08 | Community
Musings on a day with the ‘GIs’
Charles Chan
ON July 6, I woke up with a sense of excitement and enthusiasm as I headed south to Wollongong for an emceeing engagement with the Global Ilocanos of Australia (GIA). Arriving at the Illawarra Multicultural Services half an hour early, I mingled for the ?rst time with unfamiliar faces. The place was nicely set up so everyone had a good view of the front. The decorations on the main stage declared ‘Tribute to Mothers’. For a minute I got confused because I thought I was co-emceeing with Dr. Jimmy Lopez for the induction of the new of?cers of the GlA. Then I saw my friend Emma Braseros and I just remembered she invited me as well to witness her being crowned as the GIA’s ‘Mother of the Year’. As it turned out, the tribute was a little segment incorporated to enhance the occasion. The program started off with a very inspiring invocation by Emylee Tuzon followed by the singing of the national anthems of the Philippines and Australia. The immediate past president of GIA, Dida Garin welcomed everyone and thanked the GIA Of?cers and members for the support they accorded her during her term. APCO’s founding president and People’s Ambassador to Australia, Dr. Cen Amores, herself an Ilocano, challenged her audience to come up with ideas and activities. She reminded them that Wollongong is now the envy of a lot of Ilocanos because the ‘seat of power’ resides in their city. After her speech, it was now time to induct the new of?cers of GIA. Remi Macina, the incoming 2013 president was joined by her vice president, Myrna Lopez,
THE MESSAGE. BRINGING INTO FOCUS FILIPINO PRESENCE IN AUSTRALIA. www.kalatas.com.au | Ang Kalatas Australia | Vol. 3 No. 11 | August 2013
treasurer Sylvia Petterson, assistant treasurer Josephine de los Reyes, and directors Emma Braceros, Jimmy Lopez, Lilia McKinnon and Pitz Dorninger. Entertainment was brief. The Mindanao Ethnic Dance Group led by Emma Braceros performed a Muslim Dance while Ms Linda Trinidad charmed everyone with her Italian and English songs to pay tribute to all the mothers inside the centre and all the contributors from Westpac. There was also the judging of the Best in Traditional Filipiniana. After that, now comes the event that everyone was waiting for - the announcement of the new Miss GIA 2013. Did I mention that the Ilocanos are generous? Not only that, they are hard workers and very helpful. I hope to be invited again for next year. Good luck and all the best!
APSL to host leadership forum
THE Australia Philippines Services League will host a Leadership Forum and Workshop alongside an info session on election matters on August 31 at The Hub, Mt Druitt Library. The workshop is aimed at ?rmly putting leadership skills on the community agenda. This is the second year the APSL is holding the Leadership Forum and Workshop in cooperation with the Association of Golden Australian Pilipinos Inc (AGAPI). The forum includes a presentation from the Australian Electoral Commission in which participants will be able to ask questions on how voting is done, how votes are counted, and how results are determined in Australia. Ms Evelyn Opilas, APSL public relations of?cer, who designed the forum content and format, will facilitate the leadership forum. Supreme Commander Col Chris Pilao (ret.) said the “APSL would be the best placed group in the community to conduct the Leadership Forum and Workshop since most material on leadership are contained in military manuals and handbooks, and the bulk of our membership would be aware of that”. He said the forum and workshop would deal with the skills, strategy and implementation of programs required to make community organisations effective in their advocacies. AGAPI president Dorothy del Villar, concurrently APSL deputy commander for operations and treasurer, said the “Leadership Forum and Workshop is de?nitely not about interfering with how community groups operate but with providing them with the skills necessary to engage effectively in an Australian setting”. Invitations to the Leadership Forum and Workshop will be sent out soon.