* Volume 11, Number 1 ÚÚ P.O. Box 24112, Columbia, SC 29224 ÚÚ Summer 2001 *

FAAGC To Celebrate 10th Anniversary at Annual Gala on September 8

The Official Newsletter of the

Filipino-American Association of Greater Columbia, SC(A Non-Profit Organization to Promote Inter-Cultural Education and Understanding)

“TogetherWe Make ADifference"

Fil-Am Appreciation Night,General MembershipMeeting Set For August 4 In appreciation of the support they gave tothe Association this past year, all FAAGCmembers, supporters, and their families areinvited to attend the Fil-Am AppreciationNight on Saturday, August 4, 2001 at theRidge View High School cafeteria at 4801Hard Scrabble Road near The Summit inNortheast Columbia. Starting at 5:00 p.m., the affair includesa general membership meeting, a potluckdinner, a short awards program, and social-izing/dancing. Immediate past presidentNieves McNulty is in charge of the event;call her at 781-9509 for further details. This will be the first general membership

continued on Page 2

Peter Liunoras Heads NewFAAGC Executive Board

Peter Liunoras, a past FAAGC vice-president, was voted as the new Presidentof the Columbia Fil-Am Association at theelection of officers held during the annualFil-Am spring picnic on April 15 at theSesquicentennial Park.

(See Page 6 for information about Pete andthe other new FIL-AM officers.)

The Filipino-American Association ofGreater Columbia will celebrate its 10th

anniversary during its 11th Annual Galaon September 8, 2001. In addition, theAssociation will have the 9th induction cere-mony to usher in the 2001-2003 set of offi-cers. This year’s Fil-Am annual formalevent will be held at the Embassy SuitesHotel in Columbia from 6:00 p.m. to 1:00a.m.

The 3-in-1 celebration starts with areception at 6:00 p.m., with available cash-bar. A sit-down dinner will start at 7:00p.m., followed by a short induction programand entertainment numbers at 8:00. TheStargazer Band will provide the music forthe listening and dancing pleasure of theattendees. A multimedia presentation of thefirst 10 years of FAAGC history is alsobeing planned.

Tickets to the gala are $40 per person($30 for full-time dependent students withschool ID) and may be purchased from anyof the FAAGC officers. Several past Fil-Amofficers and members who have moved outof town have indicated they will be comingback to attend the festivities.

Since the annual gala is the major fund-raising event of the Association, we are alsosoliciting all kinds of contribution in the

form of advertisements and donations (seeenclosed form). The proceeds of the eventsupport the various community-orientedand youth programs of the Association aswell as add to the Fil-Am scholarship andcultural center funds. We request that allads and contributions be received no laterthan August 25 to insure inclusion in thesouvenir program.

Due to hotel requirements regardingfood quantity to be prepared, all gala ticketreservations must be confirmed and paidfor by noon on Monday, September 3.

A special room rate of $89 per night isavailable for those who want to stay atEmbassy Suites. Please reserve your roomthree weeks in advance.

Babysitting services will be available inthe gala hospitality suite for $20 per child($35 for two) from 6:00 p.m. to midnight.The price includes pizza and drinks (if yourchild needs special food, please bring thiswith you).

For more information regarding thisbabysitting service, as well as for ticketsand further details about the gala, contactany of the officers listed on Page 2.

The FAAGC Executive Board for 2001-2003: (from left) Hector Galang, Pete Liunoras, DianePhillips, Tessie DeCastro, George McNulty, Lulu Anderson, Marj Peña, Tessie Kenerson, Polly

Pearson, Alan Geoghegan & Rudy Dizon. Not in photo: Ruben Matias-Bagnal. Photo by Jim Kenerson

The Filipino-American

Association of Greater Columbiacordially invites you to its

9th Induction, 10th Anniversary,& 11th Annual GALA

Celebration at the

Embassy Suites Hotel200 Stoneridge Drive

(off Greystone Blvd. & I-126)Columbia, SC

on Saturday, September 8, 2001

from 6:00 p.m. to 1:00 a.m.

FIL-AM BULLETINThe Official Newsletter of the

Filipino-AmericanAssociation of Greater Columbia, SC

P.O. Box 24112Columbia, SC 29224

The Fil-Am Bulletin is one vehicle ofthe Association to achieve its

objectives and maintain regularcommunications with its members and

interested parties. Contributions ofarticles (as well as financial

donations) are most welcome; contactthe Editor for more details.

NOEL C. ALONEditor

Tel. (803) 738-0372e-mail: NCA7@hotmail.com

Helen Alon Production/Circulation Coordinator

e-mail: HELENQDA@yahoo.com

AJ Alon * Aileen Alon * Nola Alon Production/Circulation Assistants

How To Reach UsFAAGC

P.O. Box 24112 Columbia, SC 29224

e-mail: faagc@hotmail.comwww.faagc.homestead.com

J J J J J J J J J

2001-2003 EXECUTIVE BOARDPresident

PETER LIUNORAS(803) 699-1214

First Vice-PresidentTESSIE DeCASTRO

(803) 736-1649Second Vice-PresidentTESSIE KENERSON

(803) 699-1178Secretary

MARJ PEÑA(803) 732-1202

Assistant SecretaryLULU ANDERSON

(803) 788-4050Treasurer

GEORGE McNULTY(803) 781-9509

Assistant TreasurerPOLLY PEARSON

(803) 499-9596

Executive Board Members:RUDY DIZON(803) 788-4067

HECTOR GALANG (803) 736-8997

ALAN GEOGHEGAN (803) 787-5255

RUBEN MATIAS-BAGNAL(803) 699-0797

DIANE PHILLIPS(803) 955-9515

The President’s Corner

by Peter Liunoras

Mission Statement

PAGE 2 FIL-AM BULLETIN SUMMER 2001

First of all, I would like tothank the Fil-Am community ofGreater Columbia for electing meas president. Mabuhay!

