FilAm 12-22

Photo by Reza Parungao, MD

We don’t know whether to look at the last month of the year with relief or jump ahead to the near arrival of January with the hope that the possible glad tidings of 2023 is almost upon us.

It has been a painful year as far as the pandemic is concerned. It has been three years-plus since COVID-19 burst into our world and deconstructed it in ways we never imagined. The disease rolls on and we are approaching booster shot number 5 -- or is it 6? -- and we are not even close to calling the disease over. The virus has been adept at hanging on and wreaking havoc in almost every corner of the planet. It has mutated into something com pletely different and the vaccines we have created have barely kept up.

The Russians have racked up war crimes in Ukraine and Putin is unrepentant in justifying his assault with lies and murders.

Attacks on our Asian elders from New York to Los Angles continue to outrage.

The situation in our Motherland remains infuriating because of the comeback of a family synony mous with plunder.

It seems the wrong guys are winning.

We at The FilAm welcome the year-end holidays from Thanks giving to Christmas. It tells us that generosity of spirit remains within many of us. It is part and parcel of our humanity.

We look at disease, brutality and cruelty as something not normal and denounce it or march furiously against it.

One supposes that despite the mayhem and the violence, the

heartbreaking calamities that stream over our television sets on a daily basis, there is enough good in the world that we can look forward to during Christmas and the New Year. We celebrate the ideals of the time and what they symbolize. By greeting each other Merry Christ mas or Happy New Year, we give voice to our desire for goodwill and love to kin and neighbor.

These are the simple joys to look forward to in this holiday season.

Family reunions have been the butt of jokes by comedians and sitcoms from ‘Everybody Loves Raymond’ to ‘Two-and-a-half Men.’ But at its heart, the holidays are about families – dysfunc tional, screwed up, loving, all of the above.

Someone quipped how “there are too many things wrong in the world” to be merry about Christ mas or be happy about the New Year. That may be true to a certain extent, but the world – our world-is worth loving. There is a lot to cherish going into 2023.

There is a quaint Filipino saying: “Habang may buhay, may pag-asa.” The literal translation is: “While there is life, there is hope.”

The wisdom we should bring into 2023 is to never give up on hope. Better days will come even though the darkness is most pervasive.

Merry Christmas to all in the Filipino American community. May our small acts of kindness, that are like droplets of water, build up into a massive torrent that will lift everyone to heights we never thought possible.

Maligayang Pasko at Manigong Bagong Taon.

Steven Raga makes history, vows to ‘help anybody regardless of ethnicity’

By Lindy Rosales

ANew York City district of mostly work ing-class immigrant neighborhoods has just elected Democrat Steven Raga as their representative to the New York State Assembly on November 8.

Raga, a Filipino American community organizer, won the race over Sean Lally of the Medical Freedom Party garnering a decisive 57.9 percent -- or 10,972 -- of the votes. He has jurisdiction over District 30 encompassing the neighborhoods of Astoria, Elm hurst, Maspeth, Middle Village, Jackson Heights and Woodside where he grew up.

“I’m very happy and looking forward to serving the constituents of Assembly District 30”, said Raga at a victory party at The Beerkeeper bar on Woodside Avenue where supporters watched the midterm election count and later cheered his victory.

On Election Day, Suzette Briones-Lucero and Ramel Racelis sat outside PS 229 handing out brochures to voters walking toward the school.

“There is no one here from the other party,” said Bri ones-Lucero. She, Racelis and Raga co-founded UniPro -- Pilipino American Unity for Progress, Inc. -- in 2009, which serves to connect Filipino Americans through collaborative action, advocacy and dialogue. People were polite, accepted the brochures and even stopped to ask questions.

We caught up with Raga at Our Lady of Hope Catholic Academy in Middle Village. He was relieving his volunteers who went out to lunch. The crowd was a little tough in this neighborhood. People declined the brochures when we were there to observe. One lady with a stroller said she’s voting Democrat anyway. It is said that New York has always been a Blue state since the Great Depression. Toward the last few days of the campaign, there were rumors that New York would turn Red for GOP candidate Lee Zeldin. Democrat Kathy Hochul prevailed.

“We’re looking good. If we win, my goal is to help anybody, regardless of their ethnicity,” said Raga. Now elected to the New York State Assembly, Raga would be dealing with State level issues such as health care, aid to public schools, infrastructure, jobs, and more in its legislation. Issues like violence in the subway in NYC, are tackled at the city level, he pointed out.

Raga was the former chief of staff to Brian Barn well who was District 30 Assembly member until he announced he would not seek reelection. Raga expressed an interest in the position and, with Barn well’s encouragement, worked toward making his candidacy a reality.

in Woodside by a single parent, Raga is elected to the New York State Assembly representing District 30 where his neighborhood is.

final tally

At the Beerkeeper, where campaign volunteers and supporters waited for the election results, Raga was a little bit nervous and tried not to look at the election count. He showed an early lead and people were already congratulating him and giving him hugs. Raga was finally announced as the winner for District 30 around 11 p.m. to loud cheers from volunteers and supporters. Assembly Member Jessica Gonzalez-Ro jas from District 34 who was at the pub hugged her “friend” as he was proclaimed the winner.

History had indeed been made. A Filipino American is finally elected to the New York State Assembly.

Quinn Aranas, a Woodside resident, said he was “so happy for Steve.”

“Hindi kami nag-stop sa pag support sa kanya. Haping happy kami sa results,” he said.

In Queens where Raga was raised by a single mother, came of age and found his footing as a sociable and comradely community organizer, the borough welcomed him as their district boss.

“Queens means so much to me, I look forward to advocating for everybody here,” he said

Raised

The

Shouts of victory from supporters. Photos by Lindy Rosales

Dragons and monsters

This is an excerpt from the author’s memoir, “An AsianAmerican Story of Love, Marriage, Motherhood, and Running a Billion-Dollar Empire,” to be released in 2023 by Wiley and Sons.

The book is a glimpse into the interracial marriage in New York between a Filipino woman and an African American.

The 80th anniversary of Reginald Lewis’s birth is December 7, 2022.

After our wedding, one of the first things Reginald and I do as husband and wife was scurry off to Manila International Airport to catch a Philippines Airlines flight. Mama comes with us to the airport and silently cries her eyes out the entire time, which makes my heart ache.

“Promise me you will take care of Loida,” she says to Reginald between sobs, causing tears to slide down my own cheeks.

My new spouse, who’s slipped out of his tuxedo and into casual vacation clothes, firmly grasps my mother’s hands and looks directly into her eyes with a loving smile on his rugged face. “Please do not worry,” he says in a reassuring voice. “I’ll take care of her.” I didn’t know it, but Reginald had already secretly promised Papa that he would send me back to the Philippines at least once a year to visit my family. My spouse can be sharp-tongued and hot-headed at times, among other faults, but he’s always kind and respectful toward my parents, which is one of the many reasons why I love him.

