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| December 24, 2008
New Year. New Friends. New Opportunities.
Before you get buried in all things related to the holiday season, be sure to mark your calendars for our FIRST networking mixer for the new year. 
Although the economic climate has had a sobering effect on some of us as well as many of our colleagues, we implore you to reach out to each other within this community of professionals--to both give and receive guidance in coping with the economic realities. Through each other, we can make a difference even a small one to get us back on that course toward prosperity.
Enjoy the holidays and don't forget to bring your colleagues and your business cards to the networking mixer.
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| December 8, 2008
Feeding 5000 Miracle on Pier 48: Won't you join us?
 YFPA members and friends will join the National Basketball Association, Feed the Children, The Willie Brown Institute and local community partners to bring food to 5000 families in San Francisco.
YFPA is looking for more volunteers from the professional community to participate in this volunteer event. If you are interested, please send an email to communityaffairs@yfpa.org.
Notes: Boxes of non-perishable food and milk will be distributed to those in need. Be prepared to transport boxes with a total weight of up to 80 pounds. Please bring utility carts to transport boxes. Food will be distributed in tow shifts. Shift times are listed on distribution tickets.
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| December 6, 2008
 On behalf of YFPA, I would like to thank all of you very much for your generosity for your donated toys given at our "First Wednesdays" Networking Mixer last week. I would like to especially thank Larry Chiang from Asians & Americans for Action for the countless beanie babies he donated. This kind of outpouring from the professional community is a testament that we can make a difference in the community even if it's just putting a smile on young child's face during the holiday season.
Gary M. Gonzalez | YFPA President
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| November 3, 2008
The Importance of Being Earnest
There is an old adage that power is never given but rather earned. This is certainly true when considering the nature of electoral politics. Taking the time to vote is the simplest, most fundamental way to make a difference, to take a stand, and to really voice what you believe in. Ask yourself, what matters to you? What are your hopes for the future and for your family's future? As Corazon Aquino once said, "I don't have a formula for ousting a dictator or building democracy. All I can suggest is to forget about yourself and just think of your people. It's always the people who make things happen..." While it sounds fantastic, whenever we enter the election booth, we are being offered the chance to speak up for those people and those issues that we care most passionately about.
As Filipinos, we have a long and storied legacy that has become part and parcel of the nation's legacy. In a 2007 census, the Filipino-American community was estimated to be at 4 million, or 1.5% of the United States population. Conversely, it should be noted that Filipinos are the second-largest Asian ethnic group in the U.S. and among the most important consumer targets for ethnic and mainstream marketers. Just like in the Philippines, Filipinos in the United States have gone all out in making sure their vote counts, and their bet wins. This election season has had a higher interest among the Filipino-American communities in the United States.
The degree of integration and assimilation has gained the Filipino-American community the label of "Invisible Minority." Recent Filipino immigrants assimilate into American culture, as most are fluent in English. The label also extends to the lack of political power and representation. As of 1996, only 100 Filipino Americans held elected office, with all but one serving at the municipal or state level. This is also partly due to the lack, or invisibility of representation, of Filipino American role models in the wider community and media, despite being the second-largest Asian American group in the United States. This doesn't have to be the case. As with any challenge, as a community, if we decided to make our voices count, we could easily shatter the image of being an "invisible minority" and truly make a difference.
So what kind of agenda should we pursue and what kind of vision should we pursue? Carlos Bulosan once said, "The old world is dying, but a new world is being born. It generates inspiration from the chaos that beats upon us all. The false grandeur and security, the unfulfilled promises and illusory power, the number of the dead and those about to die, will charge the forces of our courage and determination. The old world will die so that the new world will be born with less sacrifice and agony on the living ..." As such, we have a duty and a responsibility to make that vision a reality. We have a real chance at bringing about positive change to Washington, if even incremental, and seeing the kind of policies implemented that will really benefit our access to health care and education, women's rights and equality, accountability and regulation in industry and subsequently a more stable economy, a healthier environment and better conservation of national resources, and, more importantly, a brighter and safer future for our children and grandchildren.
