U.S. troops. As citizens of a commonwealth of the United States before and during the war, Filipinos were legally American nationals. With American nationality, they were promised all the benefits afforded to those serving in the U.S. Armed Forces. But in 1946, Congress stripped many Filipinos of the benefits that had been promised by President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
A promise made, should be a promise kept. I have introduced the Filipino Veterans Fairness Act of 2011 (HR 210) that would make Filipino veterans fully eligible for benefits similar to those received by all U.S. veterans. It eliminates the distinction between the Regular or "Old" Philippine Scouts and the other three groups of veterans—Commonwealth Army of the Philippines, Recognized Guerrilla Forces, and New Philippine Scouts. Widows and children of Filipino veterans would be eligible for Dependency and Indemnity Compensation just like any other veteran. Filipino veterans are dying at the rate of ten per day. Their average age is 85. There are an estimated 15,000 living WWII Filipino veterans. Currently, we have 96 cosponsors on this bill to treat our WWII heroes with dignity, but we need to act now.
It is a pleasure to celebrate the rich heritage of the Filipino community during this month of recognition.
Bay Area’s Pilipino Bayanihan Resource Center is Helping to Fight Against Cancer
Posted on May 8, 2013 by Rachel
The Pilipino Bayanihan Resource Center (PBRC) is inviting the public to a series of community education seminars addressing cancer awareness and risk reduction. Tobacco cessation classes, nutrition education and physical activities are part of the program. This program is sponsored by the Stanford Hospital & Clinics Community Partnership Program, a collaboration with the Stanford Cancer Institute, to support activities that aim to reduce cancer-related health disparities among minority groups and underserved populations in San Mateo County.
Studies clearly indicate that tobacco remains a scourge and a major cause of heart disease and other cancers. Even with advances in early detection and treatment, discouraging people from smoking remains the best strategy. Findings further indicate that non-English-speaking groups are at greater risk for initiating smoking or continuing smoking, and highlight the need for tailored interventions.
PBRC will facilitate overcoming linguistic and cultural barriers by including use of on-site professional interpreters and translated material in order to deliver cancer risk reduction strategies. Taught in Tagalog and English, PBRC’s Program will replicate existing cancer awareness programs, with cultural modifications.
The tobacco cessation class using the Breathe California Ash Kickers curriculum, will be held at 5:30pm on Wednesdays May 8, 15, 22, Thursday May 23 and Wednesday May 29, 2013 at PBRC located on 2121 Junipero Serra Blvd., Daly City, California.
For more information, please call Liza, Pilipino Bayanihan Resource Center, at 650.992.9110.
http://www.filipinocollaborative.org/2013/05/08/pbrc-cancereducation/
Daly City cancer seminar to kick ash this month
02:07 AM May 8th, 2013
DALY CITY, California–The Pilipino Bayanihan Resource Center is holding a community education and outreach seminar on cancer prevention each Wednesday in May to discuss tobacco cessation, nutrition program and physical exercise.PBRC will promote cancer awareness by including the use of on-site professional interpreters and translated material in order to deliver cancer risk reduction strategies. Taught in Tagalog and English, PBRC’s Program will replicate existing cancer awareness programs, with cultural modifications.The tobacco cessation class using the Breathe California Ash Kickers curriculum will be held every Wednesday at 5:30pm on May 8, 15, 22, 24(Thursday), and 29 at PBRC – 2121 Junipero Serra Blvd. Daly City.
The Stanford Hospital and Clinics Community Partnership Program, a collaboration with the Stanford Cancer Institute, is sponsoring the seminar to help reduce cancer-related health disparities among minority groups and underserved populations in San Mateo County.
The funding award supports culturally appropriate cancer programs that improve or sustain positive cancer outcomes, utilizing community-based organizations to deliver the resources to target population.
Studies clearly indicate that tobacco remains a scourge and a major cause of heart disease and other cancers. Even with advances in early detection and treatment, discouraging people from smoking remains the best strategy.
Findings further indicate that non-English-speaking groups are at greater risk for starting or continuing smoking, and highlight the need for tailored interventions.