As the newly elected presi-dent, I will always have a visionof goals for all that we want toaccomplish. Among the objec-tives that we would like to accom-plish during this term (and be-yond, even without me), are tostrengthen the volunteer prog-ram, to establish scholarshipfunding, and to work for a futurecultural center for the Fil-Am As-sociation of Columbia.

In order for these goals to beaccomplished, we need not onlythe help of the Fil-Am officers,but the participation of the com-munity as well.

Appreciation Night(continued from Page 1)

business meeting for the Associa-tion Year 2001-2002. Your at-tendance is urgently needed tohelp set the tone and activities forthe coming year. This is also agood time to socialize and meetthe many new members we have.

Since this is a POTLUCKget-together, please bring a 3-litersoda and covered dish enough foryour family and others. Toensure food variety, suggestedcovered dishes are as follows(based on the first letter of thefamily names): A – C : Dessert

D – H : Vegetable Dish I – N : Rice; Pancit/noodles O – Z : Meat Dish

FAAGC : Plates, utensils, ice

After stepping down as Presi-dent of FAAGC, I would like toshare with you my reflections ofwhat’s good, what’s bad andwhat’s ugly about the Associa-tion. Since I want to end with apositive note, I would like to re-verse the order.

First, the ugly. What I amabout to say is not unique to ourorganization. The ugly is whensomeone in the group or outsidethe group receives or instigatesquestionable or negative informa-tion about someone or somethingassociated with the organizationand either believes it or spreads itwithout further investigation.Many times misunderstandingsoccur, feelings are hurt, and peo-ple leave the group because ofinformation that may not havebeen true, may not have been thecomplete picture or may havebeen taken completely out of con-text. I do not want to mentionspecific instances but they dooccur, mostly unintentionally, butalso because we are only human.

How can we avoid falling intothis ugly trap? Open communi-cation is the answer. If we hearof something that bothers us, findout if it is true from those whoare involved and avoid being thesource of misinformation.

Next, the bad. What I think isbad about our organization is thelack of participation by some ofthe members. Most of the time itis the Executive Board and asmall handful of members whovolunteer their time, energy,money and other resources forFAAGC’s activities. It is true weare all busy with our jobs, ourfamilies and other activities, butit would be nice if other membersvolunteered to do somethingwithout being asked, or if asked,would try to accommodate therequest as best as they could.

In the past four years I may nothave provided the push or theinspiration for members to bemore active in the organization,and I apologize for that. Pleasedo not let one person, officer or

not, be your excuse from becom-ing more active in the future.Don’t wait to be asked. Instead,ask what you can do.

Finally, the good. The Philip-pines, Tagalog, Bisaya, Ilokano,Bicol, tinikling, singkil, Igorot,maglalatik, pandanggo sa ilaw,binasuan, fan dance, adobo,pan-cit, lumpia, pakbet, inihaw,lechon, halo-halo, puto, kutsinta,leche flan, paksiw, suman, cara-bao, jeepney, Mayon, po, Rizal,Bonifacio, Juan Luna, Aguinaldo,Kalayaan, Maria Clara, barong,butterfly sleeves, kimona;

Christmas party, Easter picnic,annual gala, cookouts, potluck,dance troupe, International Festi-val, exhibits, weddings, funerals,births, graduations, ChristmasCarillon parade, Lolo, Lola,inaanak, bayanihan;

Eva, Minnie, Helen, Pete,Noel, Grace, Tessie, Eloisa, Rena-to, Ruben, Linda, Leah, Manny,Sally, Gene, Bill, Whip, Fred,Pat, Jaja, Judy, Polly, Edith, Joy,Tessie, Tony, Eden, Marj, George,Remy, Jon, Imelda, Rowena, Jojo,Rudy, Remy, Francisco, Marvin,Beth, Precy, Cecile, Laura, Al,Susan, Chari, Ofelia, Hector,Alan, Joellen, Maria, Naty,Conrad, Bruce, Ben, Aida,Virgie, Whip, Judy, Ruth, LeeAnn, Almira, Raymond, AJ, Al-fred, Aileen, Eileen, Kathleen,Abigail , Racquel, Rizza,Michelle, Frances, Danielle,Brian, Justin, Nichole, Christine,Pierce, Jeslie Ann, Jessica,Jessamine, Iris, Alvin, Racquel,Raymond, Christian, Mariel, Ron,Twinkle, Ignacio, Isel, Irene, Jeff-rey, Ian, Sean, Andrew, et al.;

bahay kubo, vinta, flowers, thenewsletter, etc., etc., etc. . . .

As you can see, and lest weforget, the good outweighs thebad and the ugly.

Thank you for the opportunityto serve you.

