Asian Journal- The Filipino-American Community Newspaper

Political neophyte Joanne Del Rosario never imagined she would be in public service a few years back, much less an elected official of Filipino heritage in her adopted homeland.

In fact, Joanne enjoyed playing a supporting role to her brother, Albert Del Rosario, when he was Philippine Ambassador to the US (appointed by Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo). She was content in accompanying her brother to public or private events, especially when he was in the West Coast, and attending functions where she was invited to by virtue of their relationship.

It was in 2006, upon the prodding of the Filipino American Coalition, whose main supporter was Lucky Chances founder Rene Medina, when Joanne finally relented to the constant encouragement from her colleagues and friends to enter the political arena by filing her candidacy for one of the two open seats in the Colma Town Council. By then, she had become involved in community organizing in her beloved town and was president of the Filipino American Association of Colma.

Having never participated in an elections campaign before, Del Rosario had no expectations as she was running against two firmly entrenched politicians in Philip Lum and Helen Fisicaro. However, she believed that with hard work and the right campaign, she would have a chance to win a seat to the town council.

In her candidate statement, the then 53-year-old declared, "Colma offers many benefits for all of us, young and old, in the form of education, social and recreational programs that we treasure. But these programs may be in jeopardy as Colma will be facing fiscal challenges that could affect the programs which we have become accustomed to. As a member of the council, I will focus on reviewing and restructuring present and future plans in order to maintain and improve our quality of life."

Joanne also stated that her over 33 years experience in the legal, business and financial world will help bring fresh perspective to the job, and that she will work to ensure that the present and future needs of Colma residents are fully met.

And win she did, although a close one at that. After all was said and done, she had slid onto the town council by garnering 172 votes, or 30.8 percent of the total votes cast. Joanne had conquered a mountain, eking out Philip Lum, a former five-time Colma Mayor, by a mere nine votes. Her term runs until November 2010.

Today, Joanne Del Rosario is Vice Mayor of the Town of Colma. With some experience tucked under her belt, there is now a calmness within her, unlike when she was fresh into her term and had to learn the ropes fast.

Joanne has even begun to give time to causes near to her heart, including participating in CORA (Community Overcoming Relationship Abuse) activities as a CORA Kumare and as a member of the Community Advisory Committee at Seton Medical Center.

"As an elected official and in particular a Filipina elected official, I hope to bring this issue (domestic violence prevention) to the forefront, especially in the Asian community," Del Rosario said.

The youngest of seven children born to Luis Del Rosario and Amparo Ferreros has certainly gone a long way, just like the Virginia Slims slogan of yore. It remains to be seen whether she will stay where she is, firmly ensconced in a town which she believes is a great place to live, or if she will aspire for something higher and more challenging.