For more information, please call Liza-PBRC 650/992-9110.
http://globalnation.inquirer.net/73843/daly-city-cancer-seminar-to-kick-ash-this-month
US Medicare in the PH? Not likely
Cherie M Querol Moreno
Published 10:31 PM, July 18, 2015
'Medicare is not portable and chances are unlikely for legislation mandating coverage beyond US borders and territories in the foreseeable future'
CALIFORNIA, USA – Filipino Americans will be riding the crest of the “silver tsunami” or the wave of aging population hurtling across the United States by 2020, according to Census Bureau figures.
Five years from now, over 55 million Americans will be over 65 years old and eligible for federal health benefits.
Filipino Americans make up the fastest growing Asian community in this country, and last week, Baby Boomers among them got a jump start at preparing to access a major entitlement.
Current and prospective beneficiaries of Medicare got a comprehensive overview at a community presentation organized by the Pilipino Bayanihan Resource Center, the nonprofit helping newcomers settle in the San Francisco Bay Area.
They got the good news: Everyone who is 65, a citizen or lawful resident who has worked fulltime at least 10 years and contributed to FICA (Federal Insurance Contributions Act), or under 65 with certain disabilities, or any age with end-stage renal disease, can be entitled to Medicare benefits.
Not portable
Those planning to retire outside the United States got a dose of reality: Medicare is not portable and chances are unlikely for legislation mandating coverage beyond US borders and territories in the foreseeable future, despite clamor from individuals and organizations in the US and the Philippines.
“If I were a betting person I would not bet on it,” cautioned presenter Diane Caradeuc, a counselor and community educator with HICAP or Health Insurance Counseling and Advocacy Program of San Mateo County, “at least in the near future. As you plan your retirement, you should plan that Medicare will not cover you outside the US.”
HICAP is the local nonprofit funded by the state and federal governments to provide free, unbiased and accurate information to Medicare beneficiaries. Every county in all 50 states has its own HICAP program; beyond California, the program is called SHIP, or State Health Insurance Assistance Program.
The program is strongly supported by trained volunteers required to earn registration as Medicare counselors with the State. HICAP does not endorse or sell health insurance.
Caradeuc, one of 31 volunteers on HICAP of San Mateo’s roster, gained expertise on Medicare from 30 years of employment with Social Security Administration and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, a program of the US Deptartment of Health and Social Services (CMS). Since 2010 she has also worked for the Senior Medicare Patrol in California, which includes a team of 5,600 volunteers highly trained to detect, deter, and protect against Medicare fraud.
“There are groups advocating for legislation to make Medicare portable,” Caradeuc said, addressing an issue gaining attention in the Filipino American community as more dual citizens enter eligibility age. “They have the right to lobby for portability."
But many of the reasons raised to support coverage of Medicare in the Philippines could be applied to most other countries. Therefore, legislation for portability of Medicare would have far more impact than just one country.”
She added: “It should be noted that while Medicare cannot be used outside the US or its territories, an individual who travels between countries can access their Medicare when they return to the US.”
Parts of Medicare
While those who plan to retire in the 50 states and US territories said they were grateful for the program signed by President Lyndon Johnson in 1965, they empathized with their contemporaries who hope to spend their winter years with family in the Philippines.
“We’re lucky to have this entitlement,” 50-ish Daly City employee Rebecca Ayson told Rappler. She attended the presentation to assist her soon-to-be-eligible husband Allan Ayson.
Ayson referred to the 4 parts of Medicare, including Parts A and B, that cover a broad spectrum of services from hospitalization, home health, and hospice care to physician’s and outpatient care, diagnostic tests, and mental health services.
She appreciates having the option to enroll in Part C or Medicare Advantage, a plan in conjunction with private insurance plans as an alternative way to receive benefits. And she may decide to sign up for Part D, the plan signed in 2003 to provide drug coverage. She learned that timing is crucial to the amount of premiums for the plans.
“It’s understandable if US citizens want to be covered should they decide to retire in the Philippines or elsewhere, “ Ayson said.