The Good, The Bad, And The Uglyby Nieves McNulty

1997-2001 FAAGC President

Be Proud ofYour Heritage

˜̃

Join the ColumbiaFil-Am Association

˜̃

“Together We Make A Difference”

M O T I O N S & T R A N S I T I O N SM O T I O N S & T R A N S I T I O N S

SUMMER 2001 FIL-AM BULLETIN PAGE 3

Welcome...New MembersWelcome...New Members

oABU-BA-KAR & ROWE-NA ALI of Newberry, SC.They have a son, Cayd Ben.

oMERLYN BAJAMUNDEof Columbia, SC. She ownsJust“4" You which makes per-sonalized gift baskets and cakesfor special occasions.

oTIM & CATHY TUAÑOBUICE of Columbia, SC. Sheis from Tondo, Manila andworks as an admistrativeassistant/advocate with P&Afor People with Disabilities.He is a Columbia police officer.

oJAMES & MICHELLECHIN of Irmo, SC. Michelleis originally from Parañaque,Metro Manila. James is ahealth care administrator atMedical Services of America.In the Columbia area for abouta year now, they have twochildren: Nicole, 5, andKathleen, 2.

oANNIE COOLEY ofSumter, SC. A technician withGold Kist, she has been inSouth Carolina for 27 years.

oTRICIA CORONADO ofSumter, SC. A native of Pasig,Rizal, she recently arrived inthe area as a registered nursewith the Tuomey Health CareSystem in Sumter, SC.

oMELINDA DRAKE ofColumbia, SC. Originally fromQuezon City, she has been inSouth Carolina for 14 years.With a doctorate in businessadministration and a master’s

degree in social work, she is aprofessor at Limestone Collegeand a social worker withWillowglen Academy. Shewants the Association to “reachout to Filipinos across SouthCarolina and be able to assistthem in their assimilation in theU.S.” She has a daughter, AsaLynne, 12.

oDERRILL FELKEL ofColumbia, SC. A native SouthCarolinian, he is a teacher atRidge View High School.

oLITA HUFF of Sumter, SC.A longtime SC resident, she isoriginally from San Fernando,La Union. She is a custodialwork leader at NAF Lodging.Her husband, Larry, is amechanic with Sumter SchoolDistrict 17. They have twochildren: Maria, 23, andCarmelita, 20.

oEDSEL & MARJ PEÑA ofColumbia, SC. Recently arrivedin Columbia, Ed hails fromPanganiban, Catanduanes,while Marj is from Phillips,Del Monte, Bukidnon. He is aprofessor of statistics at USC,while she is a research assistantprofessor at the USC BiologyDepartment and USC CancerCenter. They have twodaughters: Judith, 14, andMichelle, 12.

oGIGI PEPITO of Sumter,SC. A registered nurse, she isfrom Sta. Rosa, Laguna. New-ly arrived in the area, she hopesthe Association helps her “meeta lot of people (most especiallyFilipinos).”

o J O N A T H A N “ J P ”PORTIS of Dalzell, SC. Amember of the US Air Force atShaw AFB, he likes food pre-paration, singing and tennis.

oTOM & FLOR RIPLEY ofColumbia, SC. Originally fromLeyte, Flor works as a data pro-cessing clerk with the USArmy. Tom is a retired USArmy man. Just two years inthe area, they have a child,Chancy, 16. They hope the

Association gets “moreinvolved with the communityand our youth.”

oR O B B I E & F L OTUMBOKON of Columbia,SC. A retired medical doctor,Robbie hails from Aklan andMakati. Originally fromYoungstown, Ohio, Flo is anurse at the SC Department ofHealth & EnviromentalControl.

oFRANCING WALKER ofDalzell, SC. Originally fromAlaminos, Pangasinan, she is aHeadStart teacher with WatereeCommunity Action. She thinksthe Association membersshould “work together as ateam and respect one another.”

oMITCH & TINA ZEMP ofIrmo, SC. From Makati, MetroManila, she is a registerednurse at Palmetto RichlandMemorial Hospital. A nativeof Mullins, South Carolina, heis a quality engineer at FederalMogul. They hope the

Association can help them“promote friendship with otherFilipinos and Americans andprovide better understanding ofthe Filipino heritage.” InColumbia for ten years now,they have a daughter, JessicaMarie, 1.

Congratulations to:

( BILLY & EDITH ALSTONon their recent 10th weddinganniversary. They had a four-daycelebration in Atlanta withdaughter Tracy (who also celebra-ted her birthday) and her husbandPaul.

( RACQUEL DIZON on herrecent promotion to assistantcomptroller/director at the MGMGrand Hotel in Las Vegas. Thedaughter of Rudy & BrendaDizon, she was a former FAAGCassistant secretary.

At Iba Pa... Etc...

’ We are in the process ofupdating the Fil-Am directory.If you have a new address,telephone number, and/or e-mailaddress , p lease contac tMembership Committee chairHelen Alon (738-0372; e-mail:HELENQDA@yahoo.com) toupdate our records.

— If you have any Fil-AmAssociation property, i.e., dancetroupe costumes, books, music/video tapes, or other items, kindlyreturn them to, or at least contact,Helen Alon (738-0372; e-mail:HELENQDA@yahoo.com) so wecan finalize our propertyinventory.

Ú Ú Ú Ú Ú A’C’H’I’E’V’E’M’E’N’T’S G’A’L’O’R’E

PAGE 4 FIL-AM BULLETIN SUMMER 2001

Although the 2001-2002 school year is about to start, we would be remiss if we don’t carry on our annual tradition of recognizinghigh-achieving children (and adults too) in the Fil-Am community during the immediate past school year. Belated this may be,CONGRATULATIONS to the following graduates and awardees (and all others not mentioned here due to our lack of detailedinformation on their individual achievements -- only a few families returned our telephone calls or the forms we mailed).

