...the Fil-Dutch youth passion

Fil-Dutch youth form SK Holland

by Dheza Marie Aguilar

abs-cnnews.com

06/06/2011

In an effort to unite the youth of the Filipino-Dutch community, 5 young Fil-Dutch established the Sangguniang Kabataan Holland, named after the youth federations in the Philippines.

SK Holland aims to reach out to the young Fil-Dutch crowd and encourage them to be active in the community. They are guided by the Kalayaan Fiesta Foundation Netherlands (KFFN), which also organizes the Independence Day celebrations ni Holland.

The organization was originally formed 2 years ago as a think-thank committee to help KFFN organize activities for the youth.

“Our main goal is to attract young people to be more involved,” says Rodenor Estimada, SK Holland coordinator.

KFFN-SK Holland’s main project is to involve the Fil-Dutch youth in the celebration of the Philippine Independence Day and to inculcate in them the history and significance of the celebration.

“We noticed that there are a lot of young Filipinos walking around here, maybe a lot of them don’t even know the true story of Independence Day,” Estimada said.

“We also try to inform them about the Philippine history via our website that. (We also) ecncourage the young Filipino to come and celebrate not only here as visitors but also as part of the organizations,” he continued.

This year, KFFN-SK Holland led an interactive talent show competition for the youth until 35 years old. Participants were encouraged to make a video of their performances and upload it to their website through YouTube, where families and friends can vote.

The 5 entries with the most votes will perform at the Independence Day celebration on June 11 in Amsterdam, where the winner will be judged.

“It all started with us thinking how we an involve the youth with Independence Day,” said Bryan Mendean, KFFN-SK Holland member. He added that until that point, Independence Day had been celebrated only by the older generation.

“What Filipino people got in common all over the world is that they like to peform, they like to sing, they like to dance... and they also like to put themselves on the Internet. So we thought, OK, let’s do something with that,” he added.

Both young men hope that through this competition, Fil-Dutch youth will interact and get to know each other and help preserve the Filipino culture in Netherlands.

The organization is also planning to hold a basketball tournament this summer.

They also hope that more young people will join SK Holland.

“We’re trying to expand as much as possible so we can have a community of younger Filipinos. We thought that it’s a good idea to have the younger generation gathered together, give them a source for connecting with each other,” Estimada said.

For more information about SK Holland and its projects, visit www.kffn-sk.com.

...the Philippine artifact

PHL artifacts now a permanent collection of Spain museum

06/06/2011

GMANews.tv

 

Philippine items and artifacts are now part of the permanent collection of the prestigious Barcelona Ethnology Museum ("Museu Etnològic" in Catalan), one of the largest in Spain and the whole of Europe.

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said on Monday the Philippine artifacts will be included among items from Catalonia and all regions of the world in the collection.

"The Philippine items, consisting of artifacts, tools and crafts from the Ifugao and other northern Philippine groups, were part of a larger Philippine exposition called 'FILIPINES: Un segle després, una doble mirada' (Catalan for 'The Philippines: A Century Later, Another Glance') which was opened in 1998 to mark the Philippine Centennial," the DFA said in a news release posted on its website.

The DFA noted this was in time for the Philippine Cultural Heritage Month of May as well as the coming celebration of Philippine-Spanish Friendship Day on June 30.

The DFA also said Philippine Consul General Eduardo de Vega recently visited the Museum to discuss the possibility of the reopening of an exposition centered on the Philippines.

In a guided tour of the existing collection in the museum, Museum director Josep Fornés and conservator Dolors Soriano Marín explained to de Vega that except for particular exhibitions with specific themes, the over 70,000 items in the museum are displayed "under equal footing" ("plano de igualdad").

"This means that items from one part of the world may share the same area as items from a completely different part of the world, instead of being categorized according to the country's region or current level of economic development," the DFA said.

The DFA added this was intended to highlight the message of the commonality of all humanity.

De Vega saluted this concept, and it was agreed that, together with the collaboration of the Filipino community in Barcelona, a future exposition of Philippine items should once again be planned for the museum.