“But those who are counting on Medicare portability should familiarize themselves with the legislative process first. Accessing Medicare is complicated as it is because every individual has unique needs and concerns. With our country having just overcome a recession, the incredible cost of transporting Medicare is just one barrier to making it reality.” – Rappler.com
http://www.rappler.com/move-ph/balikbayan/99770-us-medicare-in-ph-not-likely
Fil-Ams mount event to promote education vs domestic abuse
Published 9:00 PM, September 30, 2015
'Children who witness domestic violence are twice likely to become abusive or abused in adulthood'
CALIFORNIA, USA – Filipino American domestic violence prevention advocates are taking the lead in commemorating October as Domestic Violence Awareness Month with their 11th annual Free from Violence on October 1 at the Kaiser Permanente Medical Center in South San Francisco.
ALLICE Alliance for Community Empowerment Kumare and Kumpares have tapped Colma Council Member Helen Fisicaro – a staunch promoter of access to health and social justice – to headline the event. She has been a friend to Filipino Americans since she was elected over 20 years ago, thwarting a recall election for having supported a FilAm enterprise.
Voted mayor 6 times by her fellow council members, Fisicaro will join Consul General Henry S. Bensurto Jr and Kaiser Permanente Physician-in-Chief John Skerry, who will reinforce the message that intimate partner violence is a community issue.
"Education enables the community to support and comfort the person experiencing domestic violence," Fisicaro emphasized. "A neighbor, co-worker, classmate, or relative of the victim can assist or recommend the variety of services that can help stop the domestic violence cycle."
Knowing the facts can empower everyone, Fisicaro said as she echoed statistics showing that children who witness domestic violence are twice likely to become abusive or abused in adulthood.
"It is not good for children to observe this kind of behavior because it gives children the wrong message that domestic violence is a way of life," she stressed.
"There are no cultural, nationality, economic, gender boundaries for domestic violence," she said, noting the prevalence of incidences. "All walks of life experience it, unfortunately. There are no stereotypes and it may surprise the community who is a domestic violence victim."
Fisicaro's own colleague Joanne del Rosario, current mayor of Colma and 2010 president of ALLICE, broke her silence in 2009 by sharing her experience of abuse in a previous relationship. Del Rosario's public disclosure showed that successful, powerful individuals may become abused if they become involved with abusive partners.
Fisicaro said she confronted domestic violence as a supervisor at Pacific Gas and Electric Company where she worked for almost 40 years until she retired in 2010.
"I observed one of my employees coming in to work with multiple bruises, a black eye, and other injuries that seemed to always be an accident," she recalled. "In private, I recommended to her to utilize the Employee Assistance Program to get help. I was not only concerned for my employee but also our peers."
The experience alerted Fisicaro to the effects of intimate partner violence beyond the couples involved.
"The spouse showed up at our office building so we needed to protect the whole department from this employee’s violent spouse," she said. "We increased our security access to the office. It was important to not only help the employee but also protect the employees who worked with her."
"I was not only trying to be a concerned co-worker but a good friend showing support and concern for my employee. By utilizing the confidential Employee Assistance Program, this employee was empowered to seek safe services, not live in fear, move on and lead a productive life," she added.
Fisicaro and Del Rosario are among the few elected officials visibly active in the campaign to prevent domestic violence. To this day, many still consider intimate partner violence as a "women's issue" and a "private matter" best resolved behind closed doors.
Fisicaro tends to disagree. She believes those in public office have the privilege and opportunity to enhance the movement to deter domestic abuse.
"We as public officials can educate our community by sharing domestic violence prevention information in the city newsletters, linking ALLICE and CORA (the domestic violence service agency in San Mateo County) with our public website," she said, listing some options.
"We can make sure our employees who work with the public are trained in signs of domestic violence," Fisicaro said.
She said that brochures can be made available at all public buildings such as recreation centers, libraries, police stations, fire stations; while articles about such services can be featured in community newsletters.
