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The People Power Revolution in 1986. This was a historical event that could never be forgotten by all Filipinos wherever they were in those days 

   The following is a summary of a very interesting history of the Philippines for your information. These are extracts taken from glimpses of Philippine conditions from Spain’s colonization to the present time.  Although it may appear to be a late story to tell, it may educate many Filipinos wherever they are today.

     The overwhelming events in the Philippines today…the civic, social, political and economic pictures…convey a sad story. From the beginning of the Spanish rule up to the present time, the disparity between the rich and the poor is estimated at 30 percent middle-class and rich and 70 percent low-class and poor of the poorest. In all honesty, the country nowadays is being subjected to serendipity of events that it becomes a less attractive place to live in permanently. It may be a favorite place of retirement for Filipinos working abroad, but it is politically beleaguered that a few are having second thoughts about it.

      In 1521, when Magellan used fire in burning the homes of our forefathers in Mactan, Lapu-Lapu rose and took up arms and killed Magellan and his men along the shores of Mactan Island. Lapu-Lapu was a hero and nationalist. We admitted that a Filipino nation was not born despite the defeat of Magellan. We were under the Spanish rule for more than three centuries (1565-1898). The intolerable abuses of the Spanish regime resulted into the formation of a group of reformists Movement that later paved the way for the Philippine Revolution. Local revolts against Spanish imperial corruption, racial discrimination, and church abuse began late in the nineteenth century. These first revolts called for reform of the economic-political system but not for independence. A young doctor-writer, Jose Rizal, used his pen to expose the brutalizing, depressive and anti-human treatment of the Spanish colonizers. Dr. Rizal was arrested and then executed by a firing squad at Bagumbayan on December 30, 1896. Rizal, who was just 30 years old when he was executed, aroused the Filipinos to rebellion, spurred by the Katipunan that was organized by our heroes Andres Bonifacio and Emilio Aguinaldo. They engaged in an ugly infightings resulting in the execution of Bonifacio. They failed to coalesce their forces and fight side by side against the enemy and the leaders lost their souls to greed and thirst for power.

     In  1898 the Americans led by Admiral Dewey invaded Manila Bay and defeated the lackluster Spanish Navy. The American and Spanish war ensued, and the Spaniards eventually surrendered.

On June 12, 1898 in Cavite el Viejo (now Kawit), Cavite, Philippines, the KKK patriots of Aguinaldo proclaimed the Philippine Declaration of Independence. With the public reading of the Act of the Declaration of Independence, Filipino revolutionary forces under General Emilio Aguinaldo proclaimed the sovereignty and independence of the Philippine Islands from the colonial rule of Spain. However, on December 10, 1898, the Americans annexed the Philippines with Spain by the Treaty of Paris. This brought about the Filipino-American war in 1898. The Treaty of Paris, approved on February 6, 1899, made the United States an imperial power. General Emilio Aguinaldo was finally captured. The Philippines then remained an American colony for nearly 50 years. It became a Commonwealth from 1901-1941. Democratic principles, structure and governance were learned during this time.

     In 1935, a semiautonomous Philippine Commonwealth was inaugurated in Manila with Manuel L. Quezon as President and Sergio Osmena as Vice-President. This became the Philippine government in exile during the Japanese occupation.  

    The Philippines came under the Japanese empire from 1941 – 1945, that produced disaster, devastation and annihilation of the Filipino people from the Japanese imperialist. You all remember the death march in Bata-an. General Douglas McArthur fled to Australia with a promise, “I SHALL RETURN.” The American forces returned in 1945 to liberate the country. Manila City was one of the most devastated cities. 

     We celebrated the independence of the Philippines from the Americans on July 4, 1946. During the two decades that followed as a democratic country, six presidents were elected. 17 million Filipinos populated the country then. Since then, there has been was no change in the gap between the rich and the poor…30% rich and 70 % poor.

 In 1969 the Moro National Front was founded and it conducted an insurgency in the Muslim areas. The political violence was blamed on the leftists but it was probably initiated by government agents’ provocateurs. The situation led Marcos to suspend habeas corpus as a prelude to martial law. 

MARTIAL LAW/DICTATORSHP

It was on September 21, 1972, that Marcos issued Proclamation 1081, declaring martial law over the entire country. Under the president’s command, the military arrested opposition figures, including Benigno Aquino, journalists, student and labor activists, and criminal elements. A total of about 30,000 detainees were kept at military compounds run by the army and the Philippine Constabulary. Weapons were confiscated, and “private armies” connected with prominent politicians and other figures were broken up. Newspapers were shut down, and the mass media were brought under tight control. With the stroke of a pen, Marcos closed the Philippine Congress and assumed its legislative responsibilities. During the 1972-81 martial law periods, Marcos, invested with dictatorial powers, issued hundreds of presidential decrees, many of which were never published.