When our jetliner roars from a Manila International Airport runway for the four-hour journey to Japan, I’m incredibly sad to be leaving my

kinfolk and my homeland, but tremendously excited to be starting a new life with the most dynamic person I’ve ever met. This feels right—at 26, I have no doubt God has paired me with my soulmate.

I scoot over in my narrow airline seat and rest my head on Reginald’s rock-solid shoulder. Both of us are so tired from the hours-long ordeal of taking pictures and dancing and shaking hands at our wedding that we quickly fall asleep.

Our honeymoon in Tokyo and the ancient city of Kyoto is marked by three nights of memorable passion, in part because we’ve been apart for two long months.

During the day, we have fun going through the Ginza section of Tokyo, one of the city’s top shopping districts. Then we move on to Kyoto, an ancient city whose ebb and flow is several centuries behind Tokyo’s. In Kyoto, we stay in a Japa nese inn called the Ryokan. Instead of a bed, we sleep on a mat in a room that has a hot tub and that’s visited by a geisha who scrubs our backs with warm water. Very Japanese.

The two of us are running around Japan having mastered exactly one word of the native language—sayo nara, meaning “goodbye.” Not real useful when we’re trying to order in a restaurant or are asking directions, but we get by through relying on

pantomime and by flashing yen when necessary. When two people are headover-heels, there’s not much they can’t conquer together, including language barriers.

Kyoto doesn’t have a big shopping area like Tokyo, but that doesn’t keep me and Reginald from buying something we treasure throughout our marriage, namely, a beautiful wood block print by famous Japanese artist Utagawa Hiroshige.

During the Japanese leg of our honeymoon, Reginald confides that while he was in Manhattan prior to our marriage, he deeply resented the fact that I changed our wedding plans.

“You know what saved you?” he tells me matter-of-factly. “I received a let ter from you every day!” Fortunately, I’d had the presence of mind to write him while we were separated in order to keep the fires burning.

Good thing, too, because Reginald says that after his flight from New York City landed in Hong Kong, a flight attendant came on the intercom and said: “Those proceeding to Paris, please stay onboard. Those going to Manila, please get off for your con necting flight.

For an instant Reginald mulled staying in his seat and jetting off to Paris, his favorite city and a place his grandpa, Sam Cooper, had come to relish while serving in the U.S. Army during World War I. As a boy, Regi nald heard story after story from his grandfather about how the French had treated Black American soldiers with admiration and respect. Not only that, but Reginald had visited Paris himself while on a summer break from Har vard Law School and had a fantastic time.

But as he sat in his airline seat in Hong Kong and envisioned me stand ing alone at the altar in Manila—jilted, heartbroken, and utterly humiliated— he says the temptation to head to Paris instantly disappeared. He hopped off the plane, went into the airport terminal, and found the gate for his connecting flight to Manila. As he was destined to.

Photo taken in the Lewises’ Paris apartment. Daughter Leslie ask her parents to make a funny face, Reginald and Loida end up laughing.

Imee and me at Princeton University

By Marissa Bañez, Esq.

Imee Marcos attended Princeton University. I saw her there. I had lunch with her. She spoke to me with a British accent.

Some years ago, there was a huge brouhaha about whether Ms. Marcos attended Prince ton. Of course she did! The university has confirmed she attended in 1973-1976 and in 1977-1979, but it has no record of awarding her a degree.

(Princeton’s deputy university spokesperson Michael Hotchkiss has told Rappler in a 2019 news report that Marcos did not finish her degree. “Our records do not show that Ms. Marcos was awarded a degree,” he said. – Editor)

I attended Princeton in 1976-1980. To my knowl edge, Ms. Marcos and I were the only Filipinas attending Princeton at the time. She of the Marcos name, wealth, status, and all that entailed. I of the unknown Bañezes, who lived in a house built by my grandfather in Baguio City and emigrated to Los Angeles, where we somehow survived gangs, drugs, and poverty.

Princeton equalized us. I don’t know why or how she was admitted. I was admitted as part of the university’s efforts to diversify by race, gender, and socioeconomic levels. However we got there, there we were – two Filipina students at the apex of Ameri can higher learning. The similarity ends there.

I remember her walking along Prospect Gardens with a young man, followed by her two bodyguards. She looked lovely with that magnificent hair and in very beautiful expensive clothes. How different not only from me in my very inexpensive outfits but also from most of the students, many of whose own massive wealth was not displayed.

Princeton attracts the so-called elite, the rich and the powerful. Yet, as far as I saw, Ms. Marcos was the only student at that time followed by bodyguards everywhere. We never shared any classes, so I don’t know if the bodyguards went into the classrooms, but I recall seeing them waiting outside the classroom buildings.

I double-majored in politics and education. My politics thesis advisor suggested I interview Ms. Marcos and he somehow arranged it. To this day, I’m amazed she agreed to meet me. I remember getting a call from someone on her behalf to arrange lunch.

Lahiere’s was probably the most expensive restau rant in town, but it seemed always crowded at lunch. Reportedly, Albert Einstein and Jordan’s King dined there. With my limited knowledge of how rich people lived, I assumed Lahiere’s was the type of place Ms. Marcos expected to eat. I saved all the money I earned from my library job so I could pay.

Since then, I became a litigator and engaged in many power plays. I conducted adversarial meetings on my turf, where my opponents would have to ask me for anything they needed. I’ve scouted places

beforehand so that my opponents would sit facing a window or something that could make their mind wander. And, I’ve paid for business meals with men to show my money was as good as theirs.

I was ignorant of such machinations in the 1970s. I don’t remember the date, but I think it was sometime in the spring of 1979 when we met. When I arrived, what I now recognize as a power play hit me like a ton of bricks. It was the lunch hour, and the restaurant was empty.

I was seated at a table away from the windows and the door before Ms. Marcos and her bodyguards showed up. I now wonder if they were already inside and came up to me only after I was seated. Her bodyguards watched us from several tables away.

To be fair, I understand the need for her security. Her family still ruled through Martial Law in the Philippines and her university admission was met with anti-Marcos protesters. She also didn’t know me even though they must have done a thorough background check. For my part, my naïveté fore stalled any cynicism or distrust. I was just having lunch with a fellow student named Imee Marcos.

I ate; she didn’t. As a poor student, I didn’t waste food. She pushed her food around on the plate with her fork.

I don’t remember what we said, although my current impression is she didn’t say anything pro found or unexpected. Interestingly, she spoke with a British accent. I didn’t know why she spoke to me like that, but I just chalked it up to her worldliness and sophistication. I just spoke American English.

When we finished, I motioned to the waiter, but Ms. Marcos said her security had already paid. I now laugh at my innocence in thinking that I could’ve paid for our meal. I didn’t understand then – and I’m mortified to realize now – that Ms. Marcos had bought out the lunch hour of Lahiere’s. It was a bill I could’ve never paid as an impoverished student. The food she pushed around probably cost more than my tuition for the year. That was the ultimate power play!

