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For the past 21 years, The Filipino Express has provided the Filipino American community the best news, arts and entertainment coverage from around the United States and the Philippines.
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This website includes selected articles from this week's edition of the Filipino Express. Not all the stories published in the printed version appear on this site.
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MANILA—President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is pushing through with her planned visit to New York next week to address the opening of the 63rd Session of the United Nations General Assembly and to attend high level meetings with world leaders.
Press Secretary Jesus Dureza, in a briefing at the Makati Shangri-La Hotel before the mid-year Philippine Economic Briefing, said the President reconsidered going to the United States upon the "strong recommendation" of Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto G. Romulo and Ambassador Hilario G. Davide, Jr., Philippine Permanent Representative to the United Nations
"President Gloria Macapagal- Arroyo has decided to proceed with her planned visit to New York to attend the High-Level Debate of the 63rd United Nations General Assembly and for other high level meetings with global leaders," Dureza said.
Dureza said the President's attendance at the UN General Assembly at this time is in the national interest as the UN will be addressing urgent issues that include global poverty and hunger mitigation.
The President, who will be the fourth national leader to speak at the opening of the session on September 23, will deliver the country report on progress made in fulfilling the Millennium Development Goals (MDG), whose resolution is of primary concern to developing countries, including the Philippines.
"This is a rare honor accorded to the Philippines. The participation of the President on that day, speaking alongside other world leaders, will be a positive reflection on the country," the Press Secretary said.
"The President will be able to put forward Philippine concerns on key international issues, and to highlight Philippine progress before the international community. This will both allow the Philippines to be heard in multilateral diplomacy to address global concerns, and reinforce international confidence in the Philippines, supportive of national development efforts," Dureza further said
Dureza also said the President is scheduled to meet in New York with with Secretary General Ban Ki- Moon of the UN and Secretary General Edmeleddin Ihsanoglu of the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC).
Dureza said the President will inform the OIC Secretary General of the new peace policy of her government based on consultations with stakeholders in Mindanao. He said the President would also "express appreciation to the OIC for its continuing support, and will strengthen the dialogue for peace, indicating also the Philippines commitment to harmonious relations with the Islamic world, reflected in the Philippine request for OIC observer status."
Dureza said the President, in her meeting with the UN Secretary General, will discuss the MDGs and international cooperation for food and energy, UN peacekeeping operations in which the Philippines is an important contributor, as well as the regional situation in Southeast Asia where the Philippines plays a lead role in the ASEAN.
The President will also discuss the Second Global Forum on Migration and Development (GFMD) and the Special Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) Ministerial Meeting on Interfaith Dialogue and Cooperation for Peace and Development, which the Philippines will host in October this year and May next year respectively.
"Both these initiatives will advance critical Philippine diplomatic efforts. GFMD2 will enhance international cooperation to improve the conditions of global migration for the benefit of millions of migrants from all nations, including the Philippines. The Special NAM Ministerial Meeting, which will be the first-ever on interfaith dialogue, will consolidate Philippine leadership in promoting understanding and trust among different faiths to foster greater peace and development," Dureza said.
While in New York, the President will push for the candidacy of Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago for a seat in the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
"Securing a seat in the ICJ is of fundamental interest to the Philippines, as it would facilitate Philippine contributions to the progressive development of international law reflecting the perspectives and concerns of developing countries," the Press Secretary said.
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to help the Victims of Typhoon Frank - in Collaboration
with the Home-Reach Foundation, Inc. and the
Consulate General of the Philippines, New York
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Charity Golf Event
Sunday/October 5, 2008 starts at 11:00 a.m.
Come and join us for a Charity Golf Event For The Benefit of Project Tulong to help the Victims of Typhoon Frank in Collaboration with the Home-Reach Foundation, Inc. and the Consulate General of the Philippines, New York. The event will be held at the Pine Ridge Golf Club located at 2 Golf Course Drive, Coram, N.Y. 11727 Tel. (631) 331-7930. Shotgun starts at 1:00 pm. Reservations are on a FIRST COME, FIRST SERVE basis, and limited number of available slots.
Registration, lunch and program begin at 11 am. Shotgun starts at 1 pm. Golfer includes check in & bag service, lunch, and 18 holes of golf with cart, free sleeve of balls, practice range, dinner awards, trophies and prizes. The net proceeds of the event will be donated to the families and victims of Tropical Cyclone “Frank”.
For more information, please call Robert Zarate (631) 816-4372; Dr. Edgar Lerias (631)697-2830; Ramon Villongco (631) 742-3479; Dr. Pepe Recitas (516)603-8751; Nimia Lacebal (973) 338-1204; Nena Lozada Kaufman (917) 582-1212; Dan De Guzman (973)
768-5677; Bill Rebong (917) 902-2408; Linda Pelayo (212) 967-5784; Nelson Perez (646) 387-8522; Andy Zapata (551) 404-2552 or Philippine Consulate General at 212-764-1330 Ext 306 or 310.
You can also email Robert Zarate at zaraterobert@hotmail.com or visit our website at www.projecttulong.com
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GERRY Austria is the next President of the Philippine Independence Day Council, Inc. (PIDCI). Without opposition, he’s as good as elected. Seven other community leaders are as good as elected to fill the seven Board of Directors’ slots being vacated.
These developments were known after last week’s meeting where PIDCI’s Committee on Elections reported to the current Board that there was no candidate for PIDCI President for 2008-2009 other than Austria.
There were no candidates for the seven slots in the Board of Directors other than the following: Lumen Castaneda, Sevilla Belen Castillo, Nida Cortez, Linda Limcaco, Rudy Mariano, Isagani Puertollano and Tambi Wycoco.
Castaneda, Castillo, Limcaco and Puertollano are from New Jersey; Cortez and Wycoco are from New York and Mariano is from Connecticut.
Austria is this year’s Grand Marshall of the Philippine American Friendship Committee (PAFCOM) Parade and Festival in Jersey City, New Jersey. He’s one of those vacating a seat in the PIDCI Board of Directors. Aside from being an active and prominent community leader, Austria is a successful entrepreneur being the President and CEO of American- Pinoy Food Mart, a string of three Filipino food stores in Bayonne, Jersey City and Bergenfield, all in New Jersey.
Before going into the lucrative “sari-sari” store business, he was an architect by profession, having obtained B.S. in Engineering and B.S. in Architecture degrees from the University of Santo Tomas (UST), in Manila, Philippines. After getting his licensure in Architecture, he worked with several leading architectural firms in the Philippines before migrating to the United States, where he continued practicing his profession by finding employment as a project architect with several reputable architectural firms in the tri-state area.
PIDCI elections are scheduled for Saturday, October 4 at the Philippine Center at 556 Fifth Avenue in Manhattan. This is a sea change from last year’s PIDCI elections when this year’s outgoing President Raul Estrellado won by one vote.
PIDCI is the six-year old incorporation that plans, organizes, produces, directs, executes, manages and presents the annual multi-event anniversary commemoration of the declaration of Philippine Independence. The commemoration is the largest annual gathering of Filipinos and Filipino-Americans and, over the last dozen or so years, has occupied its present-day niche as the largest celebration of Independence outside of the Philippines.
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