     Years of dictatorial abuse followed, crony capitalism, shackled free enterprise, near economic collapse and a demoralized middle class. The gap between the rich (30%) and poor (70%) remained in a quagmire. Marcos claimed that martial law was the prelude to creating a “New Society” based on new social and political values. Despite Marcos’s often-perceptive criticisms of the old society, Marcos, his wife, and a small circle of close associates, the crony group, now felt free to practice corruption on an awe-inspiring scale. During this time, Marcos called for self-sacrifice and an end to the old society. However, in the “New Society” Marcos’ cronies and his wife, former movie actress Imelda Romualdes-Marcos, willfully engaged in rampant corruption. Although always influential, during the martial law years, Imelda Marcos built her own power base, with her husband’s support. Concurrently the governor of Metro Manila and minister of human settlements (a post created for her), she exercised significant powers. When martial law was lifted in 1981 and a “New Republic” was proclaimed, very little had actually changed and Marcos easily won reelection. 

    The beginning of the end of the Marcos era occurred when his chief political rival, Liberal Party leader Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino, who had been jailed by Marcos for eight years, was assassinated as he disembarked from an airplane at the Manila International Airport on August 21, 1983 after his medical treatment in the United States. Marcos’ cronies were charged with the crime but were acquitted. Aquino, however, became a martyr and his murder became the focus of popular indignation against a corrupt regime.  

EDSA REVOLUTION 

     The Catholic Church, a coalition of old political opposition groups, the business elite, the left wing, and even factions of the armed forces, began to exert pressure on the regime. There was also foreign pressure, and feeling confident with the support given by the Reagan White House, Marcos called for a “snap” presidential election on February 7, 1986. 

   When the Marcos-dominated National Assembly proclaimed Marcos the winner, Cardinal Jaime Sin and key military leaders (including Minister of Defense Juan Ponce Enrile and acting Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces Lieutenant General Fidel V. Ramos) rallied around the apparent majority vote winner, Corazon Cojuangco Aquino, Ninoy Aquino’s widow. 

    In a protest rally held on February 22, 1986 at the Community Concourse in downtown San Diego at the time of the revolution, I was one of the speakers in denouncing President Marcos for perpetuating an atrocious regime and for the mass fraud and terrorism committed during the recent Presidential election in the country. I was appointed by Senator Raul Manglapuz as National Chapter Executive of Movement for Free Philippines (MFP) he founded.  

   The following is to share with you excerpts of my speech that I considered my very important participation in Philippine political history.  

February 22, 1986: SAN DIEGO RALLY- EDSA REVOLTION SPEECH  

    Ladies and gentlemen: We have finally come to the final hour and the election in the Philippines, our beloved country, has ended but not over yet. Democracy has faced the toughest challenge of resurrection in the Island of the brave and the home of the free. It is the Filipino people’s turn to make a judgment wherever they are, whether here in the United States, Canada or other parts of the world…What remains to be done now is to save our people from the continued Marcos rule. The reason you and I are here this afternoon is to appeal to the conscience of the people of the United States, to the leaders of the government, particularly to Mr. Reagan, to stop support of a government that has destroyed and gutted the very main fiber of democratic principles in the Philippines… 

…. Ferdinand Marcos has devoted the greater part of his twenty years of presidency in plundering the economy of the Philippines and corrupting its civic institution. In the ultimate act of greed and larceny, he has brazenly stolen and hijacked the expressed hope of the Filipino people for a return to democratic rule. The hue and cry in the Philippines is for a change to a democracy. The country’s economy is deplorable; peace and order are deteriorating all over the country; the insurgents NPA are becoming stronger. Human rights are destroyed and there is no justice served to those perpetuators of crime who happen to be the supporters and cronies of the Marcos administration. 

…The Filipinos proved beyond doubt to the entire world that they want democracy back. But what had happened?  Mr. Marcos stole the election! The will of the people has been trampled. 

   Cory Aquino, the 52-year-old widow of the fallen leader Benigno Aquino, has shown a mandate of the people had it been a free and fair election. There are rampant intimidations of pro Aquino supporters and in some cases murder. A good friend of mine, Evilio Javier from the province of Antique where I came from, was murdered in broad daylight at the Provincial building where he was watching and safeguarding the ballot count for Mrs. Aquino. I lost a great friend, the youngest governor ever elected in the Philippines at age 29 . He was murdered because he is anti-Marcos…

…What we want from you Mr. Reagan is to stop military and moral support of a man who has betrayed that legacy of liberty.  Only then will the Philippines become a true heir to our legacy of liberty. Only then will the shadow of blood vanish from the face of the sun. We will and must continue to seek for that wonderful dream—a return to democracy. Marcos has deprived the Filipino people of that democratic right in the last 20 years and finally the people have awakened.