Whether Ms. Marcos graduated doesn’t matter to me. That’s between her and her supporters, and between her and her detractors. I’m neutral; I don’t fall in either camp. But I can say definitively she went there, she was always beautifully dressed, we had lunch, she spoke with a British accent, and she paid a lot of money for food she didn’t eat. Those are the things that matter to me from my encounters with Imee Marcos at Princeton.

Marissa Bañez is a lawyer and a children’s illus trated book author. Her first book, “Hope and For tune,” will be officially released on February 2, 2023, and is now available for preorders on Amazon.com. Her second book, “Hues and Harmony (How the Sing ing Butterfly Got Her Colors),” is due to be released in July 2023.

Imee Marcos when she was chair of Kabataang Barangay in the 1970s. Facebook photo

The author: ‘To my knowledge, Ms. Marcos and I were the only Filipinas attending Princeton at the time.’

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Filipinos are well represented in NYC Marathon

By Lindy Rosales

The 2015 Miss Universe Pia Wurtzbach led an assortment of Filipino and FilAm runners who presented a united front at the TCS New York City Marathon on November 6.

People cheered on Wurtzbach as she sprinted at the start of the 26.2 mileroute. She ran her debut marathon after several months of serious train ing. At mile 14 in Long Island City where there were no barricades on the street, Filipinos ran along with her while taking pictures and videos. Members of Pinoy Runners New York were waiting for her to pass by and unfurling a big Philippine flag. It was a joy to see her running steady and gamely waving at supporters.

We met some of the runners at the Philippine Consulate which hosted a carbo-loading reception the day before the big event.

Maner Puyawan, who started running in 2015, is one of the co-founders of Pinoy Runners Global, a community of Filipino runners around the world. They call each city a “barangay.” PRG started with four barangays in New York, Milan, Amsterdam and Paris. Puyawan said running helped him lose weight and he is advocating that people make it part of their healthy lifestyle.

Mark Mendoza is a first-time runner. A nurse practitioner who worked in the emergency depart ment of Lincoln Hospital on 98th Street during the pandemic, marathon day was his birthday. Mark who was influenced by his sister to join, got emotional after finishing the race.

“I don’t run at all, but my sister is running so I have to run too,” Mark said. He started training only in November and ran three to four times a week.

“I’m nervous but I’m gonna try my best,” he told The FilAm before the start of the race. “I’m gonna take it slow, I’m gonna take my pace. Let’s see what will happen. I’m really excited actually.”

Ultramarathoner and probably one of the most experienced Gerald Tabios, who has completed 17 marathons, gave this advice to the room full of runners: “Just put one foot in front of the other.” He ran his first New York City Marathon in 2004, three years after his family moved to the city.

Melinda “Lynne” Langlois, a breast cancer survivor,

is running her third NYC marathon after 2017 and 2021. “There is life after cancer,” she declared.

Lynne started long-distance running in 2017. She has completed all the major marathons in one year and is attempting to do a second round of the majors. She is hoping to get her second six-star medal in Tokyo on March 2023.

“It’s not gonna be easy, but it’s gonna be worth it,” she said. Lynne cross-trains off season and is always at the gym, if she is not running.

Another running pro Deo Jaravata is a high school teacher from Los Angeles. November 6 was his eighth NYC marathon, and his 524th race. He has run in

seven continents, 31 countries, and 50 U.S. states.

“Since I’ve been doing this for so long, I think my body got used to it. And I’m very lucky I don’t have any knee problem. And my last injury was in 2000”, said Deo. “During a race, if I feel like I’m hurting, I walk. That’s my secret. If I’m tired, I just walk it, but I walk fast”. He is on his 20th marathon this year and his goal is to complete 22 by year end.

Close to the finish line, Wurtzbach’s fiancé caught up with her, encouraging her on that last leg. “My knee hurts, I’m limping. The last few kms hurt sooo much. Lahat masakit,” she wrote in her Instagram story. The TCS app alerted me that Wurtzbach finished the race at six hours, 29 minutes and 32 seconds.

The streets around the finish line were littered with mostly ribbons, plastic bottles and paper cups and crowded with marathoners, their cheering families and supporters, volunteers and policemen. It felt like the biggest block party in the world. It was loud and crowded, security was tight, but there was an unmis takable festive feel all over. Restaurants were full and the food carts were bustling with business.

On my way home walking toward the subway, I spotted Wurtzbach leisurely walking with her fiancée. She was wrapped in the blue poncho of a marathon finisher. Hanging on her neck was the big, round medal.

“Sobrang saya,” she said. “Dream come true, kasi ang tagal kong pinangarap to.”

TCS means Tata Consultancy Services, the title sponsor for this year’s marathon.

An emotional Mark Mendoza celebrates his birthday and finishes the race.

2015 Miss Universe Pia Wurtzbach running and waving to Filipinos who cheered her on. Photos by Lindy Rosales

Ruby Ibarra wins award for ‘creative promise in music’

She receives the Vilcek Prize for her hip-hop and spoken word performances that center her experience as a Filipina American woman, and for her powerful lyrics that address colonialism, immigration, colorism, and misogyny.

Born in Tacloban City in the Philippines, some of Ibarra’s earliest memories include seeing her family members sing, play guitar, and perform at local festivals. At the age of 5, Ibarra and her family immigrated to the United States, arriving at San Francisco International Airport in 1991. She describes that moment as a turning point in her young life, and a basis for her identity as an activist, artist, and musician.

Ibarra receives the Vilcek Prize for Creative Promise in Music for her personal and evocative hip-hop and spoken word performances that center her experiences as a Filipina American woman, and as an immigrant growing up in the San Francisco Bay Area, and for her powerful lyrics that address colonialism, immigration, colorism, and misogyny.

As an adolescent, Ibarra was transfixed by hip-hop, drawn in by the percussive nature of the artists’ vocals and the poetry of their lyrics. “This is a genre and a platform for the people who feel voiceless in society. Being an immigrant, I gravitated towards that,” says Ibarra. “Here was this soundtrack where these artists were able to encapsulate things similar to what I was experiencing in terms of trying to find a place for themselves in society.”

Ibarra released her mixtape, “Lost in Translation,” in 2012. The mixtape garnered airplay across major networks, including Eminem’s Sirius XM Radio channel. In 2017, she released her debut album, CIRCA91. The album’s hit single, “Us,” struck a chord with Filipino and Pacific Islander audiences with its compelling hook, “Island women rise, walang makakatigil”—

Tagalog for “nothing can stop.”

In 2018 Ibarra cofounded the Pinays Rising Scholarship program with Allyson Tintiangco-Cubales. Inspired by Ibarra’s song “Us,” the program provides scholarships of $500 to empower Filipina and Filipinx youth pursuing higher education. Since its establishment, Pinays Rising has awarded more than 30 scholarships each year to young students and activists.

