10 outstanding Fil-Ams: They came, they saw, but what will they 'conquer'?

Can a person living abroad for so long get to know his roots in three days? More importantly, what would a successful Filipino abroad do after having seen how some poor Filipinos live in the Philippines?

These are some of the issues that 10 outstanding young Filipino-Americans chosen for this year's Filipino American Youth Leadership Program (FYLPro) have to grapple with.

The 2013 FYLPro delegates — many of whom are graduates of top universities like Yale, Oxford, and MIT and holders of key positions in the US government — were in the Philippines for a three-day immersion program from July 6 to 9.

The program allowed the young Fil-Ams, selected from across the United States, to meet Filipino political and business leaders as well as people from marginalized sectors.

In a press briefing at the Department of Foreign Affairs in Pasay City on Monday, Philippine Ambassador to the US Jose Cuisia Jr. said they leave it to the delegates what programs they would like to undertake after giving them an insight into Philippine culture, economy, and politics.

“I encourage them to become more actively involved in more different causes, particularly in political engagement, participation in policy discussions, and getting more involved with the Filipino American community. I can see that this younger generation are very eager to contribute to these causes,” Cuisia said.



Edward Santos, 27, of New York City, said visiting the Philippines gave him an insight on what direction his life should take.

A public school teacher, Santos is a graduate of the University of Michigan and PACE University. He received special recognition for his volunteer service with Teach for America in East Harlem, New York, working with underserved students.

Santos' mother was a nanny while his father was a waiter. “What I remember from the very beginning is the Filipino spirit that my parents had and which I applied because I wanted to know more about my identity and really understand the Philippine culture of social justice. It made me really want to understand where I came from and where I want to go,“ Santos said.

FYLPro activities

The FYLPro activities included:

• a visit to Malacañang;
• a courtesy call on Vice President Jejomar Binay as well as young senators and congressmen;
• dinner receptions with business leaders like Manuel Pangilinan (CEO of Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company) and Joey Concepcion (CEO of RFM Corporation), and
• a visit to the Gawad Kalinga “Enchanted Farm.”

The first FYLPro was held last year. For this year's FYLPro, the search took place between March 15 to April 30. The delegates were chosen based on scholastic achievements, political advocacy initiatives, leadership skills, and noteworthy accomplishments.

Delegates

Aside from Santos, the other 2013 FYLPro delegates included:

Julien Baburka: 26, of Bloomingdale, llinois. She is a graduate of the University of Illinois and received her Master’s in Public Administration from the University of Illinois-Chicago. She is a Policy Advisor at the Office of Governor Pat Quinn-State of Illinois and volunteers at the Almost Home Foundation.

Nico Barawid: 23, of Memphis, Tennessee. He is an Economics graduate of Yale University  and is currently pursuing a Master's degree in Public Policy at the University of Oxford. He was a delegate to the United Nations climate change conferences and is a founder of a West African organization to fight environmental exploitation.

Rex Brown, Jr.: 25, of Daly City, California. He was selected as the Class of 2010 Outstanding Graduate from San Diego State University where he graduated with a B.S. in Business Management, summa cum laude. He is a strategist at Google Inc. and founded Baskets 4 Hope, a nonprofit organization that empowers inner-city youth through athletic events.

Randy Cortez: 25, of Honolulu, Hawaii. He was a Fulbright-Hays Scholar, Phi Betta Kappa, and Dean’s List at the University of Hawaii-Manoa. He is a Program Specialist at the Office of Community Services in the Hawaii State Department of Labor and Industrial Relations in Honolulu.

Anthony Guevara: 26, of Houston, Texas. He is a graduate of Texas A&M University, where he served as president of the Philippine Student Association. He is a Senior Loan Officer at Affiliated Bank Mortgage. He also founded the Filipino American Council of South Texas, Regional Youth Coordinator of NAFFAA-Region VI and served on the board of the Philippine American Chamber of Commerce of Texas.

Melissa A. Medina: 24, of Washington, D.C.; She graduated with a B.A. in Political Science and a B.S. from Haas School of Business from the University of California, Berkeley. She is a US House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee (HOR-FAC) Liaison and Legislative Assistant to the HOR-FAC Chairman of Rep. Edward Royce.

Rachelle Ocampo: 26, of Levittown, New York; 26 years old. She studied at St. John’s University & received her Master's in Education, Science and Public from SUNY University at Buffalo. Health Educator at Queens Hospital Center.  She is the President of Pilipino American Unity for Progress Inc. (UniPro), Fellow at Queens Fellowship, Member of National Asian Pacific American Women's Forum of NYC (NAPAWF*NYC).

Bea Querido: 27, of Seattle, Washington; 27 years old. She finished with high honors at the George Washington University and Stanford. She is currently [ursuing Master of Engineering for the Massachusetts Institute of Technology – Zaragoza Logistics and Supply Management in Spain.  She has worked at the Boeing Company, Lockheed Martin, and the US White House.

Dennis Rodriguez, Jr.: 34, of Tamuning, Guam.  He is currently on his second term as senator in the 32nd Guam Legislature. He serves as the Majority Whip and the Chairman of the Committee on Health and Human Services, Health Insurance Reform, Economic Development and Senior Citizens. Before becoming a senator, he was a special recipient of the Guam Cancer Care Voice of Hope.

Best, worst

Asked what they observed to be the best and worst in the Philippines based on their few days' stay in the country, Querido said, "There are a lot of amazing things. But lately I've seen really really good golf courses, and the worst is traffic."

Guevara, on the other hand, said, "I have been here a few times. The best thing is the people . it keeps me coming back. I love it here."

"I really don’t see the bad things in the Philippines. It’s hard to see that. Even if there’s poverty and everything else, there’s so much other beauty to overlook that and overshadow that. That’s why me and my [fellow] delegates are here...we want to make it even better for other people – not only Fil-Ams, but everybody else who is not Filipino – to appreciate what we appreciate in our homeland," he added. — BM, GMA News