PETER’S PINOY PATTER — JULY 2016
Bridge Generation News
The June 22-25 Filipino American National Historical Society’s 16th biennial national conference in New York City was a huge success — completely shattering a long standing attendance record by drawing 762 registered history buffs. The confab featured nationally known figures and starred a galaxy of entertainment luminaries. For detailed reviews read the article by Florente Ibanez in the Philippine Inquirer, Buddy Gomez III’s blog CYBERBUDDY, and various FANHS websites. Bridge Generation attendance has been significant in every national conference (ie: FANHS founders Fred and Dorothy Cordova are BG members). But because of aging/health issues, 2016 attendance was considerably down. As far as I could determine Bridge Generation attendees included: Tony Ogilvie, Dorothy Cordova, Larry Flores, Pio DeCano, Jeannette Tiffany, Marya Bergstrom, Bob Flor of Seattle; Patricia Brown and Romel Dela Cruz of Hawaii; and Californians Nina Gonzalez of Turlock; Connie Gin-Alcordo of Modesto; Don Del Pilar of Berkeley; Mel and Gail Lagasca, Buster Villa, Rich Tenaza of Stockton; Nena Calica of Monterey Park; and Bob and Joyce (Tibon) Balandra of Oakland. While there was universal praise for the conference, some BG participants were disappointed there was scarce mention of the role the Bridge Generation played in the history of Filipinos in America. Of the more than 60 sessions, for example, not one was devoted to this rapidly decreasing demographic………………… For centuries Christian pilgrims have been walking the Camino de Santiago in Spain to visit the sacred tomb of St. James the Apostle. Today, whether walking the Camino for spiritual reasons, fitness, or to discover its natural beauty, the Camino is a trip of a lifetime. Although shorter options were available, Pauline Agbayani of Green Valley CA, the retired former professor at the University of Washington, UCLA, and Cal State Los Angeles, opted for the full walking tour of 500 miles. On June 21, with her daughters and grandchildren in tow, Pauline began their trek from the French Pyrenees to Santiago de Compostela, on the Atlantic side of Spain. The family’s pilrimage tour is scheduled to end 28 days later on July 26…………. Rosalie (Salutan) Marquez, Guadalupe CA community leader and president of FANHS’s Central Coast Chapter (Santa Maria), is scheduling a fundraiser at Eden Canyon Winery in Creston CA. The winery is a trailblazing venture of father Danilo Villamin and daughter Elaine (Villamin) Blackaby as it is believed to be the only Filipino-owned winery in the nation…………….. Good to learn Paul Paular of Torrence CA was back in Sacramento visiting relatives on May 25. As usual, the family dined at Paul’s favorite Chinese restaurant…………… Manuel Viernes and Ken Gonzales, both of Sacramento were seen at Jackson Rancheria Casino on May 26 — not at a blackjack table but at a dining table. Incidentally, a photo of Al Juanitas of Stockton is prominently displayed among other mega winners at the casino…………….. Farewells were sadly said for: (1) Demeterio “Jim” Evangelista, 89, who passed away May 11 in Sacramento. I first met Jim — a lifetime bowling enthusiast — in 1957 when we were on opposing teams in the Filipino League at the old Sacramento Bowl. (2) “Heaven welcomed home an angel on May 31”, was the opening line of the obituary that aptly described the death of Sally (Revillar) Gacer, 83, of Stockton. Her youth was typical for pinays of the times – family, school, church, and Filipino Youth Club athletic tournaments and dances. During her retirement years she helped her husband of 65 years, Richard Gacer, organize several highly successful Filipino old timer reunions. (3) Longtime SoCal resident Clara “Tawa” Desuacido, 89, passed away on June 9. At 17 she was an extra in the film “Back to Bataan” starring John Wayne and Anthony Quinn. Her casting was totally unexpected. After driving Filipino children to the movie’s casting call, it was Tawa who was hired — not the children. A photograph of her with John Wayne and director Edward Dmyrtyk on the movie set was one of her cherished souvenirs. (4) Quiet Hildo “Sonny” Pomicpic, 80, died on June 16 at his home in Livingston CA . Sonny was a gifted athlete. In basketball, he honed his skills for the Livingston Dragons in the rough and tumble Filipino youth basketball circuit as a skinny 11 year old in 1948 (other players were much older). After growing to his eventual height of 5’11” he starred for the Dragons during its championship years. As a high school sophomore Sonny was the starting guard on the varsity basketball team at Livingston H.S where he was a league all-star for three consecutive years. A masterful ball handler, he was often called upon to dribble away the final minutes of the game — a skill for which he was often compared to the great Harlem Globetrotter Marquis Haynes. He also excelled in softball as a pitcher and slugging first baseman. Athletics were not his only interest. From his father he developed a strong interest in the Filipino pastime of sabong (cock fighting). As a teenager, he had his own stable of roosters, ultimately becoming a sabongero (handler of fighting roosters). (5) Eighth in a family of twelve children, Frances Hipolito, 83, of Hilmar CA passed away suddenly on June 20. The Hipolito family is believed to be the first Filipino family to settle in the area after moving there during the 1920s……………. Happy July Birthdays to: Rosita “Daday” (Adlao) Amen, Lydia (Antiporda) Galian, Gilda Lum, Rudy Modelo, Gloria (Magpiong) Salac, Candido Oyog, and Riz Raymundo.