The People Power Movement— a popular uprising of priest, nuns, ordinary citizens, children, and supported by military units— ousted Marcos on the day of his inauguration (February 25, 1986) and brought Corazon Aquino to power in an almost bloodless revolution. People Power was our shining glory! The whole world applauded our saintly courage, our dignified defiance, and our bloodless solution to expel a dictator. We were the toast of all freedom-loving countries, the envy of all oppressed people. These made news headlines as “the revolution that surprised the world”. The majority of the demonstrators took place at Epifanio de los Santos Avenue, known more commonly by its acronym EDSA, in Quezon City, Metropolitan Manila, and involved over 2,000,000 Filipino civilians as well as several political, military and religious figures.

    In 1986, we placed Cory Aquino, Ninoy’s widow, in Malacañang. She was virtuous, full of probity, sincere and with good intentions for the country. But what happens under Cory? Coup attempts by Honasan, power struggle, political squabbles, and the infighting for juicy deals harassed the amateur Cory presidency. 
The land reform was going good at first, but after she found out her Hacienda Luisita will be greatly affected, that program became in oblivion.

    After Cory Aquino, Fidel Ramos was elected as the President. But all of Ramos’ gains during his presidency fade away into thin air. The poor became poorer than ever.



    Because he was a popular movie actor, Erap Estrada was elected President to manage the country. He enjoyed widespread popularity, particularly among the poor moviegoers. In October 2000, however, Estrada was accused of having accepted millions of pesos in payoffs from illegal gambling businesses. To quote an anonymous writer, “The jueteng bombs exploded! People were aghast at knowing the bizarre drama of alleged bribery, gambling, drunkenness, womanizing, deceit, and corruption.” Estrada was impeached by the House of Representatives, he was forced from office on January 20, 2001. He was imprisoned. Vice President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo (the daughter of the late President Diosdado Macapagal) was sworn in as Estrada’s successor on the day of his departure. We thought effulgent, eternal splendor finally arrived. We were inspired that Malacañang regained its honor and dignity. But more total failure happened instead! The peso plummeted to a horrifying US$1 to P51. Graft and corruption, plunder, scam, thievery ruled the country. Estrada was pardoned and now running again for President of the Archipelago. C’mon a former impeached president and served in prison to run again?

  Again, the whole nation was witnessing sickening crimes attributed to the inept people in the government.     

     As of 2008 there are 90 million Filipinos in the country. The poor still remained 70% of the population. Now, for the election for May 2010, what we are about to experience is the shredding of the covenant of the 1986 “people power” revolution. Politically, it is a despicable country. To win an election you must be filthy rich. I’m referring to an English slang. Call it the way you think. Is politics in the Philippines simply filthy? Filipinos in general have to be responsible; however, they are noted to be openly immature in our politics. A lot of stupidity: a handsome movie star versus an honest and brilliant political scientist, they will vote for the movie star.

     Whoever wins in this election, what, then, does the future hold for Filipinos? The question was posted by a columnist: “How much lower can a people and nation fall before the shame of dishonesty and thievery awakens the comatose integrity and honor of the Filipino race?”

    Quo Vadiz, Filipinos? I put this question to the 15^th President of the Republic of the Philippines. He must know this brief history.

Looking Back
by Ambeth Ocampo
from Philippine Daily Inquirer 

http://opinion.inquirer.net/inquireropinion/columns/view/20100708-280033/The-founding-of-the-Katipunan

“How the hell are the three of you going to travel on only one ticket?” asks one of the Malays.. “Watch and learn bro”,answers one of the Pinoy.

They all board the train. The Malays take their respective seats
but all three Pinoy cram into a toilet and close the door behind them.

Shortly after the train has departed, the conductor comes around
collecting tickets.. He knocks on the toilet door and says,”Ticket
please.”

The door opens just a crack and a single arm emerges with a ticket
in hand. The conductor takes it and moves on.

The Malays see this and agree it was quite a clever idea. So after
the game, they decide to copy the Pinoy on the return trip and save
some money (being clever with money, and all that).

When they get to the station, they buy a single ticket for the return trip.
To their astonishment, the Pinoy don’t buy a ticket at all!!

“How are you going to travel without a ticket?!” says one perplexed
Malay.

“Watch and learn bro”, answers one of the Pinoy.