The 2023 Vilcek Prizes for Creative Promise in Music were also awarded to Arooj Aftab for her evocative songs with a range of influences including semi-classical Pakistani music and Urdu poetry; and composer and conductor of orchestral

music Juan Pablo Contreras for his leadership in founding the Orquesta Latino Mexicana. The Vilcek Foundation raises awareness of immigrant contributions in the United States and fosters appreciation for the arts and sciences. The foundation was established in 2000 by Jan and Marica Vilcek, immigrants from the former Czechoslovakia. Since 2000, the foundation has awarded over $7 million in prizes to foreign-born individuals and has supported organizations with over $5.8 million in grants. Visit vilcek.org.

Her music receives praise for its powerful lyrics.

Photo: Vilcek Foundation

The hip-hop and spoken word artist. Photo courtesy of Ruby Ibarra & Donna Ibarra/Vilcek Foundation

Ruby Ibarra is one of three recipients of 2023 Vilcek Foundation Prize for Creative Promise in Music.

Connie Uy & Natalie Uy: Making history in pediatric nephrology

By Cristina DC Pastor

In New Jersey, there are only 11 doctors who specialize in the rare medical practice of Pediatric Nephrology, or the care of children with kidney disease.

Mother-and-daughter doctors Connie Uy, MD, 78, and Natalie Uy, MD, 44, belong to this near-exalted circle. As Connie was preparing for her retirement as a pediatric nephrologist of 50 years in 2018, Natalie had stepped into the field, as a pediatric nephrologist at Columbia University Irving Medical Center (CUIMC). How is it possible that out of a dozen practitioners in the state, two would come from one Filipino American family?

It wasn’t a case of mother coercing – or cajoling – her daughter into following her footsteps. The decision was all Natalie’s.

“I did not coach her, I allowed her to decide for herself,” said Connie, amused to hear remarks that she had a hand in shaping Natalie to be the kind of specialist that she was. Connie is the first Filipina to receive the New Jersey Woman of Achievement Award.

For so long, Natalie resisted the idea of following in her mother’s footsteps. But being the youngest of three children, she said, “There was an unspoken assumption that I would be the doctor in the family since my brothers did not have any interest in medicine.”

Natalie is the only daughter of Connie and Nestor Uy, a retired corporate accountant. Brothers Lawrence is Associate Director in the Digital and Technology Partners at Mount Sinai Medical Center; and Darryl is Director of Admissions at Bates College in Maine.

After graduating from Columbia University with a degree in Neuroscience, Natalie remained ambivalent on what to pursue after graduation. To find her compass, she immersed herself in interests that are non-medical in nature, such as teaching in Hong Kong and working in a New York law firm.

“I wanted to explore other careers before committing to medicine because I knew, through my mom, that it would be a long road,” she said.

In 2003, Natalie decided to apply to medical school, and was initially interested in adult medicine, but “fell in love” with pediatrics. She was still fighting the idea of specializing in kidney disease because “I knew my mom was an exceptional pediatric nephrologist – and I didn’t think I would be able to do what she does.”

When Natalie finally chose to be a pediatric nephrologist, Connie was elated. “Knowing Natalie and her quest for logical thinking and a problem solver, I knew that she would choose nephrology,” she said.

| Close bond despite distance

Mother and daughter are close. Even when Natalie moved to Manhattan, the two would not let a day pass without calling or texting each other.

“I am comfortable sharing with her my feelings on controversial issues,” said Connie, speaking to The FilAm.

Connie, a medicine graduate from the University of the Philippines, came to the U.S. in 1967, and moved to Wisconsin for her internship at the Evan Deaconess Hospital. The following year, she moved to New Jersey, where she practiced medicine, first at the Martland Hospital in Newark. She and Nestor got married after two years and bought their first home in Pine Brook in the 1970s. The chalet-type house with a sprawling garden has been the family’s first and only home.

Natalie graduated medical school from Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, and did her residency at Yale New Haven Hospital. She spent her fellowship at Montefiore in the Bronx.

Her admiration for her mother goes beyond what Connie had accomplished as a doctor in America.

“She moved to the U.S. in the late 60s, and joined the workforce as a female, immigrant physician, when medicine at that time was really an all-boys club. Based on hard work and perseverance, she rose to the top. She was way ahead of her time,” said Natalie.

As a mother, “My mom always separated work from family, so when she is home, she is a wife and mother. She doesn’t discuss work at the house. And so it was nice to see the other side, and watch her in her role as a physician.”

As a pediatric nephrologist -- Natalie is the director of the Pediatric Nephrology Fellowship Program at CUIMC / New York Presbyterian Hospital -- she takes cares of children who have kidney disease, as young as newborns through adolescence.

“I enjoy the ongoing relationships with my patients. Though kidney disease in children is rare, some are born with underdeveloped kidneys, and some develop kidney disease later,” she said. “Kidney disease affects overall health, and my goal is to restore their health, and help children manage these conditions so they can lead fulfilling lives.”

Connie, citing the Council of Pediatric Subspecialties, said that “As of 2012 there were 843 pediatric nephrol ogists in the US with average age 56.8 years, with 27.5% older than 65 and an additional 21.4% will reach that age within the next decade. It is estimated that the U.S. will require at least 30 new pediatric nephrologists per year

‘I trust her with my feelings on controversial issues,’ says Connie of only daughter Natalie. Photo by Reza Parungao, MD

At Connie and Nestor’s golden wedding anniversary on October 23.

over the next decade to simply maintain the pediatric nephrology workforce.” It is therefore important to continue to train and inspire the next generation.

| Asking for help

Connie serves as Natalie’s inspirational mentor. Said Natalie, “It was so easy to discuss cases with her. She makes complex problems seem logical. There is a reason she has won so many teaching awards.”

Natalie has met many of her mom’s colleagues, students, and patients. She has been described by others as brilliant, scary and intimidating, which gives Natalie a good chuckle: “I wondered how someone so petite could be so scary.”

Connie reminds her daughter not to hesitate to ask for help. A pediatric nephrologist’s hours can be long and burnout happens even to the best doctors. Having a strong support system is important. And Natalie does, recalling a time she came home exhausted from a long week. How does mom do it?

“She said she doesn’t do it all on her own, she has learned to delegate. And she was lucky to have my grandparents help raise us while she balanced her career with family,” said Natalie.

Has it been a tough act to follow? Absolutely! But with Connie’s guidance, Natalie has continued her mother’s legacy in becoming an accomplished physi cian with a passion for her students and patients. They hope to inspire not just students, but other moth er-daughter doctors to share in this unique relation ship in caring for children with chronic disease.

The Uys of Pine Brook. From left: Darryl and husband Bob; Jasmin and husband Lawrence and their son Lincoln; Nestor, Connie and Natalie

Calendar of Events

45 Cherry Valley Avenue #1 West Hempstead, N.Y.

Kabayan Grill Ronkonkoma & Farmingville

$15 with light snack Call Elle 631-320-0710; walk-ins welcome

Silliman Alumni Association NY-NJ Christmas Party Fiesta Catering 255 State Highway 17 Woodridge, N.J.