"This would help educate children of Filipino migrants of the glory of their parents' native cultures, and to highlight the current deep ties of friendship and cooperation between the peoples of the Philippines and Catalonia and the rest of Spain," the DFA said. - VVP, GMA News

...the Fil-Ams that loves the native tongue

Is it okay to lose your language? Not for these Fil-Ams

By: Dennis Clemente
Philippine Daily Inquirer

Monday, June 6th, 2011

NEW YORK—“Would you like to learn Filipino?”

Ask a very young Filipino-American, and you will most likely draw a blank. It’s okay. He can’t decide for himself yet.

When puberty hits, that’s when it hits them. They can’t communicate with their parents or relatives as much as they want to. Speaking only in English, they feel isolated in family gatherings or Filipino parties.

Agnes “Bing” Magtoto knows a thing or two about the frustrations of Filipino-Americans trying to learn Filipino. Since 2004, Magtoto has seen all sorts of Filipino-language learners from her basic to advanced classes. Magtoto is adjunct instructor at New York University’s Department of Social and Cultural Analysis, Asian/Pacific/American Studies Program.

Aside from Filipinos, she has had non-Filipino students who surprised her with their enthusiasm in learning and practicing the language.

A Jewish guy turned out to be her best student. Being a linguist, he learned the language like a native speaker. She also points out the dedication of one American woman to learn Filipino before her move to the Philippines.

And what could be more motivating than having an inspiration? An American guy tried to learn as much as he could to show his affection for his Filipino girlfriend, Filipino-style.

Not easy to learn

Magtoto knows Filipino is not easy to learn past puberty, so she digs into her thespian roots to make the lessons fun and interactive. Having been a theater artist for the Philippine Educational Theater Association (Peta) in 1978-1996, she has her class go beyond lectures to role-playing and immersion in Filipino enclaves where they can interact with other Filipinos, especially native speakers like herself.

At her basic Filipino-language weekly class in February-March outside of NYU, her seven students consisted of Filipino-Americans, some of pure Filipino descent.

The classes were held weekly in different locations. Magtoto admits she didn’t want to pay what she considered steep rent, even at the Philippine Consulate, so she relied on the kindness of friends to accommodate them in one office at one time and a school in another.

One student who takes the classes seriously is Katrina Landeta, a 22-year-old immigration paralegal in the city—for a good reason. When she interviewed domestic helpers in Hong Kong as part of her internship with a nonprofit organization, she said she needed a translator. Landeta was born in San Diego, California, to Filipino parents from Cagayan Valley in the Philippines.

“I felt I was letting them down when I told them I couldn’t understand Tagalog, and we would have to communicate in English,” says Landeta, who, transformed by the experience, proceeded to write her senior thesis on New York Domestic Workers’ Bill of Rights. She lives in New York now.

Landeta admits to having a little knowledge of the Filipino language, but hopes to learn more, so she can better communicate with Filipino clients at her place of work. She is eager to take more lessons, because she sees how her classmate, Isis Arias, decided to take a lesson again six years after her first lesson.

Arias, 27, a marketing professional, attended her first Filipino-language lesson in Los Baños, Laguna, in 2005. It’s a long way from the Bronx, where she lives, but she said she learned a lot from her Philippine trip.

“From not knowing Tagalog at all, I’d say my knowledge increased about 45 percent,” she says, thanks to the program she attended with the organization Tagalog On Site (tagalogonsite.org), an organization headed by Susan Quimpo, an educator and community organizer who moved back to the Philippines from Athens, Ohio. Today, she says her level of understanding is at 65 percent.

Asked why she didn’t learn Filipino when she was younger, Arias says her mother didn’t speak the language and her grandparents didn’t teach her, although they spoke it at home.

She is half-Filipino, half African-American. She hopes to learn more as she interacts with Filipino customers in her sister’s Filipino restaurant, called Maharlika.

Learning the culture

Learning the language is one thing, but for Lorial Crowder, 29, a social worker from Norwalk, Connecticut, it’s also about getting involved in the Philippine community. She is vice president of the Filipino American National Historical Society.

