| Article Index |
|---|
| 2,000 Fil-Ams Attend 111th Independence Day Grand Ball |
| Page 2 |
| Page 3 |
| All Pages |
LOS ANGELES– 2,000: the number of Fil-Ams that attended the 111th Independence Day Grand Ball at the Westin Bonaventure Hotel on Saturday, June 13. 142: the number of executive committee members. 9: the number of Chinese entrees served at dinner. 2: the number of guest speakers; and 59: the number of dollars needed to buy a grand ball ticket. These numbers are unprecedented in the history of Philippine Independence Day celebrations by the Fil-Am communities in the United States. Not even the centennial celebration of Philippine Independence Day eleven years ago could top these statistics. The key to the success of the 111th Independence Day Grand Ball was the foresight of the organizing committee. As early July 2008, the chair, Darna Umayam, a spunky and seasoned community leader, had repeatedly declared the committee’s mantra: "We are planning ahead. I am trying my best to pull in as many of the 3.5 million Ams (in the United
States) as much as possible." The executive committee’s goal: 2,000 guests."There is a lot of work to be done," Ms. Umayam had said during the committee’s first general assembly meeting last year. "This is your victory; I am just leading here."
chair emphasized that a portion of the proceeds from ticket sales would be donated to charitable institutions in the Philippines. "We are adding a humanitarian touch to the celebration, as usual, by donating part of the proceeds to charitable institutions in the Philippines," she said. "Helping is a sign of patriotism," Ms. Umayam reminded the committee members to please help. "A bottle of dextrose in Manila hospitals costs Php1,000 each. Please help in other things," Ms. Umayam pleaded.The executive committee went to work immediately after the 110th Independence Day Ball in June, 2008, engaging various Filipino-American organizations in the Southern California area. The Philippine Consulate, a traditional partner through the years, provided the Rizal Hall at the mid-Wilshire headquarters of the Consulate as a free venue for the executive committee meetings. The Consul General, Mary Jo Bernardo Aragon and the Deputy Consul General, Dan Espiritu, were always on hand to lend support and encouragement.
Ticket sales began in earnest following the first meeting of the 142-member executive committee in summer 2008. As early as April this year, 1,350 tickets had been distributed. "After we have reached 1,950 tickets sold, we will not accept any more payments," Ms. Umayam said. "Fifty of the tickets will be allotted for the beneficiaries in the Philippines."
As early as fall 2008, the names of prospective guest speakers were already known. The short list included Energy Secretary Angelo Reyes, Vice President Noli de Castro, Senator Manny Villar, Batangas Governor Vilma Santos, and Senator Francis "Chiz" Escudero. Two of them – Energy Secretary Reyes and Senator Escudero – attended on Saturday.
The lobbies of the Sacramento and the San Francisco Ballrooms of Westin Bonaventure were humming with excitement as early as 6pm on Saturday evening.
| Comments |
|
3.26 Copyright (C) 2008 Compojoom.com / Copyright (C) 2007 Alain Georgette / Copyright (C) 2006 Frantisek Hliva. All rights reserved."
| < Prev | Next > |
|---|