When they board the train the three Malays cram into a toilet and
soon after the three Pinoy cram into another nearby. The train
departs.

Shortly afterwards, one of the Pinoy leaves the toilet and walks
over to the toilet where the Malays are hiding. He knocks on the door
and says, “Ticket please.”

***

Shared by Rey O. Arcilla

When Sheila O’Hara, that intrepid social investigator continued her journey in the Philippines, with Melinda her friend and interpreter, she went to the cities and towns well known for their sex tourism business to gather data for her theses. They arrived in Angeles City, one hour bus ride north of Manila rented a room off Fields Avenue not far from the notorious glitzy sex bars that saturated the area. It was like a sexual Disneyland.

Hundreds of young scantily clad girls stood outside the sex clubs lit by the flickering multi-colored neon lights enticing middle aged Caucasian men to go inside to buy drinks and choose a girl for the night. Sheila and Melinda met the bar girls when they came to eat at a canteen nearby. They were open about their lives. “I came from Samar”, Ellen said “we have nothing there, our family is always hungry and as kids we have to work in the fields”. Her companion Rosa added “Here we don’t earn much, but it’s better than nothing. For eight hours pole dancing we can earn 150 pesos (US$3, £2) she said, and if we strip we get another 50 pesos (US$1, £0.67). If we get a customer into the VIP room at the back for sex we get 300 pesos ($6). Ellen added “it’s not fair, the bar owner gets 3000 pesos ($65, £45). If he gives the cherry girls (virgins) he earns thirty thousand pesos ($530. £450)

“There are many, young ones, they bring them in from the far villages, like us” she said casually. Are the customers generous? Sheila asked. “If we go out to a hotel the customer sometimes gives us a big tip, if he is a nice man, that is, and doesn’t beat us, some do”, Rosa said, “I think that kind of man enjoys it, he imagines he is beating his wife, he’s a brute”. Rosa wiped away a tear as bad memories came flooding back. “How long have you been here” Sheila asked. “A long time, too long”, Ellen Said, “I started when I was 14, I was forced to live with an uncle. He raped me. I went to the police but he went free in two days after paying money. Then I ran away from home. A pimp brought me here, gave me a fake birth certificate and got me a job. I had to go with men to pay her back or I could have been jailed”. She said. “I hate it but it’s all I have. I told my family I work in a hotel as a receptionist and I send them money, so my sisters don’t have to come here “.

Rosa joined in the conversation “I was 15, but after six months I got the venereal disease and the boss man, a big Australian, threw me out, most of bars are run by foreigners. I had to go to the social hygiene clinic to get cured”. She said.

Later that night Sheila and Melinda went to a club and were allowed in after they paid an entrance fee. They stood at the back in the shadows. It was the Doll House, a big spacious hall with a circular stage and bar around it. Six dancers were gyrating suggestively to the beat of disco music. About 200 girls in bikinis were on the floor or up on a balcony. The place was full.

The house pimps were inviting the half-drunk sex tourists to pick a girl or have another drink if they didn’t already have both. “It’s a sex circus” Sheila told herself, wondered about how many of the men and girls were STD or HIV positive. Rosa had told her that, the social hygiene personnel sometimes go to the club to test the girls, not the customers.

The next day Sheila was determined to learn more and went to the government-run social hygiene center. She met the chief nurse Angie Santos. “Yes, we make visits to the clubs when the girls don’t come here for their monthly check up. The check up certificate is a requirement like the mayor work permit. The mayor can’t let any infected girl work you know, it’s bad for business. If the bar owners don’t bring them here, he will cancel their permit and license”. Sheila then planned to go to the police to research the cases of trafficking. (to be continued) shaycullen@gmail.com, preda@info.com.ph.

~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~
Contact Fr. Shay Cullen at the Preda Center, Upper Kalaklan, Olongapo City, Philippines.
e-mail: preda@info.com.ph
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PREDA Information Office
PREDA Foundation, Inc.
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www.preda.org

VANCOUVER, British Columbia – The Filipino community in British Columbia now “has strength in numbers and it is growing fast,” Mayor Greg Robertson said in a speech during the 1st Maharlika Awards Philippine Independence Gala Night last June 19 at the Italian Cultural Center.
“And by many estimates, the Philippines has overtaken China and India as the number one source country for new immigrants.”

He stressed that recently, the Vancouver Sun ran an in-depth four-part series looking at Filipinos in British Columbia where it featured Filipinos as “the third largest ethnic group in the province.”

Clad in Filipino costume Barong Tagalog, the mayor said, “Filipinos are part of every facet of our city. Vancouver could not function without the contributions of Filipino-Canadians, from our schools and hospitals to our banks and businesses and at City Hall.”