It was Crowder who encouraged Magtoto to hold a special Filipino language class for Filipino-Americans. The two women met briefly in 2005 and again in 2007, when Crowder attended two sessions of Magtoto’s Filipino language class. Crowder also went to a class at the University of the Philippines Diliman.

For all her sociocivic efforts, it seems the only thing Crowder is missing is the language of her motherland. Her reason for learning it is admirable. “I want to pass it on to my 4-year-old son.”

Crowder did not have a chance to learn Filipino; an American couple visiting Olongapo adopted her when she was 5 years old, and she grew up in a predominantly white neighborhood in Connecticut.

She knows how adoptees like herself feel disconnected from their Filipino roots, so next year she plans to host a two-week Philippine tour with the Filipino Adoptees Network.

In the last day of class, it was interesting to see all the students introduce and describe themselves. Katrina says she is “malinis, maunawain at bata”; Isis, “masipag at matapat”; and Crowder, “payat, malikot at masaya.”

In a city where about 800 languages are spoken daily, making it the most linguistically diverse city in the world, learning one’s language gives one a sense of belonging. Ethnic neighborhoods abound and celebrate their culture.

Many affluent parents are aware of the city’s rich diverse population, which is also why they require baby sitters to know another language other than English, a newspaper report said. They believe their children will grow up with a richer vocabulary and higher IQs.

But why is it so important to learn your parents’ language?

For other ethnic groups that stick to their languages, it’s about retaining one’s culture. Many Latinos, Chinese and Koreans pass on the legacy of their languages to their children, more than young Filipino Americans, in fact.

It doesn’t help that first-generation Filipinos know English only too well that they end up speaking in English all the time with their kids.

But what exactly will Filipino-Americans lose when they lose their language? Will they lose their distinct voice, relevance and culture in the general American marketplace? If language is culture, you know the answer.
For Magtoto’s students, though, “Hindi pwede ’yan.” (No way.)

...the World Bank guy anew

Marcelo gets World Bank offer

By LEONARD D. POSTRADO

June 5, 2011

Manila Bulletin

MANILA, Philippines -- The World Bank (WB) has offered former Ombudsman Simeon Marcelo a fresh three-year term as adviser on good governance, citing his stance and dedication against corruption in the Philippine government.
 
 

WB President Robert Zoellick, through Managing Director Sri Mulyani, urged Marcelo to accept a second three-year term as adviser on good governance and anti-corruption during the final session of the mid-year meeting of the WB-Independent Advisory Board (IAB) held in Washington, D.C. last June 3.
 
Aside from Marcelo, Zoellick also invited former Australian Treasurer and Asia-Pacific and Economic Cooperation Chair Peter Costello and leading anti-corruption and governance expert and Basle University professor Chester Mark Pieth.
 
Established in September, 2008, the IAB provides advice to the WB Group on a range of governance and anti-corruption measures, fulfilling a recommendation made by the Independent Review of the World Bank’s Integrity Vice-Presidency, led by former US Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volcker.

The IAB aims to protect the independence and strengthen the accountability of the WB’s Department of Institutional Integrity (INT), a critical part of the Bank’s Governance and Anti-Corruption (GAC) strategy – by giving advice on policies and procedures and on the Department’s interactions within the WB Group.
It also provides advice to WB President Zoellick and the WB Group Audit Committee on the Performance of INT and the implementation of related recommendations of the Volcker panel.

According to Zoellick, the members of the IAB are mandated to give advice on policies and procedures relating to INT in the carrying out of its mandated functions and its interactions within the World Bank Group, including investigative policy matters and issues arising from the collaboration across units.

The IAB also gives the WB President and the Audit Committee advice on the performance of INT.

It would also advise and submit reports annually to the President and the Audit Committee on progress in implementation of agreed World Bank Group actions on key recommendations of the Volcker panel report relating to INT, said Zoellick.

Marcelo has maintained his advocacy against corruption after leaving public office and returning to the private sector as the chief litigator of CVCLAW, also known as “The Firm.”

