President

I’m greatly honored by the COPAO members who elected me to this most challenging and demanding position. I will endeavor to do honor to this office and serve COPAO in accordance with the finest traditions of this organization. My predecessor, Dr. Aurora Soriano Cudal, certainly honored the position, compiling a record of innovation and service that is enviable and challenging. Mrs. Cudal, you have set a high standard for this organization and for this office and I’ll live up to that standard.

I do not come to this office, then, intending to reinvent everything. Thanks to the great work that has been accomplished before me, there is no need for this.

But neither do I come into this office as a mere caretaker. It is my intention to direct the efforts of this organization even more vigorously than before toward the following goals:

1. Establishment of a Philippine Consulate to extend consular services to the community in San Diego.

2. Pursue our goal of renaming a park to Dr. Jose P. Rizal Park where we can have a Rizal monument to celebrate our cultural heritage in a beautiful setting.

3. Cooperate with the Board of Trustees to raise funds for the improvement and expansion of the COPAO Center.

4. For the Committee on Ways and Means to raise funds for the Scholarship and Program Funds.

5. For the Operations Committee to continue COPAO’s projects and programs and seek additional funding by writing grant proposals to expand our programs.

6. For the Finance Committee in maintaining the integrity and reputation of our financial transactions.

7. To have a strong Membership Committee to actively recruit Filipino American organizations to join

COPAO and gain their support.

8. For the Philippine Faire & Parade Committee to continue the presentation of cultural activities with the participation of the member organizations, youth and senior organizations.

These objectives are attainable but I cannot do it alone. I will need the cooperation and support of the Officers, members of the Executive Council, and the Board of Trustees to make it a reality. Together we will make COPAO a more cohesive and more respected organization in San Diego County.

I would like to share with you a message that was gleaned from President John F. Kennedy’s inaugural address on January 20, 1961, in Washington, D.C. The message goes: “Let us begin anew remembering on both sides that civility is not a sign of weakness and sincerity is always subject to proof. Let us never negotiate out of fear. Let us never fear to negotiate. Let both sides explore what problems united us instead of belaboring these problems which divide us.”

Ladies and gentlemen, I look forward eagerly to working with you and working for you. God Bless COPAO, and Mabuhay!

2. Collaborated with the Museum of Man at Balboa Park in celebrating the “Tower After Hours”, Mabuhay Philippine Celebration;

3. Commemorated the Liberation of the Philippines in 1945 in collaboration with the Veterans Museum & Memorial Center at Balboa Park;

4. Co-sponsored with the Filipino American Educators Association (FILAMEDA) the 2nd Annual Filipino American Education Summit: “From Elementary School to College – Ensuring Your Student’s Success” – April 14, 2007;

5. Co-sponsored the celebration of the Festival of Arts and Culture (FilAmFest) that was held at the City of San Diego, District 4.

6. Collaborated with FACE in celebrating the death of Dr. Jose Rizal with a symposium highlighting the life and accomplishments of the national hero of the Philippines.

B. PROGRAMS

1. Continued the Volunteers Income Tax Assistance (VITA), Earned Income Tax Credit Information (EITC) and Tax Counseling for the Elderly (TCE) Project for Tax Year 2007;

2. Sponsored the 2007 Philippine Faire & Festival with the City of National City as co- sponsor. It was held at Kimball Park, National City with a parade that was participated in by thousands including students from various schools in San Diego County.

3. Organized the Committee on the Filipiniana Night and Independence Ball to invite candidates for the Mrs/Miss/Teen/Little Miss Philippine Faire Contest. The Filipiniana Night and Coronation Ball honoring these beauties was held at the Town & Country Hotel in Mission Valley.

4. Awarded scholarships to four graduating Filipino American high school students for excellence in various fields of endeavor by presenting them with checks and plaques of recognition at the Philippine Faire program. As a yearly practice, COPAO recognizes four awardees in the areas of Academic Excellence, Leadership, Athletics and Community Service.

C. ADVOCACY

1. Collaborated with the State Department of Transportation and former Assemblyman Juan Vargas in the posting of signage to formalize the renaming of the State Route 54 to “Filipino-American Highway” in October 2007. This is the first and only highway in the United States named in honor of Filipino-Americans.

2. Collaborated with the American Red Cross and the Philippine Emergency Disaster Relief Organization (PEDRO) in Operation “Abot Kamay sa Kapwa” to raise funds for the victims of the October 2007 wild fires in San Diego.

D. GRANTS

1. As seed money for the annual Philippine Faire & Festival, COPAO received a grant from the County of San Diego Enhancement Fund for the year 2007.

2. The VITA Project received grant monies from the National City CDBG Grant Program, United Way and Mabuhay Alliance.

E. INTERNAL AFFAIRS

1. To be more responsive to the community, in December 2007, COPAO enlisted the assistance of an employee/volunteer to respond to callers who inquire about the services at COPAO, to coordinate existing programs and to follow up on communications.

2. Regular maintenance of the COPAO property for the safety of the tenants and occupants of the Center is being undertaken by the Building Committee throughout the year.

There are more activities ahead of us and we need your cooperation and support to ensure the success of COPAO. As we face another year, let me reiterate the commitment of my administration to the duties and responsibilities entrusted to us in the organization.

I extend to all my personal thanks for giving me the chance to serve the Filipino American community in my capacity as president of COPAO.

In 2007, the Executive Council overwhelmingly re-elected me to serve as President of COPAO for another two year term, 2007-2008. I would like to report to you what my administration has accomplished in 2007 with the full and unselfish support and cooperation of all the officers and members of COPAO.

COPAO is going out of its way to reach out to its member organizations as well as the non-member organizations. We attend community events of these organizations to show the organizers that COPAO is there for them and also to invite the non-members to become members of COPAO. These are our activities and accomplishments in 2007:

A. COLLABORATION

COPAO has entered into collaborative partnerships with the following agencies and organizations:

1. Organized the rally for Filipino-American WWII Veterans in collaboration with NAFFAA that was held in front of the City of National City Hall;

Good morning everyone! First of all, I would like to wish all of you a belated merry christmas and hoping

that the new year brings everyone the best that life can offer.

It is with this thought and belief that the incoming leadership, those that you have entrusted to carry your

hopes and dreams and certainly, your expectations, for the coming years ahead had in mind when we said

"WE ACCEPT!”.

It is certainly in the spirit of today’s celebration of our eminent national hero DR. JOSE RIZAL. For these

times may not be so different than what he had to face then, first and foremost was his dream for a unified

Filipino nation. History will tell us that this is and always will be the critical element that should and will

bind us!

The transition leadership had been meeting this past few months in preparation for a plan of action

that we hope will reflect the needs of the Fil-Am community and the community at large.

Truly, as a diverse ethnic community we must accept the fact that we MUST learn to co-exist with others, for this and only this, can move us forward as a community and as a nation.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank the past leadership of this great organization, the Council of Philippine American Organizations of San Diego County (COPAO), for establishing a solid foundation that gave this organization their best efforts to bring us to today….our third decade of service to the Fil-Am community and others..

We have learned and will continue to learn from the challenges that each of them faced and most importantly, how they acted.

I would also like to thank everyone of you for sharing this day with us in celebrating this wonderful day, this most blessed of all seasons.

THANK YOU!