Robertson hailed the Filipino Canadian pioneers honored in the inaugural awards night arranged by the Filipino-Canadian Cultural Heritage of British Columbia for “paving the way for newcomers and the younger generation to succeed.”

“Their struggles and triumphs as immigrants to Canada are worthy of our respect and gratitude,” he pointed out.

“I know that even with all the progress that has been achieved, there are still some challenges faced by the Filipino-Canadian community.”

Robertson assured that “Canada is a welcoming and open place but we can still do a better job of helping newcomers maximize their skills and experience in the workforce. So that’s something we need to keep working on together.”

‘SOMETHING’S HAPPENING’

Robertson observed that “something’s happening in the Filipino community, something exciting. The Filipino community was for many years fairly quiet…sometimes seen, but rarely heard.”

“All that has changed,” he quipped. “As tonight’s event shows, Filipinos have a strong voice and so much to be proud of across a wide spectrum of endeavors.”

The mayor said, there are now elected officials of Filipino heritage – one at the municipal level and one at the provincial level – in British Columbia.
He said “he was lucky enough” to attend the picnic that took place in Slocan Park in relation to recent celebrations across the region of the 112th Philippine Independence Day.

Robertson described the events as “filled with people representing a wide variety of community organizations, church groups, local businesses, trade associations and the media.”

He added: “I’m proud to be Mayor of a place that so many distinguished Filipinos now call home. Vancouver would not be the world-class, liveable city it is today without all of your contributions.”

“I look forward to all your ideas and enthusiasm as we continue working together to make this great city of ours even better.”

Meanwhile, Robertson lauded the event otherwise known as “Gawad Parangal sa Mga Dakilang Pilipino ng British Columbia” chairman of the board and Reyfort Media Group publisher Rey Fortaleza and his wife Cely for “assembling a local media empire that is becoming the source for Filipino news and entertainment in British Columbia.”

“They are entrepreneurs and leaders in the community and tonight they have turned their vision into reality with this event and the launch of the Philippine Summer Festival,” he said.

The Filipino Band members knew the stakes; they did not know the strenuous conditions they would be placed under to prove themselves. It was May of 1904 when members of the Philippine Constabulary Band began their evening concert at the Louisiana Purchase Exposition in Saint Louis, Missouri. The Band had been sent to represent the Philippines at its best before Americans who popularly perceived Filipinos as half-savages. William Howard Taft had sent eighty- four musicians under the direction of a tall and handsome African-American, Walter H. Loving. They knew that their performance would demonstrate the cultural abilities of their race.

The band members having assembled on stage with encouraging applause from a crowd filled with expectation, Loving raised his baton to begin the concert with their first number, Rossini’s “William Tell Overture.” Just as the first notes emerged, something happened to the electric power and the Exposition grounds were plunged into complete darkness. Pausing only to tie a white handkerchief to his baton, Loving continued the concert through piece after piece until the hour-long concert concluded and before electricity resumed to the Exposition grounds. Needless to say, the story of this sensational concert emerged in leading newspapers, establishing the Band as a phenomenon.

The Philippine Constabulary Band was the highlight of the Saint Louis Exposition. In later years the Band returned to play in two other World’s Fairs held in San Francisco (1915 and 1939). In addition they played to numerous audiences throughout the United States including venues as diverse as Young’s Million Dollar Pier, Atlantic City, NJ, and Boston’s Symphony Hall. They performed before the Japanese emperor and the Hawaiian Queen Liliuokalani. William Howard Taft chose the Band to lead the parade to his oath-taking, and in a number of concerts connected with the inauguration. Unique among musical groups, the Philippine Constabulary Band played half of its repertoire as a Band and half as a symphony orchestra.

The story of its director, Col. William Howard Loving, Sr. has been told in several publications.[1] What, so far, has not been told, is the story from the viewpoint of its Filipino band members. This story needs to be told. I am working on a Master’s Thesis and would like to make the Philippine perspective the unique contribution in my work.

I would like to solicit the names of descendents of those Band members to whom I might appeal to share stories that have been handed down as well as any written documents passed on regarding the band, the relationships between the band members to one another and to Loving, and to memories of their experiences.