Recently, he led the widespread opposition to the controversial plea bargain deal involving retired Major General Carlos Garcia and participated in congressional inquiries on the matter.

..the Asian Star

Christian (Bautista) wins Asian TV, movies

By: Bayani San Diego Jr.
Philippine Daily Inquirer

CHRISTIAN and Karylle worked together earlier in a local stage production of “West Side Story.” TITIKPILIPINO.COM

Christian Bautista’s star continues to burn brightly over the whole of Asia.

After releasing records in Indonesia, Thailand, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore and Malaysia, the 29-year-old Filipino pop singer is crossing over to regional television and movies.

Bautista recently finished shooting the film “Simfoni Luar Biasa (A Special Symphony)” in Indonesia. He plays a despondent Filipino rock singer who embarks on a journey of discovery after signing up as music teacher for special children in Jakarta.

He got to work with Indonesian actress Iwa Ribowo, who plays his mom in the movie. “I thought she would be my leading lady. She looks so young, even though she’s a veteran actress. She’s generous with acting advice, too. She made me feel relaxed on the set,” Bautista recounts.

He also shared the screen with a Filipina singer, Maribeth, who’s now based in Jakarta. He recalls, “She’s been living there for a long time. She taught me about Indonesian culture.”

He also had a blast working with the kids – particularly one child actress with Down syndrome. “She got along very well with the other kids,” he says. The experience was an eye-opener for him: “Even if you are differently abled, you can lead a full life.”

Plus Karylle

Christian is also set to invade Asian TV, as he top-bills “The Kitchen Musical,” produced by Singaporean firm The Group, with Karylle and other Filipino actors Ikey Canoy, Arthur Acuña and Joseph Reyes in the cast.

The series will be aired by four Asian channels: nTV7 in Malaysia, Metro TV in Indonesia, cable channel AXN (all over the region) and Studio 23 in the Philippines. All in all, it will be seen in 19 Asian countries.

Producers hope to air the show in other territories like Guam and Hawaii and launch a touring stage production, too.

Taping for the show will take Christian and Karylle to Singapore, where they will stay for four months.

In light of the popularity of singing-and-dancing shows on TV, he asserts that “The Kitchen Musical” is no “Glee” clone.

“The main difference is that our show is set in a restaurant, and we play chefs,” he says. “Apart from the music, we will also showcase the food. We will teach viewers how to prepare the meals. It’s like a cooking show crossed with a musical.”

In this regard, Christian and Karylle are set to embark on an intensive Food Boot Camp in Singapore.
“We will learn how to slice and sauté, broil and bake,” he says. “We’ll get the chance to be singing cooks and waiters.”

...the Woven Hope

2 UP students bag award for cogon grass business The Philippine Star June 05, 2011 By Ranier Allan Ronda

Using cogon grass, UP students Kevin Paolo Hernandez and Ponce Ernest Samaniego make furniture pieces such as this table under their ‘Woven Hope’ business.| Zoom

MANILA, Philippines - Two senior business administration students of the University of the Philippines in Diliman won the Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP) business proposal competition last week for their idea of manufacturing furniture from cogon grass.

The Woven Hope business proposition, submitted by Kevin Paolo Hernandez, 19, and Ponce Ernest Samaniego, 22, was one of three business ideas that topped the PBSP’s Business in Development (BiD) challenge.

Hernandez said Woven Hope is an idea for a social enterprise that he, Samaniego and former classmates in the UP College of Business Administration came up with to pursue after college.

“We despised the idea that after four years worth of college hard work, we will just end up as corporate slaves in some multinational company. We felt that our curriculum was geared more toward the corporate track, that we were being trained to be mere employees. So we asked ourselves: why don’t we start up a company of our own?” Hernandez said.

The students started the company Outliers Inc. as a vehicle company for Woven Hope last month with the help of Hernandez’s mother, interior decorator Clariza Hernandez, who had come up with three furniture pieces to jumpstart the fledgling firm.

