• Celebration in Yakima WA and Award from Eagle Rock CA

    Anniversary Celebration of the Filipino Community Hall, Wapato

    Saturday, May 19 found me once again in the state of Washington. This time it was in Yakima, at the epicenter of the state. The occasion was the 60th anniversary celebration of the founding of the Filipino Community Hall in nearby Wapato in 1952. Its theme: “Preserving the Past to Enrich our Future”. I was there at the invitation of the Filipino American Community of Yakima Valley (FACYV) to serve as keynote speaker and to promote my new book Vanishing Filipino Americans: The Bridge Generation.

    I served in the same capacity in 1988 at the hall’s 36th anniversary. At that time, it was held in the hall in Wapato — relatively small in capacity. This time, however, the celebration was in the cavernous Yakima Convention Center in front of more than 600 people! As I approached the microphone, I suddenly developed a case of stage fright. I took a couple of deep breaths to calm my nerves. Fortunately, I was able to compose myself quickly. It helped that the audience was friendly. It also helped that the podium was pinoy-size, unlike some podia in the past that made me feel like the Kilroy cartoon character of World War II.

    It was a memorable and entertaining evening. Sonny Galian and Dori Baker expertly handled the emcee duties. Eighteen surviving original members of FACYV were honored. Entertainment was provided by Filipino folk dancing groups from Tri-Cities and Wapato and the always exciting Seattle Filipino Youth Activities Drill Team with its precision marchers and pulsating percussionists dressed in Muslim regalia. Capping off the evening was dancing with music provided by a band from Seattle.

    My old pal Larry Flores drove me from Seattle to the event, where he spent many summers in his youth working in the fields around Wapato. Larry still knew many people in the Yakima Valley and introduced me around. However, it was Rey Pascua, FACYV President, who took the major role of having me meet everyone. My late wife Terri and I are godparents to Rey’s son, Matthew, who now is an airlines pilot and the father of a four month old baby daughter – Rey’s first grandchild.

    Among the nice people I met were: Lorena Bucsit Silva, Don and Sarah Divina, Precy Tamaki, and California transplants, sisters Dori Peralta Baker and Janine Peralta Lizardo. I went to college in Dori and Janine’s old home town of San Jose. We were delighted to find that we had many people and experiences in common. I was only a brief acquaintance of Dori and had never met Janine but after spending quality time with them, it seemed that we had known one another forever.

    Oh! I almost forgot — my books sold out quickly.

    All in all, it was a fun-filled and memorable event.