Philanthropist, diplomat and Las Vegas resident Cielo Martinez is among the 2009 nominees for 100 Most Influential Filipina Women in the US by the Filipina Women’s Network (FWN).
Nominated under the Builders and Emerging Leaders category, Ms. Martinez was cited for her leadership role in both a non-profit organization and a government agency.
Prior to her move to Las Vegas, Ms. Martinez served for five years as Honorary Consul General of the Philippines for the city of New Orleans .
As Honorary Consul General, she hosted cultural shows and fundraisers in the area, aside from overseeing the extension of consular services such as passport renewals, and document authentications. She also assisted several Filipino seamen in their legal cases while working in ports in New Orleans, Louisiana.
While living in New Orleans, Ms Martinez and her family were victims of the devastating hurricane Katrina. But the loss of much of their belongings did not include their hearts. It was after this tragic event that they even became active partners of Gawad Kalinga.
In 2007, she and her family helped organize a silent auction in Las Vegas to gather donations that will benefit Gawad Kalinga and ANCOP-USA.
ANCOP is a non-profit corporation whose aim is to generate awareness and mobilize resources for Gawad Kalinga, through partnerships with generous individuals or groups. Gawad Kalinga, which literally translates to giving care, aims to address poverty in the Philippines by empowering poor communities through its programs.
Her work in these organizations have helped cop the nomination for the FWN 100. Awardees, which will be announced at the Filipina Women’s Summit, will become “womentors” or the next generation of leaders by forming a new circle of inter-generational women that will sustain the wealth of Filipino heritage and remarkable Pinay leadership for the next 100 years.
Ms. Martinez, who has a degree in Industrial Psychology, currently works as a special education teacher at the Clark County School District in Las Vegas where she resides with husband Dr. Roberto Martinez.
Dr. Martinez, a community leader himself, is currently vice president of the Philippine Medical Association of Nevada.
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