MILA Foundation Annual Charity Concert

D’ Haven 58-02 37th Avenue Woodside Queens NYC

Contact Ronnie Ocampo: 516-582-7309

Nonoy

D’ Haven 58-02 37th Avenue Woodside Queens NYC

Friends Indeed Christmas Party Conlon Hall 18 North William Street Bergenfield, N.J.

FABLLI Christmas Party 2022

DJ’s International Buffet Bar & Grill 1100 Stewart Avenue Garden City, N.Y.

Ronnie Ocampo: 516-582-7309

Parol Workshop by The Filipino School of New York & New Jersey Karenderya 248 Main Street Nyack, N.Y.

2nd Annual Filipino Heritage Night with the NJ Devils Prudential Center 25 Lafayette Street Newark, N.J. | December 16

Anthony Castelo Live in New York (a benefit concert for SoCSKSarGen & IWA)

D’ Haven 58-02 37th Avenue Woodside Queens NYC Call Myrna 917-502-9887 or Ann 917-767-0027 for tickets

A Night to Remember with Christopher de Leon and Tirso Cruz dinner dance concert

Joya Hall

68-108 Woodhaven Boulevard Rego Park NYC

11th FalConn Christmas Charity

Bowling Nutmeg Bowl 802 Villa Avenue Fairfield, CT

| December 18

Anthony Castelo: Home for Christmas benefit show

Port N Starboard Ocean Beach

1225 Ocean Avenue

New London, CT

| December 18

UP Alumni Association New Jersey Christmas Party Delta Hotel by Marriott 515 US-1 South Iselin, N.J. 2023 | January 2

Radio City Christmas Spectacular online event Radio City Music Hall | January 28

Sponge Cola: The U.S. Jeepney Tour 2023

D’ Haven Bar 58-02 37th Avenue Woodside Queens NYC | February 17

Jo Koy World Tour Palace Theatre

19 Clinton Avenue, Albany

| March 11

Jo Koy World Tour Capital One Arena Washington D.C. | July 16 to 23

44th PNAA National Convention & Cruise Aboard Royal Caribbean Wonder of the Seas

| BOOKS

The SAGE Encyclopedia of Filipina/x/o American Studies

Two-volume set

Edited by Kevin Leo Yabut Nadal, Allyson Tintiangco-Cubales & E.J.R. David

OnlyFans millionaire is Vegas Pinay CJ Miles

One of the highest earning models at OnlyFans.com is a Filipina who was once an in-demand stripper in Las Vegas.

The Daily Mail UK is reporting that CJ Miles, who “grew up in poverty in the Philippines,” is among the biggest earners of the popular adult-oriented site where she now makes $200,000 a month.

“Now, the millionaire lives the high life in Miami, Florida, and earns a whopping $200,000 on OnlyFans every month, spending her fortune on luxury vacations with private jets, stunning penthouses and more,” says the report.

CJ’s entry into the adult industry started about 12 years ago when she found work at a Vegas club called Spearmint Rhino as a dancer. She quickly became popular among the wealthy patrons, at one time receiving gratuity in the amount of $180,000 for just one night of dancing. “Nothing happened,” she said. “'I didn't see him again after that.”

The pandemic erupted in 2019 and shut down many establishments. She decided to join Only Fans and found herself making even more big bucks, she gave up stripping altogether.

“'I love getting naked so this is really the ideal job for me,” CJ tells the Daily Mail. She said being petite was her asset.

A visit to her website, cjmilesofficial.com, brings up additional information about CJ. She said she

has a degree in BS BA in computer management from Colegio De San Juan De Letran in the Philip pines. She moved to Las Vegas in 2006.

“I grew up in the Philippines with nothing. Everything I have right now and where I’m at in life is because of fate and faith,” she says. “God blesses me with a beautiful life and I’m sharing it with everyone.”

CJ further describes herself as a lover of R&B music and one who enjoys dancing, singing, and shopping.

She is drawn to “honest and funny people,” and stays way from “dishonest people, and negativity.”

Her favorite food? Sushi and Filipino food.

“I try to live simple and healthy. I stay away from bad people, bad heart, bad habits. I stay positive and always believe in karma,” she says in her website. “Dream big.”

OnlyFans bills itself as a “social platform revo lutionizing creator and fan connections. The site is inclusive of artists and content creators from all genres and allows them to monetize their content.”

The members-only site is where anyone can produce private content and charge monthly subscription rates – starting at $19.95 a month -- to those who want to have access to raunchy photos and videos. Celebrities, such as Jordyn Woods and Blac Chyna, have opened accounts on OnlyFans. Some account holders maintain not all content is sex-oriented and they use the site to promote films, records books, cooking and other creative products. – Cristina DC Pastor

Being petite is her asset. Photo: cjmilesofficial.com

Cheyenne Concepcion’s St. Malo sculpture comes to Queens

Cheyenne Concepcion, a multi-disci plinary artist and designer, has created a sculpture called “Disappearing St. Malo,” referencing the first Filipino settlement in the United States. The bahay kubostyle art work is currently on exhibit at the Socrates Sculpture Park in Long Island City in Queens until March 12, 2023.

The settlement, founded in 1783, is located in the bayous of Louisiana and is now frequently sub merged as sea levels rise. Her sculpture re-imagines the settlement’s architecture that resembles the bahay kubo, stilted houses native to the Philippines, with a lifted porch and a hat-shaped thatched roof made of mylar plastic. She said her work calls atten tion to the “rising sea levels that threaten cultural heritage as well as private property, but also high lights the ways in which communities have adapted, survived, and thrived amid water environments and adverse circumstances.”

“With this work, I’m bringing this lost place into our collective memory as a site-specific archi tectural installation and platform for creative exchange,” she said by way of an artist statement. “As an installation, like the Manila Men before me, I construct the pavilion in the bahay-kubo style with the materials I have readily available: wood, mylar, nylon nets. The meandering silver mylar also recalls the site’s industrial past and that connection to climate change. This project questions how we recall a place of historical significance that’s already begun to fade away.”

The Los Angeles-born Cheyenne said her work is “part social commentary, part group therapy.”

“I work across a wide variety of mediums includ ing sculpture, architecture, design, installation, social practice, and textile to tell stories of the dis enfranchised, of the politics of place and to advocate for awareness.

“Ultimately, my driving motivation is to bring visibility, community connection and forgotten stories to the forefront of America. I believe this process creates political power and we can harness that power to create change.”

She has received fellowships and residencies from Monument Lab, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts and the Goethe Institut and was a recipient of the Excel lence in Design Award from UC Berkeley. A selftaught artist, she received a Masters of Landscape Architecture from UC Berkeley and a Bachelors of Urban Planning from UC San Diego.

