THE CANBERRA REPORTER | October 2016 | 3
COVER STORY
Stepping out of the square
SHE REACHES OUT TO SICK CHILDREN
By MARILIE BOMEDIANO
S
HE speaks passionately about Kids Of Hope , a refuge for children living with cancer in Singapore where the diplomat competed her last assignment before taking a new post in Canberra .
Kids Of Hope is a project the new Philippine Ambassador to Australia , Minda Calaguian-Cruz , doggedly helped to eventually replicate in the city of Davao , Mindanao , in the Philippines in 2014 .
In describing the refuge , her sense of humanity transcends barriers of status , race and religion , with a palpable feeling of deep compassion .
For a diplomat whose workload in Canberra is already challenging enough , Ms Calaguian-Cruz ’ s active role in Kids Of Hope goes beyond the call of duty .
“ I do a lot of work for charity ,” she says . “ I try to encourage people to help out , Helping chilren with cancer is one advocacy that I am very passionate about .
“ Poverty should be no reason to deprive people of healing , especially for children with cancer .
“ Cancer in children , if captured early , is treatable .”
Among Ms Calaguian-Cruz favourite leisure activities , she says , is daily powerwalking . She also plays golf and ten-pin bowling .
Ms Calaguian-Cruz says Filipinos should not isolate themselves from mainstream society .
She urged migrant Filipinos to join the other members of society .
“ You enrich yourselves in terms of experience and you also give a good projection of Filipinos ,” she says .
" And if you work well , others will remember Filipinos well and they will have a
very good impression of Filipinos . •
• MINDA CALAGUIAN
CRUZ :
Above and at right , chatting lively with reporters at a conference in
Canberra .
Left , playing one of her favourite pastimes of tenpin bowling .
NEWS
A CONFERENCE UPDATE ON
POLITICS , SECURITY , WOMEN
By GLORIA ROSS
• INDRA ESGUERRA
• JESSICA LANGFORD
Two up for election
FILIPINA-Australians are contesting Seats in the ACT Legislative Assembly this year .
Lawyer Jessica Adelan-Langford is running for the Seat of Murrumbidgee comprising the electoral areas of Woden , Weston Creek , Molonglo Valley , and Kambah .
Indra Esguerra , chief of staff for the Greens Party , is contesting the Seat of Ginninderra in Northwest Canberra region of Belconnen .
Both have one parent that is Filipino . •
A WIDE range of topics including tensions in the South China Sea , political and socio-economic issues , the environment , women ’ s issues , and the new presidency in the Philippines packed the two-day Philippine Update Conference in Canberra on September 3-4 , 2016 . Even the subject of migrant Filipinas stereotyped in Australia as ‘ mail order brides ’ featured at the conference , where 46 distinguished academics , diplomats , and experts from the Philippines and Australia spoke .
In her discussion paper , academic Marie Aubrey Villacaran said her research aimed at “ redefining the
• Conference at Australian National University
representation of the Filipino marriage migrant from the victimized Asian bride to an empowered and active agent who is highly valuable to her community in Australia as well as her community in the Philippines ”.
The conference , held at the Australian National University ’ s Crawford lecture theatre , was supported by the Australia Department of Foreign Affairs and other local organisations . •
THIS IS THE INAUGURAL ISSUE OF THE FIRST FILIPINO-AUSTRALIAN NEWSPAPER IN THE THE HEART OF AUSTRALIA