Filipino-American Service Group, Inc. (FASGI) hosts media briefing on 20Filipino-American Service Group, Inc. (FASGI) hosts media briefing on 2010 Census 10 Census

LOS ANGELES - The Filipino-American Service Group, Inc. (FASGI) on Oct. 15, hosted a media briefing on the 2010 Census: “It’s In Our Hands,” a nationwide population count taken every ten years. The results of the April 1, 2010 Census will affect political representation and the allocation of billions of dollars in government funding to every community in all 50 states, Washington, DC, Puerto Rico, US V irgin Islands, Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and American Samoa.

Every year, more than $300 billion in federal funds is awarded to states and communities based on census data, making it critical for all communities to be counted accurately. But accurate counts have never been attained in some minority communities, including some undocumented Filipino-Americans households because of fears that their illegal status would be reported to immigration authorities. “It is very important that we achieve a count that’s accurate, right on the money, so we have to stand up and be counted,” declared Eduardo A. Angeles, a board member of FASGI. “We need to get the word out that everyone needs to be counted in order for our community to receive an accurate representation.”

The 2010 Census questionnaire will ask only a few simple questions, according to Charmaine David, account director of IW Group, Inc. an advertising agency based in San Francisco. “They will be asked only 6 questions, their name, relationship, gender, age, date of birth, race, and whether the respondent owns or rents his or her home. It takes just a few minutes to complete the questionnaire and return by mail,” David said,

The Census Bureau does not release or share information that identifies individual respondents or their household for 72 years. The advertising campaign that IW Group is now preparing will be printed in several languages, including Pilipino, Chinese, Japanese, Laotian, Cambodia, Indian, Singaporean, Burmese and Hmong. The campaign will be aired on television, radio, online and in print media. Tagalog and Taglish versions also will be created for the Filipino-American community. “We want to create a partnership with the different communities and capitalize on the multiplier effect by establishing connections between the different communities,” said David.

The key to this endeavor is having every household fill out and mail back a completed census form. Participation is critical because the results would determine how the US Congressional districts are apportioned and how more than $300 billion in federal funds are distributed annually to state, local and tribal areas, according to a printed statement distributed by Lynne Choy-Uyeda, a media specialist of the Los Angeles Regional Census Center located in Northridge, California.

“We want the 2010 Census to be the most accurate yes, and we are again calling upon Complete Count Committees to help achieve that goal, said Steve Murdoch, director of the US Census Bureau in the same written statement. For the 2010 Census, the bureau needs even more Complete Count Committees that can start to help educate and inform an increasingly diverse nation. Ms. Uyeda informed the forum that the Census Bureau is recruiting bilingual Filipino-American Partnership Specialist. “Up to this day, we have not received even one application from your community and the deadline was September 30,” Ms. Uyeda said. “I’m very sure that the bureau will extend the deadline for applications to a future date,” she said. The Partnership Specialist is responsible for developing partnerships with state, local, and tribal governments; community-based organizations, faith-based groups, schools, media outlets, businesses’ and other grassroots entities in communities within the regional office area. Application forms ae available by calling (818) 435-6344, or by e-mailing This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . (www.asianjournal.com)

(published October 18, 2008 LAWKND)

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