OCTOBER 2017 | The Canberra Reporter | 3
FINANCE
COVER STORY
You find a discard , he sees a piece of art
TECHNO-ARTIST WOULDN ’ T SETTLE FOR ONE OCCUPATION
Ambassador Minda Calaguian-Cruz and Randell Tiongson .
Embassy integrates financial literacy in orientation seminars
THE Philippine Embassy and the Philippine Overseas Labor Office ( POLO ) in Canberra have started to integrate financial literacy seminars in its Post Arrival Orientation Seminars ( PAOS ) to be conducted in key areas all over Australia for Filipino workers and the broader Filipino community . The objective is to empower Filipino-Australians to achieve their goals for themselves and their families . There are almost 300,000 Filipino-Australians across Australia . They comprise a community of formidable force whose members not only support each other but can also make a significant contribution to nation-building in the Philippines . Individuals or organisations who may be interested in attending or organising a financial literacy seminar are encouraged to reach out to the Philippine Embassy to work together . Filipino finance coach and author Randell Tiongson was in Canberra recently to hold a ‘ No Nonsense Personal Finance Seminar ’ with the Philippine Embassy for more than 50 Filipino-Australians . The seminar was part of Mr Randell ’ s advocacy to help Filipinos abroad achieve financial freedom . He defined financial freedom as “ being able to afford and do what you want , when you want it .” This went beyond our daily material needs but to the heart of what our life goals really are , Tiongson said . “ To answer this , I encourage you to ask the question : “ What are the things that are truly important to me ?” he said . “ Having been posted to places with large Filipino communities , I have seen through my experience that Filipinos abroad are primarily concerned with the well-being and welfare of their families and their primary objective is to secure the future of their loved ones .” For some , no matter how much money they make , it never seems to be enough to fulfil theirs or their family ’ s needs . Tingson said that the first thing Filipino-Australians need to do was to “ change our mindset in handling money .” •
IT ’ S NOT easy to describe Rolando Sulit , also known as Joe ‘ D Mango to many of his fans back in the Philippines .
Sulit , a resident of Gungahlin in the ACT for years now , may sometimes regard himself as simply an “ architect ”. He has gained a reputation as a stylishly modern interior designer .
But he was also a smooth-talking former radio host and counsellor of ‘ Love Notes ’, a program broadcast on one of Manila ’ s major radio stations , DZMM , before he emigrated to Australia . “ Who can forget Love Notes , the popular radio show that made the love advice genre on the FM band a necessary item on any station ’ s programming set ?” wrote a journalist .
“ Who can forget the DJ who read those letters , whose wisdom people sought to solve their troubles , whose voice is so comforting and reassuring , anyone felt better after listening to him ?”
Then , Sulit turned columnist and author when Love Notes morphed into a newspaper column , and into a best-selling book . But this multi-talented man who took up computer science at the prestigious AMA University in the Philippines brought to Australia many other qualifications including expertise in electronics and robotics .
Sulit is credited with designing , developing and “ creating ” Mimo , a talking and walking robot which continues to dazzle visitors at the Mind Museum in Taguig , Rizal , in the Philippines .
ROLANDO SULIT , also known as Joe D ’ Mango , at his newly established cafe , Sunday In Canberra , with some of his ‘ treasures from trash ’ on display .
“ I have been fascinated by robots since I was a kid , and I have been building them for almost 13 years now ,” he said at ther time .
Each robot he made was designed according to a particular function and developed from scratch . Indeed , among other things Sulit is not only an innovator but also a conservation freak , one who thrives on turning , as the saying goes , “ trash into treasure ”. He ’ d just as soon pick up a discarded old portable film camera to clean and place on a pedestal as an ornament .
He ’ d find an old rusting giant cart wheel and make it the backdrop of a clock to sit proudly on the main wall of his newly established Sunday In Canberra coffee boutique shop in Gungahlin ’ s shopping centre . Yes , Sulit not only works for himself as an independent business owner of Accent One Designs but also of a fancy hub for coffee connoisseurs and customers who like to sip the good stuff in style . Above all , he is a family man , one who has also studied at the School of World Missions and continues mission work in Australia with his wife .
Remarking on one of his favourite books , Rolando Sulit was quoted as saying :
“ This book clearly redefines our paradigm of the ideal man . It spreads itself across all areas of our lives and is subtly rich in biblical references and life changing facts . It ’ s a no-nonsense , thought-provoking and eye-opening guide to manhood . It makes you look at your life from a different perspective and gives you a meaningful spiritual insight on how to act not just like a man , but like a real man of Christ ." •
HISTORY
Filipino descendants in WA remembered
THE Philippine Embassy in Australia together with author Deborah Wall opened the exhibit , Re-imagining Australia : Voices of Indigenous Australians of Filipino Descent in Broome , WA , on September 4 , 2017 as part of the Shinju Matusuri Festival ( Festival of the Pearl ).
The exhibit is based on the book of the same title by Dr Wall with Dr Christine Choo . Re-imagining Australia tells the stories of the Manilamen – the first Filipinos who arrived in Australia to take part in Australia ’ s thriving pearling industry starting in the 1860s – as told by their descendants .
Broome was one of the first places where the Manilamen settled and where some of their descendants still live today .
The first Filipinos in Australia had immense and lasting contributions to Broome ’ s economic and social development .
Until today , the contributions of the first Filipinos and their descendants to the Catholic Church in Broome , for example , are well known and recognised .
To support Catholic missionaries , they helped build churches , donated their wealth and supported the daily activities of the Church . Among the descendants met by the embassy officials was Kevin Puertollano , whose great grandfather Thomas Puertollano arrived in Australia in 1898 and made an exemplary social and economic contribution to the local community and the Catholic Church .
Puertollano and his family would embark on a journey to the birthplace of Thomas in Marinduque , in the Philippines to reconnect with his Filipino roots . The book , Re-imagining Australia : Voices of Indigenous Australians of Filipino Descent , documents many more stories through
EMBASSY ’ S Nicole de Castro , author Deborah Wall and Manilamen descendants Cauline Masuda and Kevin Puertollano .
oral history and demonstrates the intimate connection between the Philippines and Australia .
Broome has also become a second home to a number of Filipinos from several waves of migration following the Manilamen . The Philippine Embassy had the opportunity to witness the Filipino community ’ s Masskara performance in the float parade of the
Shinju Matsuri festival . Shinju Matsuri Festival is a celebration of many cultures including that of the Philippines , which shaped Broome during the peak of the prosperous pearl industry . All eyes were on the Filipino community ’ s intricately designed Masskara float which won the festival ’ s top prize . •
OBITUARY
Historian Renato Perdon , 73
FILIPINO Australian historian , book author and journalist Renato Perdon , 73 , died in his sleep aboard a Qantas flight to Manila approximately an hour or so before touch down at Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Manila on Wednesday evening on September 6 , 2017 . Perdon was on a planned homecoming to spend his retirement in Caramoan township of Camarines Sur in the Bicol region of the Philippines . Abiding by his wish , his remains were cremated two days later at Manila Memorial Homes in Sucat , Paranaque . Renato , single , is survived by 15 nephews and grandchildren and by some nephews and nieces in the tradition of extended Filipino clan from the township of Nabua , also in Camarines Sur . •