“We have a standing lamp, a sun-inspired hanging lamp, and a center table. Aside from cogon, we used other materials such as scrap metal, wood, and glass,” Hernandez said.

“We will be opening our own showroom very soon and we are contemplating on six to seven new designs to be displayed there and to be included in our brochures. We are also talking to different designers like Mr. Ito Kish to take part in our social enterprise by helping us out with our future designs,” he added.

Hernandez said cogon grass grows in 1.25 billion acres of land worldwide, a nuisance to farmers that can be a source of livelihood for poor communities.

“Farmers rid their lands of this pest by burning them or through the use of chemicals to treat them. So why not turn something considered as waste into something that will create value for underprivileged communities in far-flung areas by giving them jobs?” he said.

“This will be a steady source of income for our beneficiaries and probably a source of national pride when we go global. We hit the triple bottom line: People, Planet, Profit,” he added.

Aside from Hernandez’s and Samaniego’s Woven Hope, other winners in the PBSP BiD 2011 challenge were Healthy Sweets, a coconut sugar business proposed by Betty Marfil-More from Davao.

Hernandez and Marfil-More will represent the Philippines in an international business idea competition in Bogota city in Colombia.

Thirty-nine-year-old community entrepreneur Nathalie Arsonillo of Bukidnon, meanwhile, won in the BiD women entrepreneurship category for the cassava mobile processing unit developed by her group, Sustainable Growth for Rural Ventures Inc. (SUGRUVI).

The enterprise was developed to help cassava farmers in Bukidnon process their harvest and sell it for better prices in the market.

The BiD Challenge Philippines is an annual international online business plan competition that promotes poverty reduction through enterprise development.

Since 2007, PBSP, together with Citibank, holds the annual competition to recognize the most innovative, viable and socially developmental enterprises that combine the potential for making profit and reducing poverty in poor communities.

PBSP also offers mentoring and guidance to some participants whose business ideas have piqued their interest.

..the mentors in NYC

2 Pinays shine in Big Apple By Jose Katigbak, The STAR Washington Bureau The Philippine Star June 05, 2011

WASHINGTON – Two Filipino women have been honored in New York for their outstanding role as teachers.

Sheila Coronel was an investigative reporter in Manila before going to New York City in 2006 to head the Toni Stabile Center for Investigative Journalism at Columbia University.

Coronel received the university’s Presidential Award for Excellence in Teaching in May although she admits she didn’t have much teaching experience.

Susan Dalmas, on the other hand, made a career of helping people learn to speak and read English, teaching the language to Indochina refugees in Bataan in the 1980s before immigrating to the United States and becoming director of adult literacy programs at Queens Library in New York.

Dalmas was honored by New York City as an outstanding civil servant and received the Sloan Public Award and a cash prize of $7,500.

Coronel was also honored for being a significant influence on the intellectual development of students. She was also awarded for her teaching excellence at both the undergraduate and graduate level.

She was included among the six honorees picked out from the 250,000 eligible New York City public workers.

The Sloan Public Service Awards, widely regarded as the Nobel Prizes of NYC government, honors outstanding civil servants whose work performance and commitment to the public transcend not merely the ordinary but the extraordinary– day after day and year after year.

Dalmas, a native of Baguio City, said it was a big honor for her to represent the Philippines at the awards ceremony in March presided over by New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

“It was a thrilling and humbling moment for me,” she said.

“Susan has worked tirelessly to develop new and innovative programs for adult learners that are recognized and imitated by libraries throughout the US,” said Diana Chapin, executive director of the Queens Library Foundation.

Dalmas joined the Queens Library in 1989.

“This woman is the energizer bunny,” remarked former Queens Library chief operating officer Maureen O’Connor.

Coronel, in a comment quoted in the Columbia University website said: “I came to the Journalism School from Manila in the fall of 2006... I didn’t have much teaching experience nor had I lived in the US before.

“But I was privileged to have fabulous students and a warm, supportive community at the Journalism School... I’m thrilled – and grateful – that the university has recognized the work we’ve done,” she said.

Coronel co-founded the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism in 1989, seven years after she began her career as a reporter.