- The Filipino Channel’s Balitang America to Live Stream NaFFAA’s NorCal Civic Leadership Forum: SPARK, CONNECT, EMPOWER in San Francisco on April 14
- The forum will be held from 9am-5pm on April 14, Saturday, at the Philippine Consulate in San Francisco
BA, the leading daily Filipino American news program on ABS-CBN’s The Filipino Channel (TFC), is partnering with the National Federation of Filipino American Associations (NaFFAA) to live stream “SPARK, CONNECT, EMPOWER,” a day-long forum on civic leadership and empowerment within the Filipino American community
The forum will be held from 9am-5pm on April 14, Saturday, at the Philippine Consulate in San Francisco, and is co-sponsored by the CLF Foundation, the Reginald F. Lewis Foundation, and AARP. The community reception from 6pm-9pm is sponsored by Tanduay Rum.
The live stream of the forum from 9:30AM-5:00PM PT will be available on NaFFAA’s Facebook page. The Elected Officials Panel from 1:30-2:30PM PT will be live streamed on Balitang America’s Facebook page.
According to the U.S. Census, Filipinos are the second largest Asian American population in California. In fact, of the nearly 4 million Filipinos living in the United States, 1.5 million (nearly 40%) live in the state. In line with NaFFAA’s vision, the Civic Leadership Forum aims to harness the knowledge and potential of this growing community in order to unite, engage, and empower diverse Filipino American organizations and individuals in the Northern California area. Through “SPARK, CONNECT, EMPOWER,” NaFFAA hopes attendees will spark new ideas, connect with dynamic leaders, and empower themselves and others to get involved in community activism.
“SPARK, CONNECT, EMPOWER” will feature prominent Filipino American elected officials and community leaders who will discuss topics ranging from personal and professional development, to civic engagement and local advocacy.
- Assemblymember Rob Bonta, 18th Assembly District
- Consul General Henry S. Bensurto, Jr., Philippine Consulate General in San Francisco
- Hydra Mendoza-McDonnell, President, SF Board of Education; Deputy Chief of Staff, SF Office of the Mayor
- Mayor Gabriel Quinto, City of El Cerrito
- Vice Mayor Malia Vella, City of Alameda
- Council Member Dianne Martinez, City of Emeryville
- Former Mayor Jose Esteves, City of Milpitas
- Geraldine Alcid, Executive Director, Filipino Advocates for Justice (FAJ)
- Rudy Asercion, Northern California Region Chair, NaFFAA
- Angelica Cortez, Founder, LEAD Filipino
- Roderick Daus-Magbual Ed.D, Director of Program Development, Pin@y Educational Partnerships (PEP)
- Joe Garbanzos, MPH/EMBA, Executive Council Member (Volunteer), CA-AARP
- Arvin J. Garcia, External Co-Chair, Northern California Pilipinx American Student Alliance (NCPASA)
- Miguel Guerrero, Empowering Pilipino Youth through Collaboration (EPYC) Ambassador, NaFFAA
- Genevieve Jopanda, Festival Director, Pistahan
- Mario de Mira, Community Development Manager, SOMA Pilipinas
- Anthony Ng, Executive Director, CLF Foundation
- Paul Ocampo, Director of Development, Asian Americans Advancing Justice – Asian Law Caucus
- Rodel Rodis, Former Trustee, San Francisco Community College Board; Board of Governors, NaFFAA
- Kevin Suarez, Empowering Pilipino Youth through Collaboration (EPYC) Ambassador, NaFFAA
- Jason Tengco, Executive Director, NaFFAA
Community partners for the Civic Leadership Forum include:
- Balitang America (BA) / The Filipino Channel (TFC)
- Federation of Philippine American Chambers of Commerce (FPACC)
- Filipino Advocates for Justice (FAJ)
- Filipino Food Movement (FFM)
- Filipino Young Leaders Program (FYLPRO)
- Kubo
- LEAD Filipino
- National Filipino American Lawyers Association (NFALA)
- Northern California Pilipinx American Student Alliance (NCPASA)
- Philippine American Press Club (PAPC)
- Philippine Nurses Association of America (PNAA)
- Pilipinx American Student Alliance (PASA), California State University East Bay
- Pin@y Educational Partnerships (PEP)
- Positively Filipino
- Rotary Club of Daly City and Colma Evening
- San Francisco Filipino American Chamber of Commerce (SFFACC)
The National Federation of Filipino American Associations (NaFFAA) is a non-profit, non-partisan organization. Established in 1997, NaFFAA has been the standard bearer for promoting the welfare and well-being of the 4 million Filipinos and Filipino Americans throughout the United States. NaFFAA’s vision is to serve as the voice of all Filipinos and Filipino Americans by uniting, engaging, and empowering diverse individuals and community organizations through leadership development, civic engagement, and national advocacy.
For the full schedule and speaker biographies, please visit naffaa.org/events. Contact NaFFAA Executive Director Jason Tengco at jason.tengco@naffaa.org or (202) 803-1353 for more information.