The Concepcion family came to L.A. in the 1980s. She recounted to The FilAm, “They were getting nervous about the Marcos regime.” Plus, her grand

mother was able to get a tourist visa for her and her four children to come to California. “The family ended up staying.”

She came to know Louisiana intimately by reading about its history and reaching out to Dr. Randy Gonzales and Dr. Michael Menor Salgorolo who are leading scholars on St. Malo.

“They produced an audio component that occu pies the sculpture. As an artist, I work spatially. So, I created the ‘space’ and the ‘seats at the table,’ meaning I designed and built the ‘table’ for which to facilitate this conversation about St. Malo,” she said.

Cheyenne hosted a performance-based presenta tion at the Socrates Sculpture Park called “Depar tures,” where she sought to interact with FilAm artists in the New York area.

According to the park’s website, “Departures” will highlight the work of three New York-based artists. In Act One, historian and scholar Dr. Michael Menor Salgorolo reads St. Malo’s Unex pected Legacy outlining St. Malo’s radical vision. In Act Two, Atlantic Pacific Theater performs “nothing is tubig is nothing is tubig,” a short play by Claro de los Reyes. To close out the program, in Act Three, Kapwa Yoga’s Paul Jochico hosts a movement and mindfulness workshop centered on the indigenous Filipino wisdom of Kapwa, or shared inner self. – Cristina DC Pastor

‘My driving motivation is to bring forgotten stories to the forefront of America.’

‘Disappearing St. Malo,’ 2022 Wood, nylon nets and mylar Socrates Sculpture Park

The future looks bright for these allAmerican Pinays

Scholars. Athletes. Artists. Whether in academia, athletics, or the arts, this future genera tion of Filipina Americans are ever to excel. These five amaz ing Pinays are freshmen at top-ranked private high schools and highly regarded Catholic high schools in New Jersey continuing to represent well the FilAm community in all their endeavors.

This quintet graduated from National Blue-Ribbon School St. Augustine of Canterbury School in June 2022. All five received the President’s Award for Educational Excellence and were inducted into the National Junior Honor Society. Each of them also received distinguished awards at their 8th Grade Commencement: Sophia Rae Barber (Gold Medals in Algebra, Language Arts, Social Studies, and Silver Medal in World Language), Gisel Calulo (Gold Medal in World Language and Silver Medals in Language Arts and Religious Studies), Jenevieve Gopez (Gold Medals in Arts and Religious Studies and Silver Medal in Science), Alyssa Olegario (Silver Medal in Math), and Madeleine Pestano (Silver Medals in Algebra and Social Studies).

As we celebrate Filipino American History Month this October, we congratulate Sophia, Gisel, Jenevieve, Alyssa, and Madeleine on their wonderful accomplishments. The future is bright for these young Pinays.

SOPHIA RAE BARBER – Sophia is one of two daughters of Herald and Deborah Barber from Somerset, N.J. She is a bright, determined, and passionate learner. At her 8th grade graduation, Sophia was recognized for her exemplary work and earned the most gold medals in her graduating class. She loves playing basketball. She was a member of the St. Augustine 8th grade basketball team, which won the championship in the Diocese of Metuchen CYM Sports League. Sophia is also a member of Central Jersey Kalahi and played AAU with NJ Panthers. She currently attends Princeton Day School (PDS), which is ranked one of the Top 5 best private schools in New Jersey and one of the Top 5 best private high

schools in Mercer County. PDS admitted Sophia to its Honors Studio Geometry Program, an interdisciplinary math and architecture course. At her high school, she is a member of the Asian Pacific Islander Desi American Affinity Group, Environment Action Club, and the school paper "The Spokesman".

GISEL CALULO – A kind-hearted scholar-athlete, Gisel is the only daughter of Terence Calulo and Jhanice Domingo, Esq. of Somerset, N.J. Gisel completed her 8th grade academic year with First Honors and Knights of Accomplishment Award in Science. She was also the first place winner of her school’s Junior Tech Solar Car Sprint Competition. Small but fierce, Gisel was the chosen MVP of her 8th grade girls’ basketball team, which was the 2022 Diocese of Metuchen CYM Basketball League Tournament champions. Gisel is currently a freshman at The Pingry School, which is ranked the #1 K-12 private school in N.J. and the #1 best private high school in Somerset County. She is also a member of the Asian Student Union and Immigrant Relations Club, as well as, Pingry’s Student Movement Against Cancer, a club she joined in honor of her maternal aunt who passed away last year at the age of 45 from pancreatic cancer. An avid basketball player since she was 7 years old, Gisel is a member of Team Jersey Elite’s first-ever girls’ AAU basketball team and is the Captain of the Staten Island Philippine American Group Damsels/Girls basketball team.

JENEVIEVE GOPEZ – Jenevieve is the daughter of Orlando and Jennifer Gopez of Monroe, N.J. At St. Augustine, Jenevieve received First Honors and Knights of Accomplishment every year. She was involved with Odyssey of the Mind, Youth Group, and Babysitters Club, where she became CPR-certified. Last summer, she embarked on her first entrepreneurial endeavor selling handmade cards over social media and donating a portion of the proceeds to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. She is the recipient of the Mary Ann Liptak Merit Scholarship at Notre Dame High School (ND) which is ranked one

Quintet of gifted girls. From left: Madeleine Pestano of The Hun School of Princeton, Jenevieve Gopez of Notre Dame High School, Gisel Calulo of The Pingry School, Sophia Rae Barber of Princeton Day School, and Alyssa Olegario of St. Thomas Aquinas High School

of the Top 10 private high schools in Mercer County and among the Top 25 best Catholic high schools in N.J. Jenevieve was elected as the freshman class representative of ND’s student government and serves as a Student Ambassador. She is also a member of the Niceties Club, Yearbook Club, American Sign Language Club, and Joey’s Earth Angels. Honing her creativity and love for the arts, Jenevieve is a member of ND’s Art Club and Dance Intermediate Class. She has been a competitive dancer since she was 4 years old.

ALYSSA OLEGARIO – Alyssa is the only daughter of Alan and Katherine Olegario of Piscataway, N.J. At St. Augustine, in addition to her academic accomplishments, Alyssa was a member of the Babysitters Club and earned a CPR/Basic Life Saving Skills certification from the American Heart Association. In 2020, Alyssa and Gisel became the youngest winners of Work Design Magazine’s competition to design a solution for a post-COVID work environment. A dedicated competitive gymnast in USAIGC, under USA Gymnastics umbrella, Alyssa competed in the 2019 USAIGC Worlds Gymnastics Championship and brought home six

medals. Alyssa earned gold medals in all four of her individual events at the 2020 N.J. State USAIGC Championship. She earned a silver medal in balance beam at the 2021 NJ State USAIGC Championship and most recently, became the 2022 N.J. State silver medalist in floor exercise and bronze medalist in vault for her age category. Alyssa now attends St. Thomas Aquinas High School (STA), one of the Top 25 best Catholic high schools in N.J. Alyssa earned an academic scholarship and was accepted into the Aquinas Scholars Program.

