Asian Journal- The Filipino-American Community Newspaper

Las Vegas—For the first time in this city, Las Vegas City mayor Oscar Goodman will greet Filipinos in a "red-carpet" event as they celebrate the 111th Philippine Independence Day on Saturday, June 20th.

The first-ever gala event for Filipinos is part of the first annual Fiesta Filipino festivities in this city.

"It is an evening of elegance and glamour like the Oscars," Jing Espiritu state chair of the National Federation of Filipino American Associations Nevada chapter (NaFFAA-NV) said.

"It’s also requiring everyone to wear something formal," Espiritu told Asian Journal.

NaFFAA-NV spearheaded the first annual celebration of Philippine Independence in Las Vegas last June 6th.

Close to 5,000 Filipinos along with their friends and family flocked to the Sammy Davis Festival Plaza in Las Vegas for the festivities. Aside from local Las Vegas residents, the whole day event was also attended by visitors from neighbor cities in California , Arizona and Utah .

There are more than 100,000 Filipinos living in Las Vegas , making these residents one of the largest cultural groups in the city. But this is the first time that Filipinos grouped together to celebrate the Philippine Independence day with a grand festivity.

NaFFAA NV had said it aims to hold the Fiesta Filipino event in Las Vegas annually every month of June. This is expected to unite Filipinos to make them "more visible" in the community, it added.

NaFFAA is a non-partisan national affiliation of more than five hundred Filipino-American institutions and umbrella organizations. Its core mission is to empower Filipinos in the United States .

It has been one of its aims to unite the various Filipino groups in each city in the United States and help integrate it with American society.

In an earlier NaFFAA forum, Espiritu had noted the need to "coalesce Fil-Am groups with Asians and with other mainstream groups in the community where they live."

Last month, the biggest delegation of Filipinos had joined the Helldorado parade in Las Vegas . This is a mark that Filipino residents of Las Vegas have started integrating in the city’s local scene, the delegation’s spokesperson Emma Williams noted.

Williams added that efforts of NaFFAA made Filipino participation in the Helldorado Days parade extensive for the first time.

For the June 20th gala night, the attendance of Las Vegas Mayor Goodman is an indication that Las Vegas is also recognizing Filipino presence in the community.

It was Mayor Goodman and several councilmen who recognized Filipinos last May during the celebration of Asian American Heritage month.

In that celebration, NaFFAA NV was recognized by the Office of the Mayor for empowering the Filipino-American community in Las Vegas . NaFFAA’s national vice chair Rozita Lee, who is also a Las Vegas resident, was honored for her involvement in the organization and in the city.

( www.asianjournal.com )

( Published on June 19, 2009 in Asian Journal Las Vegas p. A1 )