"Having speakers from the referral agencies make a presentation to the different populations of the community. Referrals can be made to our Police Department who in turn can make recommendations about the services available to the victim. Survivors need to know about available counseling, legal assistance, shelter, food, etc. in order to live productive fearless lives," she said.
Fisicaro is especially proud of the protocols established by her town's law enforcement.
"Colma police respond to incidents of domestic violence and violations of related court order and stress enforcement of the law to protect the victim and communicate the philosophy that domestic violence is a criminal behavior," she said.
Policy relates to both victims and offenders, giving them access to appropriate civil remedies and community resources.
Officers carry brochures regarding the services and resources available through private and public programs. They are required to take domestic violence courses with a mandated two-hour domestic violence update. Police employees view a DVD produced through the San Mateo County District Attorney’s office.
Fisicaro impressed Fil-Am leaders in 1997 when she and her husband and then-fellow council member Dennis Fisicaro and two other colleagues opposed a move to charge a $100,000-fee for financial reports on Lucky Chances Casino, which was under construction at the time. Dennis Fisicaro believed an existing $20,000 permit tax already covered the cost. Casino opponents petitioned for a recall election that Colma residents voted down.
Lucky Chances Casino, part of a chain of businesses owned by Rene Medina and his sons, continues to generate income for Colma, a town famous for its cemeteries and auto dealerships.
"She is our friend," community leader Alice Bulos described Helen Fisicaro.
The testimony of Marlene Caballero, a domestic violence survivor, highlighted the program sponsored by Union Bank, the Philippine Consulate General, Thomasians USA, and Kaiser Permanente Medical Center, Our Lady of Mercy Church Knights of Columbus and Legion of Mary received commendations as outstanding allies in the campaign against dating and domestic abuse.
Representatives of AARS, API Legal Outreach, California Highway Patrol, Catholic Charities, CORA, FBANC, FMHI San Mateo, FCCC, FALEO, HART, HICAP of San Mateo County, HPSM, Peninsula Conflict Resolution Center, Peninsula Family Service, Pyramid Alternatives, Rape Trauma Services, Star Vista, Victim Services, and West Bay Pilipino Multi-service Center talked to attendees about their programs to promote healthier interaction.
Donor allies San Mateo Behavioral Health & Recovery Services, Philippine Association of University Women, Pilipino Bayanihan Resource Center,Rappler.com, The Filipino Channel, Philippine News, Philippines Today, FilAm Star, Positively Filipino, Lucky Chances, Moonstar, Hapag Filipino, Chalet Ticino, Café Savini and Noah’s Bagels supported the annual event through their products and services.
ALLICE is all-volunteer nonprofit based in San Mateo County dedicated to promoting healthy and safe relationships through education.
Founded in 2003, members call themselves Kumares and Kumpares: Alice Bulos Allen Capalla, Bettina Santos Yap, Cecile Gregorio Ascalon, Cherie Querol Moreno, Edna Murray, Elsa Agasid, Erlinda Galeon, Jeannette Trajano, Jei Africa, Jennifer Jimenez Wong, Joanne del Rosario, Jose Antonio, Malou Aclan, Maria Segarra, Nellie Hizon, Paulita Lasola Malay, Randy Caturay, Sarah Jane Ilumin, Teresa Guingona Ferrer and Father Mark Reburiano. – Rappler.com
US solon renews push for Filipino Veterans Fairness Act
12:59 AM June 25th, 2015
SAN FRANCISCO – U.S. Representative Jackie Speier (Dem-San Mateo) announced her renewed effort to pass the Filipino Veterans Fairness Act, holding a press conference with surviving veterans and their families at the Pilipino Bayanihan Resource Center Saturday, June 13.
The Act would eliminate the distinction between Philippine Scouts, Recognized Guerilla Forces and the New Philippine Scouts.
It would also assure benefits to eligible veterans who already received lump sum payments. Their widows and children would also be made eligible for Dependency and Indemnity Compensation just like any other veteran.
Speier re-introduced the Act the previous Thursday in Washington, DC. She had brought the Act to Congress in 2011, and then again in 2013.