The GraduatesGraduatesGraduatesGraduatesy RENATO CRUZ DECASTRO received his Ph.D. inInternational Studies from USC

during theBicenten-nial Com-m e n c e -m e n tExerciseson May12, 2001.His dis-ser tat ionw a se n t i t l e d"The Post-Cold-WarManagem

ent of the U.S. Alliances withJapan, South Korea, and thePhilippines: A Comparative Ana-lysis." A very active FAAGC mem-ber during his USC stint, he hasreturned to the Philippines toresume his teaching position at DeLa Salle University. y LAUREL ELIZABETHKENERSON received her Bache-l o r o fS c i e n c ed e g r e ef r o mF r a n c i sM a r i o nUniversityi n F l o -rence, SC,on May 5.L a u r e l ,w h omajored inpo l i t ica ls c i e n c e ,was a member of the highlysuccessful Francis Marionwomen’s soccer team which wentto the NCAA tournament twice inher four years on the team. Adaughter of Tessie and JimKenerson of Columbia (who now“find their nest empty”), Laurelplans to work and live inCharleston.

y MICHAEL BAENS graduatedwith honors from Cardinal New-man High School. A son of Hector& Lolita Baens of Columbia, SC,he plans to study at USC.

y PIERCE EMBREE COOKIII graduated from Irmo HighSchool on June 2 and will attendUSC to take up media arts. He isthe son of Joellen Cook of Irmo,SC.y JESSICA CABADINGCUARESMA graduated on June1 from Richland Northeast HighSch ool .For thelast foury e a r s ,she wasi n t heschool’stechnolo- g y -b a s e dInfolinkma g n e tprogramfor ac-celerated college prep students.The senior class treasurer, she wasan active member of the StudentGovernment, National HonorSociety, French InternationalClub, Interact Service Club,Hospitality Commission andSchool Improvement Commis-sion. She was a delegate to theSC Association of Student Coun-cils convention in Myrtle Beachlast summer. Extensively involvedwith the Cavalier Journal, theschool’s video magazine, and theRNE morning news where sheserved as an anchor and a cameraoperator, she received several me-dia journalism awards, includingBest Out-of-School Feature, BestOverall Technician, and inductionto the Quill & Scroll NationalJournalism Honor Society. Shealso interned this past school yearas a co-host of Youth Clicks, aweekly teen talk show aired on SCETV. Voted by her senior peersas “Most Dependable,” she alsoreceived US National Leadership,Youth Click Leadership, InfolinkCommunity Service, and SeniorEnglish Achievement awards.With a 3.6 GPA, she has receivedscholarship awards from SCLIFE, Spring Valley Rotary Club,and the MG James Ursano Scho-larship Fund. She will attend theUniversity of South Carolina tostudy broadcast journalism. A

pioneer Fil-Am Cultural DanceTroupe member, she is a daughterof Manny & Leah Cuaresma ofColumbia, SC.y CATHERINE PACITAGOYENECHE graduated fromHartsville High School on May25. An All-State athlete and thes c h oo lMVP int r a c kand wo-m e n ’ svar s i tyvol ley-b a l l ,C a t h ys e t an e ws ch o o lr e c o r d(1:08.68) in the 400 hurdles when she ranfifth in the event at the recentstate track meet at Spring ValleyHigh School. With acade-micscholarship awards from Pal-metto Fellows, Clemson AbneyScholarship, Top 10 Student,CP&L Bright Light, and Harts-ville Lawyers, she will study atClemson University. She is adaughter of Charles & BeverlyGoyeneche of Hartsville, SC.y A L F R E D J O S E P HMCNULTY graduated from IrmoHigh School on June 2. An honorroll student, he was a member ofthe Drama Club, the ThespianHonor Society, the Irmo HS webteam, computer programmingteam, the Cheese Club, the KittyHawk Society, and FOB Club. Hehas performed in the play Deathof a Salesman and has beeninvolved in community theaterproductions at Lexington. Hereceived full tuition and trustee’sscholarsh i p s(totaling$76,000)f r o mA l l e -g h e n yC ol lege(PA) buth a sopted tog o t oU S C

instead to major in computerengineering. A pioneer Fil-Amdance troupe member, he is theolder son of George & NievesMcNulty of Columbia, SC.y J A M E S T I M OT HYPINEDA graduated as classvaledictorian from RichlandNortheast High School on June 1.A four-year 4.0 honor roll studentin the Horizon magnet programand withs e v e r a lc o l l e g eA d -v a n c e dPlacement( A P )courses tohis credit,he had a5 . 2 5 5G P A .A m o n ghis senior-year honors and awards were:Who’s Who Among High SchoolStudents, Out-standing Senior,Senior Super-lative -– MostStudious, Out-standing APSpanish Student of the Year,nomination for National YouthLeadership Forum on Medicine,Outstanding Delegate at the IvyLeague Model UN Conference,and participation in AcademicGovernor’s School of SouthCarolina and the Palmetto Boy’sState 2000. He was an officer ormember of various organizations,including Model UN team(president), National HonorSociety (vice president), Interact(treasurer), Student Government,National Spanish Honor Society,Mu Alpha Theta, SC JuniorAcademy of Science. He was athree-year member of the RNHSNationals Model UN Team whichrecently won its 12th consecutiveaward of distinction and theRNHS SAT team which won thestate AAAA championship. Anaccomplished violinist andpianist, he was assistantconcertmaster of the RichlandTwo District Orchestra and the SCYouth Philharmonic Orchestra.Recipient of scholarship offerstotaling about $650,000 fromvarious universities, TJ has

A’C’H’I’E’V’E’M’E’N’T’S G’A’L’O’R’E Ú Ú Ú Ú Ú

SUMMER 2001 FIL-AM BULLETIN PAGE 5

decided to attend DukeUniversity as an Angier B.Duke Scholar for a doublemajor in public policy andchemistry. This summer heinterned in the Manila office ofthe World Health Organiza-tion, of which he hopes “ideal-ly... to become the director-general.” A former Fil-Amdance troupe performer, TJ is ason of Jaime & Alice Pineda ofColumbia, SC.y MICHELLE RABACASHAW graduated on June 1from Ridge View High School.She is the daughter of William &Luz Shaw of Elgin, SC.

