04
THE MESSAGE. BRINGING INTO FOCUS FILIPINO PRESENCE IN AUSTRALIA
www.kalatas.com.au | Volume 5 Number 4 | January 2015
FEATURE
MIGRATION ADVOCACY AND MEDIA AWARDS
Fil-Aussie author bags
best book award
See speech of Australian
Ambassador at the Book
Launch, page 10
MR. Perdon, a historian and
former historical curator at the
National Historical Commission of the Philippines, was in
Manila to receive the award
at rites held at the SSS Magsaysay Hall on December 18
in celebration of the Month of
Overseas Filipinos and the International Migrants Day.
In his book, Mr. Perdon
wrote about the historical and
contemporary interactions and
strong connections between
the Philippines and Australia.
The awardee previously authored eleven books on Philippine history, culture and language.
‘Connecting two Cultures…’ was also launched in
the Philippines on December
12.
“This book we officially launched covers 15 chapters touching on historical and
contemporary interactions and
strong connections between the
Philippines and Australia and
their people,” Mr. Perdon said.
The current book travelled
the past and begins in 1606
during the last Spanish exploration of the Southern Hemisphere and how that travel connected Australia and the Philippines.
The book attempts to define what Filipino-Australian
identity is and the time elapse
coverage is amazing, from theories on land bridges during
the ice age to the street narrative about mixed marriages,
the new frontiers for migrant
living, and even discrimination, crime and selective frustrations to once upon a time
strangers but now assimilated citizens of a young Western
society in an Asian geography.
“I consider this book a major framework for future series of book projects. For in-
stance, a historian or anyone
interested in the linkages between the two countries could
explore the writing of a good
book on foreign relations between the two countries from
the Commonwealth period, the
formal establishment of diplomatic relations between the
two countries in 1946, and the
many accomplishment reports
of Philippine ambassadors to
Australia and Australian ambassadors to the Philippines,”
he said.
Commission on Filipinos
Overseas chairperson Secretary Imelda Nicolas presented
the award to Mr. Perdon and to
several awardees at the awards
ceremony.
The MAM Awards, founded in 2011 by the Commission
on Filipinos Overseas (CFO),
recognises ‘outstanding media works that have raised public awareness on issues on Fil-
ipino migration, advocated the cause
of Filipinos overseas and promoted a positive image
of Filipinos
overseas.’
T h e
panel of
judges
consisted
of members from
migration
and
media institutions such as
the Philippine
Migrants
M
Migrants Rights
Watch, Movie and
Television
Television Review and
i
Classification Board, National Commission for Culture and the Arts, Philippines Information Agency,
and National Press Club.
Photo: Rolly Dineros, NHCP
Photographer
SYDNEY-BASED Filipino-Australian author Renato Perdon
ato
won the Migration Advocacy and Media Awards (MAM) 2014
est
Best Print Award (best book category) for his latest book
lippines’.
‘Connecting Two Cultures: Australia and the Philippines’.