Event organizer Ago Pedalizo told FilAm Star he met Speier four years ago, and she “is the person who really stood with us to fight for the veterans’ benefits.”
Strong-willed
Daly City Mayor Ray Buenaventura echoed Pedalizo, adding, “Speier is strong-willed and she finds issues that she can make a difference on. We need an advocate like her.”
Former Daly City mayor and current councilmember Mike Guingona promised to raise public awareness for Speier’s Act.
Similar bills have gone through Congress since 1993, but most died. Pedalizo said, “The Republicans want to cut down on spending. They will oppose any bill that would mean more money like immigration (reform) and veterans’ benefits.”
Speier explained, “There’s an underpinning of fear of immigration. Congress feared Filipinos would come to the U.S. to be citizens. That was a fundamentally flawed reasoning. The Filipinos are here anyway.”
Speier greeted supporters in the packed center. She said, “I’m very proud to be standing with American heroes. I’m not proud with what our government did after their sacrifices in Corregidor and Bataan.”
“They are all U.S. nationals before and after World War II because the Philippines was a U.S. Commonwealth. They were told by President Franklin Roosevelt that they would receive benefits. But in 1946, a rider (to Title 38 of the US Code or the Rescission Act) rescinded all their benefits. It’s shameful.”
Third time
She continued: “For the third time, I’m introducing this bill to right a wrong. It’s urgent because only 15,000 (of the 200,000 listed vets) are left. They are dying at a rate of 10 a day. Their average age is 85. I’m shocked and pained that we haven’t fixed it.”
Spier added, “Of the veterans from more than 60 other allied countries, only the Filipinos were denied their benefits. Why not the British or the French? In the (American) Recovery (and Reinvestment) Act (ARRA or the Stimulus in 2009), the $15,000 (payment for US citizens) and $9.000 (payment for non US citizens) were not the answers. It was pathetic, a mere pittance. (The amounts would be the equivalent of) between three to five months of regular benefits for veterans. We owe it to them.”
Speier told FilAm Star she’s optimistic this third time because “It’s doable in this budget, we’re spending less money.” Her strategy is to “find a bill because right now nothing is moving in Congress. I’ve got to find a bill that’s moving and bring it in as an amendment.”
“The American people, if given a choice, will do the right thing,” she declared. “We need to do the moral thing.”
Pedalizo told FilAm Star that the efforts to get the veterans’ benefits gained much traction recently when Sen. Brian Schatz (Dem-Hawaii) and a number of other senators and congressmen introduced legislation to award the Congressional gold medal to the vets.
Regalado Baldonado was with a guerilla unit in Laguna and came to the U.S. in 1993. He spoke about the interminable wait for his benefits to be processed. At 88, it has stopped being a waiting game and is now a matter of life and death.
For Norma Tan, her husband has run out of time. She said she has gone to Congress twice and hopes this will finally bring her the needed benefits.
http://globalnation.inquirer.net/125093/us-solon-renews-push-for-filipino-veterans-fairness-act
AT&T's New Store Of The Future In Daly City Features Tech-Forward Design For Customers' Mobile Lifestyles
AT&T donates $2,500 to the Pilipino Bayanihan Resource Center to support newly arrived Filipino residents
DALY CITY, Calif., April 24, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- A shopping experience focused on the customer's mobile lifestyle is now a reality inDaly City with the opening of AT&T's new Store of the Future at 305 Gellert Blvd. The innovative retail design reflects the way mobile technology is changing our lives, and encourages personalized engagement between customers, employees and technology.
The Daly City location is one of only a dozen AT&T concept stores in California, and customers will be among the first to experience this new "Store of the Future." It's also the latest example of investments AT&T has already made in the peninsula. ThroughoutCalifornia, AT&T has invested $7.4 billion in its wireless and landline networks.
"Daly City is a great place to do business," said Assemblymember Phil Ting. "By creating jobs and bringing convenient access to modern technology, this store is an investment in a better future. We need businesses to be invested in our community, and I am so touched by the financial support for the Pilipino Bayanihan Resource Center that is accompanying this occasion."