The Graduates-To-Be

o CHANCY RIPLEYfinished his sophomore year atSpring Valley High School andreceived “Student of the Quarterfor Marketing” award. He alsoreceived two honor roll achieve-ment citations from the SC House

of Repre-sentatives.A volun-teer forChrist forTeens, heis the sonof Tom &F l o rRipley ofColumbia,SC.

o NICOLE PHILLIPScompleted second grade atCongaree Elementary with some

recognitionawards. Anall-A studenti n t h eA d v a n c e dElementaryP r o g r a m(AEP) for

gifted and talented students, shereceived awards for Bringing UpGrades (BUG), successfullycompleting the Brain BoostersProgram, reading lots of books,and her writing and art work. Sheis a daughter of Mark & DianePhillips of Lexington, SC.

o MICHELLE PEÑAcompleted her sixth grade with a“Student of the Year” award at

Cross RoadsM i d d l eSchool. Amember ofthe NationalJunior BetaClub, shew a s a l s o

recognized for her 4.0 GPA andperfect attendance record. Sheplayed first cello with the CRMSCougar Concertante Orchestraand attended the Tri-District ArtsConsortium (Tri-DAC 2001)program at Columbia College.She is a daughter of Edsel &Marj Peña of Irmo, SC.

o JUDITH PEÑA finishedninth grade atIrmo HighS c h o o l .N a m e d“outstandingfreshman” int h e I r m oO r c he s t r a ,she playedviolin in the

SC All-State orchestra and theDistrict V honors orchestrawhich participated in Musicate2001 in New York. She attendedthe Governor’s School for Arts &Humanities summer academy. Afinalist for Miss Irmo YellowJacket, she is a member of theIrmo High Steppers for 2001-02.She is a daughter of Edsel &Marj Peña of Irmo, SC.

o MICHAEL McNULTYcompleted his freshman year atIrmo High School as an honorroll student. Enrolled in fresh-man honors classes, he was amember of the Drama Club andthe German Club. He is theyounger son of George & NievesMcNulty of Columbia, SC.

o IRENE LIUNORAS com-pleted her 11th grade at RidgeView High with recognition

awards forb e i n g a“Junior ofP r o m i s e ”and a “JuniorMarshal l .”A Beta Clubmember, shew a s a l s o

elected National Honor Societysecretary for 2001-02. She at-

tended the Governor’s School forArts & Humanities summer honorsprogram for music. A volunteer atFt. Jackson’s Special Olympics, sheis the youngest daughter of Pete &Olga Liunoras of Columbia, SC.

o AMANDA GOYENECHEfinished ninth grade at HartsvilleHigh School with all-A honors.The junior varsity captain, shereceived the Coaches’ Award forher participation in women's varsi-ty volleyball team. She is theyoungest daughter of Charles & BevGoyeneche of Hartsville, SC.

o ASA LYNNE DRAKEcompleted sixth grade at SummitParkway Middle School and re-ceived awards for A honor roll,highest math GPA, and highestscience GPA. She was also recog-nized for “most enthusiasticreader,” perfect homework, and artachievement. She is the daughter ofMelinda Drake of Columbia, SC.

o NICHOLE ANDERSONfinished third grade as an A/B ho-nor roll student and received theGovernor Certificate for ReadingShe is the daughter of Leroy & LuluAnderson of Columbia, SC.

o A.J. ALON completed tenthgrade in the Horizon program atRichland Northeast HS with a fewawards. Recipient of "Honor RollAchievement" citations from the SCHouse of Representatives, he waslisted in the “Who’s Who AmongAmerican High School Students.”He was the school’s second placerin the National Math Exam and wasinducted into the Spanish HonorSociety. He was a member of theinternationally-acclaimed ModelUnited Nations team and stateAAAA champion SAT Competitionteam. He played French horn in theRichland Two District Orchestrawhich performed in New York’sCarnegie Hall on June 3, 2001.Named to the All-Region band, healso received a trophy as out-standing soloist at Music Festivals2001. A member of the Key ClubInternational, he served as volunteerat Harvest Hope Food Bank and theColumbia International Festival. Apioneer Fil-Am Cultural DanceTroupe member and FAAGC news-letter production assistant, he is theson of Noel & Helen Alon of

Columbia, SC.o AILEEN ALON finishedseventh grade as a TLC magnetprogram student at Dent MiddleSchool with awards for academicexce l lenc e and pe r fec tattendance. On the A honor rollall year, she received recognitionawards for being an outstandingstudent in Spanish, orchestra andadvanced art. She was also given“state level recognition” for SAT-based mathematical and verbalability by the Duke UniversityTalent Identification Program(TIP). A violin student with theUSC Strings Project for the pastfour years, she was chosen for theIntermezzo orchestra and playedin the project’s honor recital. Shereceived superior rating in astrings duet during the Solo &Ensemble Festival held by theSC Music Educators Association.She also attended the 2001 Tri-District Arts Consortium sum-mer program for music (strings)held at Columbia College. ABeta Club member, she has donevolunteer work for Harvest HopeFood Bank and the St. JohnNeumann Church Youth Prog-ram. A member of the Fil-AmCultural Dance Troupe and aFAAGC newsletter productionassistant, she is the daughter ofNoel & Helen Alon of Columbia,SC.

yyyy JUDY SALVADORfinished her dentistry degree atNova Southern University inFt. Lauderdale, FL, last May.She is now waiting for theresults of the dentistry boardexams she recently took inCharleston, SC. Presently, sheworks at the dental office ofDr. Walter Gunter in Colum-bia. A former Fil-Am dancetroupe performer, Judy alsoserved as FAAGC secretaryfrom 1993 to 1996.