MADELEINE PESTANO –

Madeleine is the middle child of Lito and Anjanette Pestano, and one of two sisters attending the Hun School of Princeton (Hun), which is ranked as one of the Top 10 boarding high schools in N.J. and one of the Top 10 best private high schools in Mercer County. Smart and hardworking, Madeleine graduated with first honors at St. Augustine. She continues to be a straight-A student at Hun, a streak that she has maintained since 5th Grade. While at St. Augustine, she also sharpened her creative and critical thinking skills as a member of the Robotics Team and Odyssey of the Mind Team.

Weightlifting gold medalist Hidilyn Diaz sets sight on Paris 2024

By Marilyn Abalos

Hidilyn Diaz, the first Fili pino Olympic gold medalist in weightlifting, was in the U.S. recently to raise funds and participate in a training program for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, France.

Passing through New York, Hidilyn was on her way to Atlanta, Georgia to train before competing in Bogota, Colombia for the 2022 Weightlifting World Champion ships on November 28. It is the first in a series of Olympic Qualifiers leading up to the 2024 Paris Olympics.

A meet-and-greet was hosted in New York for her and her party, including her husband and coach, Julius Naranjo and her nephew Rowel Garcia. The reception was held at the Manhattan residence of CEO and philanthropist Loida Nicolas Lewis with members of the FilAm community led by TANGapp founder and CEO Rebecca Kersch.

It was a special opportunity to hear first-hand her journey from the makeshift barbells of concrete in Zamboanga to the Olympic arena in Tokyo where she won her gold medal.

Hidilyn has a two-year trek to train for Paris. Travels to qualifying events for her and her team are costly. Rebecca Kersch has created a special campaign in www.tangapp.org to support Hidilyn. A gymnast, Rebecca has committed to donate $10 for every dona tion to Hidilyn. Donations through tangapp.org will be directed to Hidilyn’s account. Funds raised will help defray costs for additional coaches, travel and housing, among many expenses.

According to Julius, Bogota is the first of five qualifying competitions before Paris. The other competitions are in Armenia, Korea, Solomon Islands, and New Zealand.

Hidilyn, the fifth of six children, grew up in poverty and would carry heavy jugs of water from the well for her family. Her father Eduardo was a tricycle driver before becoming a farmer and a fisherman. Her mother Emelita stayed home to take care of the children.

“I was curious about weightlifting, watching my cousins,” she recalled. “So I tried it and enjoyed it.”

Hidilyn joined the University of Zamboanga's exten sion program on scholarship to train in weightlifting. An older cousin who was on the program, Catalino Diaz, was her first coach.

To support her training, she would do odd jobs selling vegetables and fish and washing jeepneys so she could travel to a local gymnasium. She used makeshift

barbells of concrete or mag wheels for practice.

She would spend the time training with water bottles attached to a wooden stick. Her husband Julius would chuckle at the memory of Hidilyn training for Tokyo in their “backyard gym.”

Her first competition was the 2002 Batang Pinoy in Puerto Princesa, Palawan. She competed all over the country in local and national tournaments. Sports leaders saw her great potential and she became a member of the Philippine national weightlifting team at age 13.

She was a student of computer science at the Zam boanga A.E. College (later University of Zamboanga) but stopped her schooling on her third year as she found her degree unsuitable for her. She also claimed it distracted her from training.

In the 2016 Summer Olympics, she won silver medal in the women’s 53kg weight division. She was hailed the first Filipino to win a medal in a non-boxing event since 1936.

Her preparation and training ahead of the Olympic Games was disrupted by COVID-19 restrictions. Julius said that Hidilyn was stranded for several months in Malaysia en route to a competition in Peru during the pandemic.

| Weightlifting academy

Julius shared they have established an academy to promote weightlifting in the Rizal province where they are working with 20 kids ages 11 to 15. They would like to motivate children to learn weightlifting. Hidilyn has donated weightlifting equipment valued up to P1 million to the academy, he said.

Hidilyn holds the rank of Staff Sergeant in the

Philippine Air Force. Her husband Julius is a former weightlifter who competed for Guam in international competitions. They first met at the 2017 Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games in Turkmenistan.

A devout Catholic, Hidilyn said her faith has inspired her athletic achievements. She attributes her 2020 Olympic Gold medal to the power of “prayers and faith in Mama Mary and Jesus Christ.”

To set up an account with tangapp on their mobile phones, user creates an account and links their U.S. bank account. They click “Send Money” and type @ hidilynparis2024 which corresponds to their PH bank account. They have an opportunity to write a note for Hidilyn

Hidilyn holds the rank of Staff Sergeant in the Philippine Air Force. Press photo

Hidilyn with husband Julius Naranjo who is also her coach. Photo by Marilyn Abalos

Meet-and-greet for gold medalist Hidilyn Diaz at the Manhattan residence of CEO and philanthropist Loida Nicolas Lewis. Photo by Rowena Mejia Randman

Jenn de la Vega makes ‘randwich’ with Ulam

By Harvey Barkin

fried and then sweet and mellow as it roasts – this opened my mind about transforming all food in a similar way.”

Food stylist and cookbook collaborator Jenn de la Vega says, “Sandwiches can certainly start as ulam between bread. I encourage folks to try putting their dinner leftovers in a sandwich. You might be surprised by the combination.”

Jenn left her music industry job early in 2000 and drifted between a restaurant gig and theater. She connected with friends via Twitter and Tum blr then experimented with different sandwich concoctions on them.

Jenn realized part of the monotony in New York city office life is the same salad bowl or fast food with scoops of roasted veggies and protein every day. This gave her the idea for her Randwich (random sandwich) business in Brooklyn where she comes up with a specific sandwich du jour. Her menu is a “mash-up of her Filipinx heritage, Spanish tapas, artisanal cheese, and 90s inspired fast-food cuisine.” Customers would let her know their allergies then send payment via Venmo. She would arrive at a specified time with sandwiches.

“Instead of tips, I asked for Instagram photos and (for them) to tag me.”

Randwich became a social media phenom. According to Jenn, “My blog was named a Best Tumblrs to Follow in 2013, Best Sandwiches in New York City (said) DailyCandy and (was fea tured) in Thrillist.”

But “it was a little too much for a side project and I wasn’t ready for a sandwich shop. I decided to form my own catering company. Ten years later, I balance catering with cookbook collaborations. People can still request random sandwiches but I now require an order minimum.”

Jenn has collaborated on books new and fusion like testing recipe for Angela Dimayuga’s and Ligaya Mishan’s Filipinx (Abrams) and contrib uting sheet pan chicken tinola recipe to Cathy Erway’s Sheet Pan Chicken (Ten Speed Press). In eight years of cooking, she even put together 100 recipes with Showdown Comfort Food Chili and BBQ (Page Street and MacMillan).

