A few days away from cellphones, the Dow Jones, TV news or dailies certainly renews one’s spirit, preparing it for the demands of business and family.
I became curious as to why many Americans talk about going to Baja, California to retire, so at the invitation of a friend I was his guest at a professional dinner presentation hosted by an American retirement village development corporation called El Dorado Ranch based in Denver.
The following weekend, my wife and I joined an exploratory trip to the fishing town of San Felipe. We liked what we saw and we fell in love with the place that we became proud owners of a lot at the El Dorado Ranch where many Americans now reside as full or part-time retirees.
Filipinos are the wanderers of the 21st century, much like what the Jews were. We live all over the world. Years ago, my wife and I went to the Bahamas and met a Filipino couple who were working in a restaurant. I was surprised since the Bahamas is half a world away from the Philippines.
But the world is getting smaller in more ways than one. We are becoming a "village" due to advances in technology. We all know what the Internet has done.
Talking about the Internet, overseas Filipinos have started a cyberspace movement called OFWNet Foundation and OFW Holdings Incorporated which are now formally registered as non-profit and profit organizations, respectively, in the Philippines Securities Exchange Commission.
The power of the Internet is magical. Around the world, we overseas Filipinos are connected to each other. This has inspired many expatriates to do something in order to fulfill their dreams of helping their relatives in the homeland through economic emancipation and political empowerment.
(Through thousands of e-mail I’ve received since I started this column in The Philippines STAR, I have made many cyber-friends, many of them I still have to meet in person. Due to direct e-mail, one can easily be attracted to other people whose philosophies are similar. Of course, I also get my share of hate e-mail.)
Attracted by the principles of the OFWNet Foundation, I set a meeting with the group’s prime movers and advocates. They include Dr. Eddie "Ka Edong" del Rosario, M.D. (from Nueva Ecija, now based in Guam); Jun de Leon (from Concepcion, Tarlac, now based in San Francisco), Gerry Samson (from Samar, now based in Asuza, CA); Jojo Ocampo (from Mindoro, now based in Van Nuys, CA); Rene Fruto (from Cebu, now based in Chino Hills, CA); Merinda Caoile-de Guzman (from Pangasinan, now based in Redondo Beach, CA); Ricky del Rosario (Ka Edong’s brother based in Northridge, CA); and our bunsay, Jonamae Capinig (from Marinduque, now based in San Fernando Valley). Gerry and Jojo even went with me to Baja two weeks ago.
This week, we had meetings with as many people as possible to take advantage of the brief visit of our OFWNet chairman, Ka Edong, who is very passionate about his dreams of economic as well as political empowerment of our Overseas Filipinos Worldwide (OFW), who have been taken for granted by the government —— but later on acknowledged as modern-day heroes.
The chairman was invited along with Jun de Leon to speak before the MediaBreakfast Club of L.A. —— before his interview by RadioManila Worldwide in Glendale by Awee Abayari. We also met several business and media persons in San Diego led by Simeon Silverio Jr., the publisher of the weekly Asian Journal and Mario Firme, a semi-retired C.P.A. On his way back to Guam, Ka Edong has infected us with his enthusiasm and charisma. We hope others get infected as well as we recruit more OFWNet advocates and supporters.
The ultimate goal of the OFW Holdings is the formation of an OFW-owned bank. However, it would take several years before this objective can be accomplished, as it is not easy to raise capital. This is due to the pervasive distrust of many Filipinos of each other. To provide a stage platform for the bank’s formation, the OFWNet core group decided to form the First Overseas Filipinos Credit Union first. Toward this end, we have tapped the expertise of a retired banker, Rene Fruto, the incoming president of the Chino Hills Rotary, who has a solid and impeccable track record as CEO and president of several banks in the Los Angeles area for the last twenty-five years. In the Philippines, he was a comptroller of the Bank of the Philippines before he immigrated to the United States almost thirty years ago.
It is the goal of the co-founders of this first Overseas Filipino Credit Union, consisting of 15 business-minded Filipino Americans in Southern California, to organize and formally open this credit union by Thanksgiving this year. We need as many members who can support us, help us expand rapidly throughout California
Any Filipino who is curious why there is a need for a credit union in our community, or is interested in becoming a shareholder of this credit union, should e-mail Rene Fruto at ReneFruto@aol.com or this writer at pmafounder@emailko.com.
We promise to get back to you for details.
Many Filipinos in the US work for the US government, including the military, in Norfolk, Virginia for example, 55,000 Filipinos are connected with the US Navy. Their admirals tell them a candidate is pro-US and should be supported for better US-RP relations, that would be a very persuasive. Yes, considering there are seven million Filipinos abroad, our elections will be greatly affected by the thinking of their employers and leaders, not ours.
We run the danger that our leaders will be chosen by those are not fully concerned with local Philippine conditions."
My fellow overseas Filipinos, what can you say about this unkind remarks?
I believe that the love for one’s country is never the monopoly of people living inside the country. Rizal, Lopez Jaena, and many others after them were great nationalistas whose love for the country were never in question. I, too love the Philippines, probably more than many Filipinos or politicians who rob the Filipinos of their treasure, dignity and their future in broad daylight!
WOW! We, overseas Filipinos, even before the actual rights of suffrage have been given to us are really making the traditional politicians tremble from our perceived power! Great! I always believe that people who live in shadows are always afraid of the dark. (I am not saying that the former senator, former ambassador of the Phil. to the US, and former spokesman of Erap Estrada is living in the dark). From a distance, I am just wondering despite his lengthy "public" service in the Philippines what has he done to alleviate the poverty of our people that will leave a lasting and positive impact on the entire Philippines!
Has former Senator Maceda’s service as a public servant really contributed to the enrichment or empowerment of our people? Did he ever practice with President Kennedy’s "Ask not country?" I must admit I have never met nor do I know the former Senator and former Ambassador Ernesto Maceda. But news in the US travels fast. There were allegations made that "his country has done more for him" than what he has done for his country. I just wish this is just an allegation said in jest by others–"inggit" reminiscent of the so-called Filipino crab-mentality.