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San Francisco, CA: Californians are so fortunate to live in this
sunny state (although that is not always the case), especially this
part of the region. True, the Bay Area is currently being soaked by
surprising rainfall, which actually is a blessing, alleviating our
drought situation.
But who wants to live in the Great Lakes area of
Minnesota, Michigan and Illinois where temperatures fall below zero
for days and one has to deal with snow, sleet and icy roads. We were
in the suburbs of Chicago last weekend and experienced all those,
all the time wondering how residents could cope with such harsh
weather conditions. But they do.
Back in sunny California, which was not so sunny
when we flew in, Fil-Am community activities were in full swing. On
Thursday, the Philippine American Press Club (PAPC) met for dinner
at Roberto’s Restaurant in Daly City. Roberto’s was once Tito
Rey, which was originally owned by Rey Bautista and Larry Cruz. The
once-beautiful restaurant under another owner, Bobby Vallante, hopes
to revive and once again be the center of social activities in
“Manila Town,” as Daly is often called.
With all the media hype and nationwide coverage
it gets, Presidential Election 2008 simply can’t be ignored and
many Filipino-Americans have already selected their favorite
candidates. Obama or Hillary, McCain or Mitt? On the Republican
side, those who are active in the campaign include Chit and Bill
Applegate, Roger Palaad, Rudy Asercion and Charito Benipayo.
Last weekend, community leaders met to form
Filipino-American Women for Hillary Clinton, a movement aimed at
mobilizing the community to vote for Mrs. Clinton at the primaries
on Tuesday, February 5.
The FAWHC leaders include Estrella Ramos, Cely
Muñoz, Priscilla Lectura, Adela Capistrano, Lourdes Reyes, Perla
Ibarrientos, Lina Susbilla, Erlinda Galeon, Ora Seyler, Aida
Sagabaen, Leonida Vargas and Christina Ella Punsalan. During the
presidency of Bill Clinton, Filipino-Americans played a major role
in the White House. Clinton appointed some 10 Fil-Ams to executive
positions, one of them Maria Mabilangan Haley, White House deputy
director for personnel, and FAWHC President Alice Bulos, who was
Commissioner on Federal Council on Aging.
On Sunday, California’s own Dorothy Delasin of
Daly City, teaming up with another Filipina, Jennifer Rosales, won
the fourth edition of the Women’s World Cup of Gold in Sun City,
South Africa. The jubilant duo shared $280,000 for first place.
Since she started as a pro in year 2000, the teenage Delasin has
earned $2,537,304 in winnings. Makes us proud to be Pinays.
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