Inviting design
The store is designed to make customers feel at home as they learn about mobile technology. AT&T first debuted many of the store's design and merchandising elements in the company's award-winning flagship brand store on Michigan Avenue in Chicago.
"Customers visiting our Daly City store will discover a more personalized shopping experience designed around their mobile lifestyles," said Terry Stenzel, AT&T's vice president and general manager for Northern California and Northern Nevada. "We want our customers to be able to interact with the technology on display in our stores, and see how it can benefit them in their daily lives."
The store layout highlights AT&T's products and services, devices and accessories across three unique "zones":
- The Connected Experience Zone features "lifestyle vignettes" that offer customers a glimpse of how they can use mobile technology in their everyday lives. These lifestyle pavilions will highlight categories such as music, home security, entertainment and more.
- The Community Zone is a playful, interactive space where customers can gather at "community tables" to explore how apps, accessories and devices can work together to enhance their lives.
- The Explore Zone has "explore walls" that showcase AT&T's diverse device line-up and accessories, complemented by digital monitors with product information.
A more personal experience
What customers won't see in these new stores is almost as important as what they will see. Gone are the traditional retail cash registers. Instead, round cafe-style "learning tables" let customers work side-by-side with an AT&T retail consultant in a casual atmosphere to ask questions and learn about products and services. All retail consultants carry a tablet equipped with a mobile point-of-sale system for customer assistance anywhere in the store.
Digital signs also provide an eco-friendly alternative to the paper product brochures common in many stores. With touchscreens and e-brochures, customers have the most up-to-date information at their fingertips.
AT&T supports Daly City's Pilipino Bayanihan Resource Center
During the store's ribbon-cutting ceremony today, AT&T presented the Pilipino Bayanihan Resource Center with an AT&T Investing in California Award and a $2,500 contribution to enhance its programs to support newly arrived Filipino residents. The AT&T Investing in California Awards provide resources and recognition to organizations and programs that are improving lives in their communities.
"With AT&T's support, we can help more of our community members access our programs and services and help preserve our rich cultural heritage," said Erlinda Galeon, President of the Pilipino Bayanihan Resource Center.
Store information
Hours for the Daly City store are Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., Saturday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. AT&T has more than 750 retail locations in California. To find the AT&T store or Device Support Center nearest you, visitatt.com/find-a-store or att.com/dsc. You can also make an appointment before visiting your local AT&T store atatt.com/storeappointment/.
* AT&T products and services are provided or offered by subsidiaries and affiliates of AT&T Inc. under the AT&T brand and not by AT&T Inc.
** Limited 4G LTE availability in select markets. 4G speeds delivered by LTE, or HSPA+ with enhanced backhaul, where available. Deployment ongoing. LTE is a trademark of ETSI. Learn more at att.com/network.
About AT&T
AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T) helps millions of people and businesses around the globe stay connected through leading wireless, high-speed Internet, voice and cloud-based services. We're helping people mobilize their worlds with state-of-the-art communications, entertainment services and amazing innovations like connected cars and devices for homes, offices and points in between. Our U.S. wireless network offers customers the nation's strongest LTE signal and the nation's most reliable 4G LTE network. We offer the best global wireless coverage. We're improving how our customers stay entertained and informed with AT&T U-verse® TV and High Speed Internet services. And businesses worldwide are serving their customers better with AT&T's mobility and highly secure cloud solutions.
FilAms reach out to overlooked areas in the wake of Yolanda
By Henni Espinosa, ABS-CBN North America Bureau
Nov. 26, 2013
DALY CITY, Calif. – The world strongest typhoon certainly ravished the Philippines. The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council affect 9,927,335 individuals, destroyed 530,479 homes and damaged 573,149 homes and injured 25,615 people.
As of press time, it killed 5,240 nationwide. In Leyte alone, 4,432 people lost their lives.
So far, foreign aid has reached more than $357 million.
In Daly City, California, a group of Filipinos are also doing their part to help kababayans in need back home. At the Pilipino Bayanihan Resource Center (PBRC), they packed more than 140 boxes filled with medicine, canned goods and clothes.