Congratulationsto y’all !to y’all !to y’all !to y’all !

S y s

Ú The 2001-03 faagc executive board Ú

PAGE 6 FIL-AM BULLETIN SUMMER 2001

Here’s a brief look at the newleaders who will guide theColumbia Fil-Am Associationfor the next two years.

PP ETER LIUNORAS(President)

Since becoming members in1995, Pete and his family havebeen very active in FAAGCactivities. He served as a Fil-Ambasketball coach, Executive BoardMember in 1996-97 and FirstVice-President in 1997-99.

During his term, he would liketo develop a community-orientedvolunteer program, seek scholar-ship funding, and work for afuture Fil-Am cultural center.

Born in Makati but growing upin Batangas City, he has degreesin aeronautical engineering fromFEATI University (Manila) and ineducation from the University ofWiscons in-Stevens Poin t(UWSP). He was an assistantprofessor of military science atUWSP in 1990-93. In the U.S.since 1969 and a U.S. Armyretiree, he works as JROTCinstructor at Ridge View HighSchool.

He has served in the SchoolImprovement Councils of Blythe-wood Middle and Ridge ViewHigh and in the District TwoImprovement Council. He is amember of the Knights of Colum-bus, a volunteer/usher for St. JohnNeumann Church, and a volun-teer at the Diabetic Foundation,Special Olympics, and DornVeterans Hospital.

He is married to the formerOlga Laut from Bato, CamarinesSur. They have three children(Ignacio II, Isel and Irene -- all ofwhom were members of the Fil-Am dance troupe) and a grand-son, Brandon, 1 (the son of Igna-cio II and the former JenniferEstrada of Charleston, SC).

TT ESSIE DE CASTRO(First Vice-President)

A pioneer FAAGC membersince 1991, Tessie served asExecutive Board Member in 1992.

During this coming term ofoffice, she would like the Asso-ciation “to continue promoting thePhilippine culture as well as tobecome a more active charitableorganization, helping the poorpeople be educated especially

about their financial needs.” Shewill also work on our goal to havesome additional building fund sowe can “have our own place forwork and recreational activities.”

A Dagupan City (Pangasinan)native, she obtained her medicaldegree from the University OfSanto Tomas (Manila).In the U.S.for 30 years now, she works at theSC Department of Mental Health.She is a volunteer when neededfor the Mental Health Departmentin the state ‘s disaster areas.

She is married to Tony DeCastro, Jr., a retired corporatelawyer. They have five grownchildren: John, Ricardo, Roberto,Alexei and Arne.

TT ESSIE KENERSON(Second Vice-President)

A pioneer FAAGC member,Tessie was elected Treasurer in1993, 2nd Vice-President in 1996-97 and Executive Board Memberin 1994-96 and 1999-200.

Asked about her plans for theAssociation, she says she wouldlike to “help in planning ways toincrease membership and promotegood public relations, expand ourcultural presentations by introdu-cing/teaching new dances andstyles, and assist actively in fund-raising and other activities,.”

Born in Balayan, Batangas, butgrowing up in Tondo, Manila, shehas been in the U.S. for the past29 years. With a nursing degreefrom the University of SantoTomas, she now works atPalmetto Baptist Hospital. She is married to James Kener-son, a retired postal inspector,who has a recurring role every Fil-Am Christmas party. They havetwo grown daughters, Tessa andLaurel.

MM ARJ PEÑA(Secretary)

Being new in the area, Marjsays she “will work hard to fostergood relations and good willamong the Filipinos in ouradopted city and encourage allFilipinos to participate in all theactivities and use their talents toachieve our goals as anorganization.”

Born in Cebu City but growingup in Phillips, Bukidnon, sheearned a chemistry degree fromthe University of Santo Tomas,and M.S. (chemistry) and Ph.D.

(biology) from Bowling GreenState University. In the U.S. for18 years now, she works at theDepartment of Biological Sciencesat USC.

She is married to Edsel Peña, aprofessor of statistics at USC.They have two daughters, JudithChrista,14 (a Fil-Am dance troupeperformer), and Michelle Anne,12.

LL ULU ANDERSON(Assistant Secretary)

Pioneer members since 1991,Lulu and her family have beenactively involved in andsupportive of FAAGC activities.

A Pampanga native, she ownsand operates her own successfulnail salon business (CreativeNails by Lulu) in the Five Pointsarea of Columbia. She is married to Leroy Ander-son. They have two children:Justin (a Fil-Am dance troupeperformer) and Nichole.

GG EORGE MCNULTY(Treasurer)

George has been an activeparticipant/supporter of the Asso-ciation since its inception, espe-cially during the last four yearswhen his spouse was the FAAGCpresident. He wants to “ensurethe financial health of the Asso-ciation and facilitate its culturalactivities.” He serves as facultyadviser to the Filipino-AmericanStudent Association at USC.