Please contact me at:
(1) E-mail: ryoder@eagles.nccu.edu
(2) Address: Robert L. Yoder, 4022 Westfield Drive, Durham, NC 27705
(3) Cell phone: (919) 698-9025

[1] Roger D. Cunningham, “The Loving Touch: Walter H. Loving’s Five Decades of Military Music”. Army History. 2007, Summer, PB 20-07 (No. 64), 5-25; Antonio C. Hila, “Walter H. Loving ant the Philippine Constabulary Band,” Music in History; History in Music (Manila: UST Publishing House, 2004), 71-89; Claiborne T. Richardson. “The Filipino-American Phenomenon: The Loving Touch”. The Black Perspective in Music. 1982. Spring. Vol. 10, No. 1, 3-28; Mary Talusan. “Music, Race, and Imperialism: The Philippine Constabulary Gand at the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair”. Philippine Studies. 2004. Vol. 52, No. 4, 499-526.

VANCOUVER, British Columbia – Twelve entrepreneurs and leaders in the Filipino Canadian community were honored during the Philippine Independence Gala Night 2010 with a theme “Gawad Parangal sa Mga Dakilang Pilipino British Columbia” at the Italian Cultural Center last June 19.

The 12 who received “Maharlika Awards” given by the Filipino Canadian Cultural Heritage of British Columbia (FCCH) represented by its chair Reynaldo Fortaleza and Mayor Gregor Robertson were: Mary Elizabeth Ebo-Reyes, Ronaldo O. Dulay, Dra. Marina Roma-March, Arturo S. Alafriz Jr., Rodolfo Nucom-Viray.

Also awarded were Tomas Avendano, Riva Oquendo, Petra Durrance, Dr. Danilo Salcedo, Ferdinand Gonzales, Rod Belleza, and Mable Elmore.
Reyes has been living in Canada for almost 15 years. Her family arrived on July 1, 1995 which was the “Canada Day.”

She is an artistic director and founder of Praise Theatre Ensemble and Arts Ministry (Praise T.E.A.M.) and dance teacher and choreographer, former ballet, jazz and contemporary dancer.

She is a graduate of BSBA major in Accounting and is a Child and Youth Counselor and coordinator of Youth Ministry.

She said she values everything she does for others in her own little way. She has significant contributions in the field of religion, arts and culture.
Because of her faith in God and love for the arts, she started Praise TEAM more than 13 years ago as a dance and theatre arts ministry whose mission is to evangelize through the performing arts. Their intention is to provide an arena for expression in dance, songs, music and drama , where through rigid but fun training, we share our faith, grow in spirit, develop one’s character and strengthen one’s values.

Praise TEAM encourages prayer, and involvement in community events, outreach programs and charitable works (such as GK, Project Mabuhay, among others)

Their services are catered to everyone especially the youth and the underprivileged.

Aside from being a wife and a mother, she loves being the “Tita Beth” to many people in the community.

Starting with training nine dancers, they have more than 200 kids now, not counting those who have moved on.

She said their “warm, family atmosphere” in Praise TEAM has enabled them to develop and nurture young artists who have a deep passion for the performing arts at the same time have a strong faith and fervent love for God. Their style of training and mentoring “inspires our young artists to excel in the field of their choice, to win in competitions and be recognized locally and internationally,” she said.

Dulay has been living in Canada for 39 years. He is the past owner of the Fiesta Filipina (Pilipino Foods) 1972-1985, R.D. Professional Cargo Services 1987-2009, Cargo Manager-LBC Cargo, Vancouver Office, 2009-present; and member of Phil-Canada Trade Council (PCTC).

He is also the past president of the Filipino Association of B.C.(FABC 1977), Philippine Service Club (YMCA), Philippine Day Confederation 1994-1998, and chapter president- Philippine Centennial Commission, Vancouver, B.C. (1998); past vice president of Circulo Pampangueno; Pangasinan-Ilocano Civic Assn(PICA); lifetime donor of Pilipino Community Center Society(PCCS) and vice president of Pilipino Golfers Assn Of B.C.(PGA-BC)
His most significant contribution to the Filipino community has been his involvement in all fund-raising events in the Pilipino Community especially for calamities in the Philippines; spearheading of the first fund-raising for the Pilipino Community Center In B.C.; and starting the first Pilipino Basketball League (Inter Color) In Greater Vancouver.

His most notable achievement/accomplishment was Celebrating our Centennial Independence Day with almost the whole Pilipino Community in the Greater Vancouver Area; the Maharlika Award nomination and awarding of FCCH.

Roma-March has been living in Canada for 37 years. She is an optometrist by profession and has been in practice for 16 years. She owns two eye clinics: the Broadway Station Eye Clinic and Champlain Vision Care in Vancouver. She is the founder of the Third World Eye Care Society, a non-profit charity registered for 15 years in British Columbia.

Upon graduation in 1994, she established the Third World Eye Care Society (TWECS). The society has been collecting eyeglasses from compassionate individuals all across the Canada with the help of thousands of volunteers and service organizations such as Lions Clubs, Rotary Clubs, Boys and Girls Clubs, Girl Guides, optometry clinics, optical stores and churches.

