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COVO CELEBRATES 22ND ANNIVERSARY
Commemorates Southern Leyte Disaster
Saturday, February 10, 2007

(click on picture to view album)
COVO 22nd Anniversary group picture

The Congress of Visayan Organizations (COVO), the statewide umbrella of Visayan organizations in Hawaii, celebrated the 22nd anniversary of its founding with a program and dinner at the Philippine Consulate Lanai on Saturday, February 10, 2007. Included in the celebration was the commemoration of the Southern Leyte (Guinsaugon) landslide disaster which took place in February 2006 and resulted in a tremendous loss of lives and property. Gracing the event were government officials, including Sen. Norman Sakamoto, Rep. Michael Magaoay, Rep. Lynn Finnegan, Rep. John Mizuno, and Councilmember Romy Cachola, and community leaders led by UFCH President Atty. Bryan Andaya, FilCom President Toy Arre, past Filipino Jaycee President Bobby Agpaoa, Filipino Coalition for Solidarity President Dr. Raymund Liongson, Dr. Belinda Aquino of the UH Center for Philippine Studies, and others.

COVO: The Year That Was

A report on COVO’s activities during the year 2006 was presented by Dr. Jun Colmenares, executive vice president, in the absence of its president, Margarita Hopkins, who was in the Philippines. The report listed the following activities:

      Centennial activities:

  • The Santo Nino Festival and Parade, which brought for the first time the world-renowned Ati-Atihan, Dinagyang and Sinulog festivals to Hawaii. Because of its historical and cultural focus as well as its colorful pageantry, the press dubbed it as “a festival for all Filipinos.”
  • The commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the solo voyage of Florentino Das, on a self-made wooden boat, from Hawaii to the Philippines in 1955-56. A bronze marker was installed at the Kewalo Basin Park in downtown Honolulu in ceremonies attended by descendants of Florentino Das.
  • The Hawaii tour of the Integrated Performing Arts Guild of the MSU-Iligan Institute of Technology. One of the foremost dance-theater groups in the Philippines, internationally acclaimed and multi-awarded, IPAG presented its signature show, Tales from Mindanao, in six shows in Honolulu, Kauai, Maui and the Big Island to standing ovations and rave reviews.
  • The Commemoration of the 1924 Hanapepe Massacre in Kauai. A stone marker was erected and unveiled near the spot where 16 Filipino plantation workers and 4 local policemen were killed during the height of the Filipino labor strike. A panel discussion shed some light on this almost forgotten part of Filipino history in Hawaii.
  • COVO was also involved in other centennial events such as the NaFFAA convention, the NAKEM conference, and the centennial closing gala.

      COVO-specific activities:

  • 21st anniversary celebration
  • Statewide convention on the theme: Building Community Beyond the Centennial.
  • The 3rd Lapu-Lapu Awards, with former Philippine Supreme Court Justice Hilario Davide and Governor Linda Lingle as guest speakers.
  • Involvement in political education activities, including submission of legislative testimonies, co-sponsoring candidates forums, and participation in discussions of issues affecting the Filipino community.
  • Continued broadcast of the COVO Visayan Hour over KNDI every Wednesday, 6:30-8:00 p.m., now on its fifth year.
  • COVO website (www.visayancongress.net) is still up and running.

      Collaboration with other organizations:

  • Involvement in Filipino Community Center activities such as the Filipino Fiesta and Parade, Sakada Sights and Sounds, etc.
  • Involvement in PCCCH and Philippine Consulate activities such as Philippine Independence Day, Pamaskong Handog, etc.
  • Collaboration with other groups in raising funds for the Guinsaugon disaster and the recent Bicol disaster; participation in the Aloha Medical Mission to Southern Leyte.
  • Authored and signed the Centennial Declaration which brought together COVO, UFCH, the Filipino Jaycees, and the Filipino Coalition for Solidarity into an informal grouping known as the Hawaii Filipino Alliance.

      Future plans:

  • Application for a 501©3 status is being processed.
  • Tour of the Visayas in 2009 is being planned to mark the centennial anniversary of the coming of Visayans to Hawaii.
  • As part of the Filipino Alliance, the holding of a visioning process and a strategic planning conference for the Filipino community in Hawaii.

Jun Colmenares concluded his report with the statement that “the year 2006 was a very good year for COVO. We look forward to having another good one this year.”

Southern Leyte Disaster

Video clips on the Guinsaugon disaster produced by Tony Sagayadoro as well as Diane Ako of KHNL-TV8 during the Aloha Medical Mission-COVO visit to Guinsaugon were presented. This was followed by a report to the community by Jun Colmenares on the outcomes of the fundraising campaign undertaken by the Filipino community with COVO as lead. The report showed the total amount raised and the specific amounts that were distributed to agencies in the Philippines:

      Total amount raised:     $ 67,223.33

      Distributions:

            Aloha Medical Mission, March 2006  $ 10,380.84 (for medical needs of disaster victims)

            Feed the Hungry, Inc.    $ 14,250.00 (for immediate/livelihood needs of disaster victims)

            Ayala Foundation Children’s Hour  $ 20,000.00 (for scholarships for orphaned children)

            Cristo Rey Rural High School  $ 10,000.00 (scholarships and support for fully orphaned
            high school students)

            PICPA – Southern Leyte Chapter  $ 11,634.46 (for livelihood projects for disaster victims)

            FilCom Center Administrative Fee  $ 958.03

A symbolic presentation of the checks for the Children’s Hour, Cristo Rey Rural High School, and PICPA-Southern Leyte Chapter was made by members of the Filipino community to Philippine Consul General Ariel Abadilla. The checks for Aloha Medical Mission, Feed the Hungry, and the Children’s Hour were sent earlier. The actual checks for Cristo Rey Rural High School and PICPA-Southern Leyte were being delivered by COVO president Margarita Hopkins in Leyte this week.

Messages

Brief remarks were given by Philippine Consul General Ariel Abadilla, thanking the Filipino community for their continued support of their kababayans in the Philippines. He was followed by Rep. Lynn Finnegan who gave an inspiring message to those in attendance. She emphasized the need to continue, and go beyond, what we have accomplished during the Filipino centennial year. Atty. Bernaldo Bicoy, one of the founders of COVO, challenged COVO members to do their best to prepare the younger generation for the challenges that the future holds.

A sumptuous dinner and live entertainment by Fani and Marie and local singers, including Rep. Finnegan, gave a fitting end to the celebration. #