A native Californian, he has aPh.D. in mathematics from theUniversity of California-Berkeley.He is a math professor at USC.

He is married to past FAAGCpresident Nieves Austria McNul-ty, who is the math departmentchair at Columbia College. Theyhave two sons: Alfred, 18, andMichael, 15 (both Fil-Am dancetroupe performers).

PP OLLY PEARSON(Assistant Treasurer)

A very energetic member andpast officer of the Association,Polly has been the FAAGC point-of-contact in the Sumter area. Shehas served as Fil-Am treasurer in1993-94 and Executive BoardMember in 1993 and 1994-96.

She says she will “continue tosupport all the activities for thebuilding fund and will recruit

more members.”Originally from Olongapo,

Zambales who has been in the USfor 27 years, she retired from theArmy Air Force Exchange Ser-vices (AAFES). She owns andoperates the Fil-Am Store inSumter, SC.

In addition to volunteering herservices to FAAGC, she alsovolunteers as usher at the ShawAir Force Catholic Chapel.

She is married to Lee Pearson,an Air Force retiree. They havetwo grown children: John and LeeAnn (a former Fil-Am dancetroupe performer), and threegrandchildren: Hannah, Dustin,and Devin.

RR UDY DIZON(Executive Board Member)

Rudy and his family have beenactive supporters of the Associa-tion since their arrival here. A Fil-Am dance troupe performer, hisdaughter Racquel also served asassistant secretary in 1998-99.

Born in Pasay City, he is anaccounting graduate of De LaSalle University (Manila). In theUS for nearly 10 years, he worksat Eagle Aviation/UPS and atKroger.

He and his wife Brenda (who isstill in the Philippines) have fourgrown children: Rubi Ann,Ramon, Rhoderick and Racquel.

HH ECTOR GALANG(Executive Board Member)

A FAAGC supporter for a fewyears now, Hector hopes to help“accomplish the goals of theAssociation by improving ourmethods of fund raising andrecruiting more members.” He hasoffered the use of his store as anadjunct FAAGC meeting place.

Originally from Macabebe,Pampanga, he obtained an A.B.degree from the University ofSanto Tomas and a law degreefrom Manuel L. Quezon Univer-sity. He was a member of thePhilippine Bar. In the US for 29years, he owns and operates theMang Tomas Filipino Restaurantand the Filipino Oriental Groceryon Decker Blvd. in Columbia.

He is married to Julie Galang,originally from Northern Samar,who is a medical doctor at Mon-crief Army Hospital in Ft. Jack-son. They have two grown sons

Philippine Nurses Association Chapter in Columbia?by Cristina Contreras-Zemp

Basta PinoyThe Wonderful World of Sago

by Imelda Go

2001-03 Fil-am officers

SUMMER 2001 FIL-AM BULLETIN PAGE 7

Hector Perry and EdwardMichael) and two grandchildren,Sarah and Jackie.

AA LAN GEOGHEGAN(Executive Board Member)

Since joining FAAGC threeyears ago, Alan has becoming aregular presence at Fil-Amactivities.

During his term, he would liketo “bring more of Filipino cul-ture, traditions, and art to adiverse audience in the U.S.” Atpresent he is completing a self-produced video production on theTiboli tribe of South Cotabato,Mindanao. Also, he would liketo “have a warm extended familylocally,” so when his fianceecomes “here soon, she will feel athome.” Lastly, he promises “toregularly partake in consuminglumpia and San Miguel beer” sohe will “not forget his birthplace.

Born in Pasay (and “baptizedat Malate Church”), he studiedat the United Nations Inter-national School in New York andat Ampleforth College in York,England, where he obtained aliberal arts degree. In the US for5 years now, he does videoproduction and Web design atMediaNetwork.

A volunteer for Habitat forHumanity, March of Dimes andSierra Club, he is currentlytaking care of two parakeetswhile waiting for the arrival ofganda fiancee Cecille fromDigos, Davao del Sur.

RR UBEN MATIAS-BAGNAL(Executive Board Member)

A pioneer member since 1991whole family has been very activein Fil-Am affairs, Ruben tries todo every thing he can to furtherthe goals of the Association. Hewas an Executive Board Memberin 2000-2001 and was instru-mental in the financial success oflast year’s gala..

A graduate of Philippine Na-tional Agricultural School, healso completed an EmergencyMedical Technician (EMT) prog-ram at Midlands Technical Col-lege. Here since 1988, he worksat Spring Valley Country Club.

He is married to Chari Matias-Bagnal, from Lingayen, Panga-sinan, who served as FAAGCassistant secretary in 1997-98.

They have three children:Ruchelle, Rizza and Raquel (whois a Fil-Am dance troupeperformer).

DD IANE PHILLIPS(Executive Board Member)

Since joining FAAGC in1995, Diane has actively partici-pated in Fil-Am activities. Asofficer, she intends to do her“very best to cope with the tasksand responsibilities” of her posi-tion.

Born in San Carlos City,Negros Occidental, she grew upand studied in Cebu City, goingto the University of Visayas.

In the US for nine years now,she is married to Mark Phillipsfrom Atlanta. They have twodaughters: Nicole, 8, and Anna,5.

The Philippine NursesAssociation of America (PNAA)held its annual convention inChicago last July 5-8, 2001. Iwas invited by Dianne Elkins, anurse recruiter for PalmettoRichland Memorial Hospital(RMH), to assist them asexhibitors at this convention.Palmetto Richland wanted to stirmore interest for South Carolinaand was hoping also to recruitsome seasoned and not-so-seasoned Filipino nurses to comeand work for RMH.