In 15 years, over a million eyeglasses have passed through the TWECS eyeglass warehouse. Volunteers at the eyeglass warehouse spend months processing tens of thousands of eyeglasses for travel to eye care projects overseas. Over 59,000 people have been helped by Third World Eye Care Society.

In support of this eye care work five years ago, she initiated a work program with the British Columbia department of Justice to train inmates in optical procedures. They have successfully trained 60 inmates prior to their release into the community.

In 15 years, over 25,000 underprivileged men women and children in the barrios of the Philippines have been given free eye care and eyeglasses.
Her most notable achievement/accomplishment was being the recipient of the “Presidential Banaag Award” from President Joseph Estrada in 2000.
Alafriz.has been living in Canada for 30 years. A lawyer by profession, he has been practicing privately on his own.

He is involved in Multicultural Helping House and Ateneo Alumni Association of British Columbia. His most memorable contribution to the Filipino community is his being chairman of combined Filipino organizations to welcome then President Cory Aquino to Vancouver. His most notable achievement/accomplishment is his being the First Filipino lawyer to practice in Canada in 1984.

Viray has been living in Canada for 34 years. He is the former president of Circulo Pampanggeno/Macabebe Town Fiesta BC; Phil Day Confederation overall organizer and three-time chairman from 1987-89; and chairman of special project of Philippine Day Confederation for one year 1990 (Community center project). He wants to unite the Filipino community in BC. He was able to unite different Filipino organizations under one umbrella called Philippine Day Confederation to celebrate the Philippine Independence day.

Avendano is more popularly known as “Tatay Tom.” He heads the Mutlicultural Helping House, an organization that assists not only Filipinos but other immigrants from other countries in their transition from their homeland to a new life in Canada.

A born leader, he is propelling MHHS to heights that all levels of Canadian Government do not fail to notice. Avendano was given the award for community leadership.

Oquendo is a pixie and diminutive lady who dances well. She formed her own La Riva Dance Studio to train kids as young as four years old to dance the Philippines native dances.

Riva and her troupe are everywhere where there are Philippines festivals or in other community activities that showcase Philippine culture.
Riva Oquendo was awarded for cultural development for Fil-Can youth.
Durrance is a native of Kalinga Apayao. Born so poor and abandoned at birth, by luck she was adopted by the Good Sisters of the Holy Child Orphanage in Sagada, Mountain Province. She studied hard at the orphanage which opened her eyes to the poverty that plagues her community. Through another struck of luck, she met and married David Durrance, a B.C. high school teacher who did community work in Mountain Province.

Together they formed international association for transformation and have helped thousands through the eco-villages and global youth training and development centers which they formed in the Philippines.

Durrance was awarded for humanitarian service.

Salcedo is the owner of Deva Dental Clinic and a doctor of medical dentistry and a registered acupuncturist.

Where other medical practitioners dare not delve into, he did and pioneered in alternative healing. He is into music therapy, water therapy, ear candling, stress management, acupressure, acupuncture, reflexology, shiatsu, energy healing and pranic healing.

A true Filipino by heart, he joins dental and medical missions to the Philippines to help the unfortunate and needy.

He was given the award for humanitarian service.

Gonzales hails from Leyte and a long-time resident of Nanaimo in Vancouver Island.
He is currently the president of Viva which stands for Vancouver Island Visayan Association.

The association helps new Filipino immigrants in their community to cope up with the economic and social changes they have to undergo to adjust to a new life in Canada.

Gonzales was awarded for community service.

Belleza is a financial advisor and fellow of The Institute of the Canadian Bankers. Holder of Political Science and Law degrees, he immigrated to Richmond in 1980 from the Philippines.

He is a member of Richmond Intercultural Advisory Committee for the City of Richmond and president of Richmond Multicultural Concerns Society. He is also member of Richmond Community Services Advisory Council and board member of Association of Multicultural Association and Service Agencies and East Richmond Community Association.

He is also charter member of the Vancouver Fraserview Rotary Club – Charter Member and director of Jaycees Pacific Southwest.

He is the president of Richmond Bayanihan Society and past president of Various Filipino & Canadian Organizations.

Belleza is the first Filipino elected as School Trustee in the City of Richmond.

Elmore is member of the Legislative Assembly and is the first Filipino to run for office in the Provincial Government who was elected successfully.
She ran for office because she believes that the people are not getting good enough service from the present government.

Elected MLA for Vancouver-Kensington on May 12, 2009, she serves as deputy opposition critic for Children, Family Development and Child Care.
She has been a transit operator for 10 years, driving a bus in Metro Vancouver while taking a role in her union, the Canadian Auto Workers Local 111, where she coordinated the “More Buses Now” campaign to improve public bus transit.