There are many people who will ask, why is it our responsibility, to this we should simply respond as Bulosan once wrote in America Is In The Heart, "We in America understand the many imperfections of democracy and the malignant disease corroding its very heart. We must be united in the effort to make an America in which our people can find happiness. It is a great wrong that anyone in America, whether he be brown or white, should be illiterate or hungry or miserable."
written by Jose Ricardo G. Bondoc
Find Your Polling Place. Click here.
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| October 28, 2008
AsianWeek >> Connecting Young Filipino Professionals
Connecting Young Filipino ProfessionalsBy: Angela Pang, Oct 28, 2008Dressed in business casual attire with name tags on lapels and drinks in hand, around 120 young professionals from all fields crammed into Alimango Restaurant in San Mateo, Calif. on Oct. 1 for the Young Filipino Professionals Association (YFPA) First Wednesdays Networking Mixer. Genevieve V. Jopanda, a freelance executive marketing/business operations consultant, smiled as she greeted old friends and extended her arm for a handshake as she met new ones. "YFPA can provide you with new friends a mentor, and a new career," Jopanda said. She should know--she recently parlayed dinner with a contact from the mixer into a potential job. The idea for the group sprung from the minds of three classmates from the University of San Francisco: Neil Baquiran, Greg Montemayor and Roselle Rapadas. They recognized the need in the Bay Area for a Fil-Am professional group that would create and support professional networking, educational and community service activities. The purpose was to build a stronger, well-established and respected Fil-Am business community, said Gary Gonzalez, the association's president. Since its launch in 2002, the group has partnered with organizations such as Charles Schwab and the National Association of Asian American Professionals on career development seminars. It also hosts monthly networking mixers that draw up to 150 professionals from all levels and fields including finance, media, human resources, sports and arts. Regina Finuliar, a human resources consultant for Bio-Rad Laboratories, said the group is a great way to meet potential candidates to recruit, as well as discover how others enjoy their professions and deal with challenges in their careers and companies. She considers fellow members her friends and support group. "When going through a career change, I was very openly able to network with members to inquire about career opportunities and interviews," Finuliar recalled. "Communicating with members of diverse industry backgrounds gave me a chance to see how other work environments were like, and also gave me more confidence when speaking with others, especially during interviews." Now, Finuliar is the executive vice president of YFPA, and as a member of the board of directors she has been able to build her leadership skills not only with the organization, but also in the workplace. "I find myself being more comfortable and assertive in working with all levels of employees," she said. "The valuable relationships and connections I've made through YFPA are truly priceless." Climb Real Estate Group-Vanguard Properties realtor Kevin Gueco said YFPA has allowed him to meet a handful of current clients and build relationships with referral partners in a way that is unique to younger generations. "Generations X and Y are turning to their peers for recommendations, rather than taking cues from more traditional forms of advertising," said Gueco. "YFPA provides a platform for these conversations to take place on a large-scale, regular basis within the Filipino community." The group is also active in the Filipino community and in the wider Bay Area. This year, members painted the walls of the Pilipino Bayanihan Resource Center in Daly City and volunteered with the San Francisco Food Bank. They have also collaborated with organizations including Filipinos at Google, the San Francisco Giants, the Filipino American Arts Exposition, Bindlestiff Studios, Manilatown Heritage Foundation and the Philippine Consulate. "We realize that our responsibility to the community goes beyond a professional service," said Keesa Ocampo, YFPA board member. "For this country, which has opened up infinite possibilities for the Filipino American professional, we want to volunteer and give back in whatever way we can." YFPA "FIRST Wednesdays"
Networking Mixer
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Nov. 5 @ Zebulon | 6 - 8:30 p.m.
83 Natoma St., San Francisco
yfpa.org ........................................ AsianWeek is proud to celebrate Filipino American Heritage Month in October. Established in 1988, the month honors the Filipino movers and shakers of the community. Throughout this month, AsianWeek presents a series of features about Filipino Americans and important issues currently affecting the Filipino American community.
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