Pinakbet — News Across The Country
Entrepreneur and engineer Diosdado Banatao was the commencement speaker of the 11th annual graduation ceremonies at the University of California Merced on May 15. Banatao, 69, pioneered the chips set and graphics acceleration architecture that is found in every personal computer today. His is a rags to riches story. Born into a poor rice farming family in the Philippines, he walked to school barefoot on a dirt road. At Stanford University, he joined the Homebrew Computer Club where he associated with future computer giants, Steve Jobs and Steve Wosniak. Banatao may be the richest Filipino in America. According to the Philippine Tribune of New South Wales, Australia — he is worth $5 billion, lives with his pinay wife in a $20 million home in exclusive Atherton CA, owns two Lear jets, and has 20 venture capital firms…………… Filipinos win in U.S. courts: The case of eleven Filipino bakery workers who claimed human trafficking and labor abuses against a prominent Filipino couple doing business in Los Angeles ended on May 2 with a $15,252,297 judgment in favor of the workers. The judgement was issued by federal judge Fernando Olguin against Goncarlo and Analiza Moitinho de Almeida, the owners of French Concepts’L’Amande Bakery. And on May 5, a U.S. Department of Labor investigation ruled against BiTMICRo Networks of Fremont CA for violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act. The company was ordered to pay more than $80,000 in minimum wage and overtime back pay to eighteen computer engineers brought to America from its subsidiary in the Philippines. Some workers received as little as $1.66 per hour, and received no overtime pay after working an average of 57 hours per week……………… Did you know that two Filipino American brothers are in the major leagues? Travis d’Arnaud, is a catcher for the New York Mets while older brother Chase d’Arnaud plays second base for the Atlanta Braves……………….. After not pitching in the major leagues since June 2015 because of hip surgery, Seattle native Tim Lincecum is now with the Los Angeles Angels at Anaheim. He had an outstanding record for the San Francisco Giants for eight years, pitching two no-hitters and earning three World Series rings, two Cy Young Awards, and was a four time All Star………….. Thanks to research by Titchie and Erwin Tiongson of Fairfax VA, we learned that Frederic Ossorio was a member of the “Monuments Men” who helped recover a priceless Van Gogh stolen by the Nazi’s in the aftermath of World War II. “Monuments Men” was recently made into a movie starring Brad Pitt………………. Christine (Silverio) Balza of Dublin CA, 47, passed away on May 27. She was one of the few Filipino American practitioners of baybayin, the ancient Philippine script derived from Brahmic scripts of India………… “Tinikling” may be the next dance craze after being interpreted in hip hop, fusion, Irish, and polka genres in such diverse locations as Baltimore and UCLA…………. Some months ago, Seattleites Bob and Sharon Santos and I were entertained by multi talented Robert Kikuchi-Yngojo at the beautiful San Francisco home of demographer Juanita Tamayo Lott. A unique storyteller, musician, and composer Kikuchi–Yngojo composed the music for the 1982 film “Chan is Missing” directed by Wayne Wang and the 2008 documentary “Manilatown is in the Heart”……………. Comedienne Ellen D. Williams is slated to co-star in the upcoming FX-TV comedy show “Baskets” with actor/stand-up comedian Zach Galifianakis. She had a recurring role in CBS-TV’s “How I Met Your Mother”.…………. Filipino American History Trivia: (1) Fred Cordova was the Founding President of the Filipino American National Historical Society; but who served as Founding Vice President? (2) In what California city is the only U.S. public school named after labor leaders Larry Itliong and Philip Vera Cruz? (3) What was the motto of the U.S. Army First Filipino Regiment?