She is a second generation Filipino-Canadian who has also been active in the peace movement and on immigrant, social justice, women’s and gay, lesbian and transgendered issues.

She was awarded for government service.

VANCOUVER, British Columbia – Schools being watched by Big Brother.
“If it is for the common good of students, why not?” exclaimed some Filipino-Canadian parents to government’s step to “legally entrench” the installation of surveillance cameras inside classrooms in British Columbia district schools in order “to halt exterior vandalism.”

“I don’t only support it; in fact, I encourage it,” said Nemesio “Nhemy” Cepedea, Sr. whose 10-year-old son, Nemesio “JJR Nhemy” Jr., is grade five pupil at Mountainview Montessori in Surrey.

Cepeda said “he does not see anything wrong” with the measure, whose amendment is being backed by B.C. Education Minister Margaret MacDiarmid, “as it will redound to the well-being of the students.”

“As long as the students are not doing any wrongdoing, they should not be afraid of the cameras,” Cepeda pointed out. “This will give some parents the peace of mind while their sons and daughters are away (from home and in school) studying.”

The government will always take steps to protect the interest of the students and both the parents and changes will always be consulted if there are any changes in the School Act, said Theresa Gaje, whose nine-year-old daughter studies at District School 38 in Richmond.

Gaje, a Leyte-born immigrant, proposed, however, that classroom cameras “should not be called surveillance as it connotes invasion of the student’s privacy.”

“We can call it camera watch dog, safety support or any friendly term for that matter so as not to scare the young students who are sometimes really naughty but not totally bad,” she quipped.

SCHOOL POLICIES

About two-thirds of British Columbia’s 60 school districts have policies regarding video surveillance and more than 25 school districts are currently using video cameras for surveillance, it was reported.
The education department earlier said the use of classroom videos is included in the School Act which will be amended “to fulfill an election promise to give school planning councils more say in deciding on surveillance.”

It was reportedly contained in Bill 20 amendments given first reading on April 30, this year, and “would legally entrench the ability of schools to put cameras in classrooms, hallways, playgrounds or anywhere on school property.”

The new law will reportedly allow “much more leeway” in where cameras are used.”

Meanwhile, the law continued to draw strong opposition and criticism from student organizations, among which the 1,500-member Vancouver Public Space Network which lamented that “schools should be free of video surveillance, except as a tool of last resort, and it’s our concern the B.C. government has failed to create any guidelines.”

In a letter to MacDiarmid, signed by network officer Josh Patterson, it stressed that “students are required by law to be at school, unless home-schooled, so they have no choice about whether they’re captured on camera in the place where they spend most of their day.”

Rudy D. Liporada

Rudy D. Liporada, a local businessman based in National City announced the release of his novel, the Unholy Allied Mountains, a  fictional account of one Filipino American’s return to the armed struggle—the forty-year revolution of the New People’s Army (NPA) against the Philippine government.

To communists, religion is an opiate where Christians are lulled to accept their oppressed fate and never raise arms against oppressors. To Muslim extremists, however, religion is not an opiate but a high inducing drug that spiritually arms one to wage jihad on the infidels. In Unholy Allied Mountains, Ding, a Filipino American journalist, in a story quest on the Philippine insurgency, is confronted by ghosts of his past in the midst of an unholy alliance between the Communist New People’s Army (NPA) and Muslims in their quest to defeat lackeys of American imperialists in the Cordillera Mountains in Northern Luzon, Philippines.

Set in Montanosa, the novel features, among others, battles involving Igorot tribes, a mummification process, and NPA ambuscades. This book, although fictional, represents a vivid picture of the revolutionary movement of one of the longest waging Third World armed struggles. Readers will follow Ding as he revisits his days as one of the comrades, until his return as a journalist. For more information on Unholy Allied Mountains, interested parties may google Unholy Allied Mountains.

Before immigrating to the United States, Rudy D. Liporada served as a Feature Writing, Photojournalism, and Advertising instructor in Zambia Africa from 1983 to 1986. He used to string for Baguio City and contributed articles to Philippines newspapers. In the United States, he contributes to the Ventura County Star and is a columnist for the San Diego Asian Journal in California. He graduated from the University of the Philippines with a major in Economics, minor in Sociology, and cognate in Political Science. Blessed with four boys and a girl with nee Aurea Olosan, Liporada holds office at National City with Lutuang Best, a subsidiary of Saladmaster.

To contact the author directly, one can call 858-722-1465 or email him at rdliporada@roadrunner.com.

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