“The help is so overwhelming. All kinds organizations, clubs, people are coming here to help us, be volunteers,” Erlinda Galeon, president of PBRC said.
They are sending help to the devastated areas, they claim, have been been overlooked, such as the island of Panay in Western Visayas. Around 200 people are known to have died there.
“To all my kababayans there, in Iloilo City, in Passi City, in Roxas City, we’ll try to work hard here to help and support you guys,” Daly City Commissioner Dorie Paniza said.
Perla Ibarrientos, past president of PBRC and also a native of Panay added, “I feel so bad for the people there. They are so neglected!”
Paniza and Ibarrientos said they will personally visit their hometowns in Panay this December to distribute the goods. They said with help focused on Eastern Visayas, people in Western Visayas feel as if they’ve been forgotten.
But American Evan Boyd, whose company, Allied Waste Services, donated $10,000 to PBRC’s typhoon relief efforts, sent this message to them: “Help is on the way. There are folks that 100% behind you and are going to do everything they can to get the goods and services to you.”
Western Visayas has also received close to $260,000 in aid from the Philippine government. But many people in that area can only hope that help continues to come in, as they struggle to recover from this horrific tragedy.
You may contact Henni Espinosa at henni_espinosa@abs-cbn.com for more information.
http://205.234.241.62/balitangamerica/filams-reach-out-to-overlooked-areas-in-the-wake-of-yolanda/
Daly City, California shows its Fil-Am pride
08:24 PM October 19th, 2015
DALY CITY, California—Filipinos make up a third of this city’s population, and they made their presence felt recently with a daylong celebration of the annual Filipino-American History month at the Pacelli Event Center.
Fil-Am Daly City Mayor Ray Buenaventura welcomed guests and dignitaries from all over the Bay Area who wanted to take part in honoring Filipino culture, customs and tradition. The event was held in collaboration with the Pilipino Bayanihan Resource Center.
Come by to learn more about the Filipino culture!” Buenaventura said. “We have food trucks to give you a taste of the Philippines! We have business vendors and non-profits wanting to share information, their talents and services with you! We have live performances to get you out of your seat! We have a variety of performances from traditional folk dancing to American influenced,” Buenaventura pushed.
Among the guests was San Francisco Consul-General Henry Bensurto Jr. who hailed Daly City’s continuing tradition of holding festivities in observance of the Fil-Am History Month.
Bensurto also took the occasion to announce that the White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (WHAAPI) celebrated Fil-Am History Month at the White House for the first time, recognizing the contributions of the second largest Asian group in the United States.
“What an honor it is to be recognized during our generation. I believe it took several years before Fil-Am History Month would be recognized and acted upon by state and national legislatures,” Bensurto exclaimed.
He added, “By examining our value system, we are better able to engage and assimilate into mainstream society. I encourage you to seek these events that celebrate our culture and heritage. See what a talented, creative and generous people we are, how varied and colorful our history and culture are, and boldly declare, ‘Filipino ako, proud ako!’”
Also present was Supervisor Jane Kim who represented the city and county of San Francisco to greet Daly City on the occasion.
“Happy Filipino American History Month! It is my honor to represent such a strong and large community that is shaping San Francisco and our leadership administering so much to enhance our community whether for schools, youth programs, or businesses,” Kim shared.
Vice Mayor Jim Navarro was invited by close friends and fraternity brothers from the Kappa Epsilon organization to come all the way from Union City to join the revelries in Daly City.
I find the commemoration very invigorating and educational. I realized that there are many Filipino organizations in the bay area that are working for the betterment of the Filipino community. I was very proud that I was a part of the celebration,” Navarro said.
Union City Council issued a proclamation in honor and recognition of October 2015, as Filipino American History Month. Navarro disclosed that his city may be able to hold its own celebration by next year.
Buenaventura observed that the turnout this year was much larger than last year as the event continues to grow bigger. He thanked the Pilipino Bayanihan Resource Center for its organizing efforts.
http://globalnation.inquirer.net/129645/daly-city-california-shows-its-fil-am-pride