This was the first time thatRMH and I participated in aPNAA convention; we did notknow what to expect. In truth Iwas unaware that there was evena PNAA. I was pleasantlysurprised and amazed at howorganized and dedicated itsmembers were. Because themembers were predominantlyFilipino, almost everybody wasvery hospitable – in fact theother ladies from RMH havecommented on it several times.

I was about to ask one of the

During my December 2000 tripto the Philippines, I was reintro-duced to the wonderful world ofsago. Sago or (tapioca ball in Eng-lish) is a popular food item in thePhilippines. Sago comes in a varietyof spherical sizes and is often usedin snack or dessert items.

As I was growing up in thePhilippines, it was typical to have aclassic sago cooler to accompany anafternoon merienda or snack. Theclassic sago cooler consists of sagoin a sugar-water solution. The drinkcould also include colorful firm jellycubes and/or coconut strips.

It seems that, for the year 2000, avariation of the classic sago cooleris a bestseller in the Metro Manilaarea. This variation is a fruit, sugar,and ice slush over a heap of sago.The drink is equivalent to a fruitshake with sago. The vendors alsoprovide a large straw to sip thesago. Marketed as a “pearl shake”due to the sago’s pearl-like shape, Iwas tickled to see the differentnames in which they were beingsold. One might think a spelling

PNAA members from the Hawaiichapter if there were anyrepresentatives from SouthCarolina, when I heard a pleasant"Kumusta ka?" I turned my headand saw ten ladies of various ageswith big ID cards saying they werefrom South Carolina. They weresurprised to see RMH as exhibitor.After several rounds of introduction,I was again surprised to find thatthe Charleston, SC, chapter hadbeen a member of the PNAA since1978.

I also spoke with chapter headsSally Ani and Nita Maravilla, bothfrom Goose Creek, SC. They saidthat everyone at the Charlestonchapter is trying to get in touch withthe Filipino community in theColumbia/Midlands area, to see ifthey can get a PNAA Columbiabranch set up, especially since thePNAA 2003 convention will be inCharleston, South Carolina.

If you are interested or havecomments, suggestions, etc. withregards to a PNAA Columbiachapter, please e-mail me atZEMP1997@AOL.COM.

lesson wasin order.S o m eexamplesfollow:

„ Z a g u(This is pronounced as ZAAH-goowith the accent on the first syllable.)„ Xagu (This particular seller islocated next to a Kink Cakes store.The cake store is linked to the letterX. It took me a while to realize whatthe connection was. The followingsentence might help: X-rated moviesare kinky.) „ Gummi (This is probablybecause cooked sago has a gummytexture.) „ Onyx (Ordinary sago arenaturally light in color. The sago usedby many sellers are darker in colorand resemble the black onyx stone.)„ Sagomoto (This is my personalfavorite. It sounds like a Japaneseword, but upon closer examination itreally looks like a contraction of“Sago mo ito.” That is, “Sago mo ‘to.”Translated into English, it means,“This is your sago.”)„ DEC (In a November 2000Philippine Inquirer newspaper critic’sarticle, DEC’s pearl shake wasproclaimed the best compared toOnyx and Zagu because the sellerused fresh fruit and even hascoconut strips in the shake. Manyother sellers use powdered fruit thatc o u l d c o n t a i n a r t i f i c i a lcolors/flavorings. DEC stands forDiao Eng Chay which is a popularbakery that has its roots in Binondoor Chinatown.)„ “Pearl Shake ni Laura” (Thismerely translates to Laura’s PearlShake and the seller is located rightnext to Laura’s Restaurant.)„ BobaBees„ Cosmic Zagoo„ Mr. Jolly Shake„ Asaga Pearl „ Nisah Pearl„ Sh~~go„ Shagu-ShagÇÇÇÇ

And of course there arenumerous no-name pearl shakesall over Metro Manila. Whateverthe name may be, this is anotherexample of Filipino marketingingenuity in the re-invention ofsago.

Only time will tell if the “pearlshake” has staying powerespecially when one considers themany food fads that have hit thePhilippines over the years. Onething for sure is sago has stoodthe test of time. Pearl shake ornot, here’s to sago!

“TogetherTogetherWe MakeWe Make

A Difference”A Difference”

Filipino-American Association of Greater Columbia

CALENDAR OF EVENTSh h h h h h h h h h h h h h

i August 4, 2001 (Saturday; 5 p.m.) % Fil-Am Appreciation Night &

General Membership Meeting % Ridge View High School cafeteria

4801 Hardscrabble Road, Columbia, SC

i August 11, 2001 (Saturday) % FAAGC Executive Board Meeting % Anderson Residence (788-4050)

i September 8, 2001 (Saturday, 6:00 p.m.) % FAAGC 10th Anniversary Gala % Embassy Suites (252-8700)

200 Stoneridge Drive, Columbia, SC

i September 30, 2001 (Sunday, 2:00 p.m.) % FAAGC General Membership Meeting % Venue to be announced later.

i December 15, 2001 (Saturday) % FAAGC Annual Family Christmas Party %Venue to be announced later.

Mark Your Calendars Now !

* Volume 11, Number 1 Ú P.O. Box 24112, Columbia, SC 29224 Ú Summer 2001 *

PAGE 8 FIL-AM BULLETIN SUMMER 2001

Fil-Am Bulletin of the Filipino-American Association of Greater Columbia

Reminder:Columbia Fil-Am Appreciation Nightis on Saturday, August 4, 2001at Ridge View High School

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