Jenn even appeared in Guy Fieri’s Grocery Games on Food Network, Roker Media’s Check Shock with Justin Warner on Twitch. She is a judge for The James Beard Awards and Specialty Food Association SoFi Awards. She grew up on Alton Brown, Giada De Laurentiis and Ina Garten on Food Network. Her family is scattered over Iloilo, Bacolod and Manila.

But “the dish that transformed everything for me was roasted garlic. It sounds so simple but the way that it can exist is in two extremes: spicy when raw, crunchy when

She focused on sandwiches because she found them “ubiquitous and infinite. It’s a format that has rails: it needs to have bread, sauce and filling. It’s easy to transport and fast to put together.”

“I did find that customers were drawn to my adobo pulled pork.” It kept evolving “from sliders to large sandwiches piled with ‘slaw or atchara. It’s slow cooked pork shoulder, pulled and broiled with brown sugar so it retains crunch when you re-in troduce gravy.” She also makes a lot of sandwiches with pinakbet and liempo.

| The perfect plating

Because Jenn is a food stylist, plating is import ant.

Jenn says, “I help bring realism to photo and video shoots. I do not use special effect tricks or chemicals to bring about deliciousness. The food is carefully prepped and cooked a la minute. I work with photographers and prop stylist to plan the look. They source the backgrounds, table linens, plates, flatware and, sometimes, botanicals, if it makes sense in the story.”

But to Pinoys, Jenn thinks, there could never be a hero sandwich to save them from the life-long habit of massive carbs ingestion. “Filipino food is so multitudinous that I don’t think it could be contained in a sandwich.”

“I don’t think you can ever replace a steaming helping of rice. The way I come up with recipes is to use familiar vehicles like sandwiches, pasta and salad to introduce Filipino flavors. I follow a lot of pop-ups (unexpected events in unique spaces) and restaurants on Instagram. I get inspired by people like Dapscancook (who is developing dinuguan blood sausage on a coconut biscuit), KusiNola making achuete shrimp po’ boys, Flip Eats with hot chicken tocino sandwiches, TitoBoysBurgers with insane-looking longanisa chopped cheese (New York City’s version of the Philly cheesesteak) plus his liempo banh mi, and Swell Dive in Brook lyn doing Filipino tacos.”

But when it comes to cooking for herself, Jenn says, “I would like a Thanksgiving family meal with New York Times food columnist Ligaya Mishan; Chef-owner of Seattle’s Musang Melissa Miranda; Executive chef who combines French with Filipino cuisine Ria Dolly Barbosa; restau rateur husband and wife pioneers Romy Dorotan and Amy Besa; and chef-author and eggslut sandwich creator Alvin Cailan. It would be so cool to cook with them, rant about our days, joke and share a meal.”

Jenn serving her famous pulled pork adobo randwich. Photos courtesy of Jenn de la Vega

Who says you can’t make a great sandwich by slapping ulam in between toasts?

Another randwich from Jenn’s recipe

Jenn’s take on the hotdog

Youngest community leader takes the reins of Santacruzan tradition

By Cristina DC Pastor

At the fragile age of 20, Federico ‘Freddy’ Burke became the executive chairman of the Santacruzan Festival, continuing a 44-year tradition started by the elders of Jersey City and the friends of his parents.

I“volunteered to become the executive chairman of the Santacruzan and Flores de Mayo of Manila Avenue at 20 years old,” he said, “I promised to CAM that even with my minimal experience and age, I will continue the tradition of the Santacruzan.”

Freddy’s ascent to the leadership of the Catholic Action of Mary was not the result of a power grab or the machinations of his parents, Peter Burke and Luz Obligacion Burke, who are regular, working-class folks and long-time residents of Jersey City. Nothing of that sort.

It started sweetly enough with the young chubby boy and only child tagging along with his mother to St. Mary’s Parish and being such a delightful and well-behaved kid. The parish, where CAM holds meetings to plan the annual Santacruzan, became a space where Freddy hung out.

Growing up, he would attend the Simbang Gabi and the Divine Mercy Pilgrimage with his parents, and became an altar server at St. Mary’s.

Freddy as a Marian devotee. ‘As Filipinos, our faith is essential.’

He attended mostly private Catholic schools: Resurrection School from 3rd grade to 8th grade where he graduated Valedictorian; high school at the Jesuit-run St. Peter’s Preparatory; and college at the Catholic University of America in Washington D.C., where he pursued a BA in Theology and Religious Studies.

In late 2006, his mother was elected vice

president of CAM. Ledy Almadin, the sixth president at the time, asked if Freddy would like to participate in the Maytime tradition as Constantino.

“At first, I had no idea what it meant to participate in the Santacruzan and what honor it is in the Philippines,” he recalled.

(The religious parade commemorates the search for the true Cross where Jesus Christ died. Constantine, the son of St. Helena, carries a cross. In today’s contemporary Santacruzan, such history is lost and the parade watchers feast their eyes on the spectacle of the Reyna Elenas in their elaborate gowns.)

In the summer of 2016, Luz Burke was elected as the seventh CAM president.

“I had promised my mom that even though

The only child of Irish American Peter Burke and Luz ObligacionBurke from Roxas City, Capiz.

I am in Washington, D.C. I will still support her 100%. Seeing my mom work so hard, tireless and selflessly, I always reminded her that we are doing this for the Lord and to honor the Blessed Mother Mary,” he said.

Freddy helped make flyers and invitations for the parade and proofread messages and speeches. In 2017, he became the CAM Youth Special Coordinator, cementing his expanding role in the organization.

There would be ebbs and flows in the Santacruzan activity over the years. Declining interest, low turnout in parades and street fair, plus an aging board leadership became issues of concern. Freddy recalled how in September 2018, the board and members of CAM voiced their “exhaustion and concern” of how much longer they can continue the organization and tradition as large and grand as the Santacruzan.

“Speaking up, I voiced to the CAM board that we must continue these traditions and the celebration of the Santacruzan will not end!” said Freddy. From Washington, D.C., from 2018-2019, “I held virtual meetings and traveled nearly twice a month to New Jersey in preparation for the Santacruzan all the

while as a full-time college student.”

In November 2019, he was elected unanimously as the eighth CAM president and continuing as executive chairman of Santacruzan all the way to 2023.

“Luckily, I am blessed to have seen the past CAM presidents in their work and experiences which have aided me to this day and through the pandemic. Roaring into 2023, I can happily say that the Catholic Action of Mary and the Santacruzan and Flores de Mayo in Manila Avenue is alive and well!”

He graduated in 2020 at the height of the pandemic and was offered to become the Director of Religious Education at St. Mary’s. Two years later he picked up a second job as a middle school teacher at the Academy of Our Lady of Grace in Fairview New Jersey where he taught Religion and English vocabulary.

Freddy said who he is today he owes to his Filipino Catholic upbringing.

“As a young FilAm working with a board who are all older than me, I believe a bridge can be built between the older and younger generations.”

And he became that bridge.

A Santacruzan Constantino at age 9.