Fil-Am boy is this year's Nutcracker at Lincoln Center

Every morning, Emil Jose Kelso, 12, wakes up at 5:45 a.m. to be on time for the 8:00 a.m. opening of his public school. Three times a week after school and also on Saturday mornings, he rides the subway to go to Lincoln Center for a 90-minute ballet class from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m.


These days, however, Emil is staying up later. Starting November 29, Emil started playing the role of the Nutcracker in New York City Ballet‘s yearly performances.

Emil, whose mom Tricia Capistrano is an immigrant from the Philippines, is one of three boys selected to play the role of Nutcracker who turns into a Prince. There are three rotating casts of principal children for the ballet company’s 49 shows. The performances start on November 25 and end on January 3.

Emil has been going to the School of American Ballet for six years. He is currently in the Boys 3 class of the SAB where he attends ballet class four times a week. His teachers include former NYC Ballet Soloist Arch Higgins, Principal Jock Sotto, and Children’s Ballet Master Dena Abergel. SAB and New York City Ballet were founded by George Balanchine and Lincoln Kirstein.

Emil has been in the following New York City Ballet shows: “Sleeping Beauty” (2013), “Swan Lake” (2013, 2015), a member of the party scene in “The Nutcracker” (2013, 2014), and “La Sylphide” (2015). This is the first time he is playing the role of the Prince.

Emil’s performances have won applause from theater sites. BroadwayWorld.com writes that the character Nutcracker that turned into the Nutcracker Prince was “well danced by Emil Jose Kelso.” Black Tie Magazine describes as “charming” Emil’s portrayal of Herr Drosselmeier’s nephew in another Nutcracker performance.

There are four other Filipino Americans in this year’s Nutcracker.

Ruby Cosgrove and Isabelle Nebres are also from the School of American Ballet and will be in the Party Scene in Act 1 and Angels Scene in Act 2, respectively. Georgina Pazcoguin, a soloist performs as Coffee on December 15 and December 20 and Hot Chocolate on December 17. Anthony Huxley, a principal dancer of the New York City Ballet will dance as the Candy Cane on December 17 and the Cavalier on December 20.

It is a taxing schedule for a 12-year-old but for Emil and the other children at the School of American Ballet, it is worth it, said his mom Tricia, a book author and writer.

“After each show, at midnight, in a small NYC apartment, Emil is still dancing,” she said.

Emil Jose Kelso’s Performance Dates/ Times: Sunday, Dec. 13( 1 p.m.); Wednesday, Dec. 16 (2 p.m.); Friday, Dec. 18 (8 p.m.); Sunday, Dec 20 (1 p.m.); Tuesday, Dec. 22 (7 p.m.); Thursday, Dec. 24 (2 p.m.); Sunday , Dec. 27 (1 p.m.); Tuesday, Dec. 29 (2 p.m.); Wednesday, Dec. 30 (7 p.m.); and Saturday, Jan. 3 (5 p.m.). —The FilAm

source: gmanetwork.com

Model Helena Belmonte, 28, falls to her death from Ortigas condominium

Helena Belmonte, a 28-year-old model, died after falling off Ortigas's Renaissance Tower 1000's 28th floor early Thursday, March 20.

The daughter of One Mega Group Inc.'s founding creative director Joan Lorraine Belmonte, Filipino-American Helena was discovered  by her boyfriend and friends lying lifeless on an air-conditioning exhaust vent on the seventh floor at 1:30 a.m.

Police have found what is believed to be a suicide note, though they have yet to rule out foul play or an accident. Her boyfriend admitted to having quarreled with her some days back, but also added that it had been resolved. He has yet to make an official statement.

GMA News Online tried to contact the investigator assigned to the case, SPO3 Laurence Punzalan, but he has yet to comment as of this post.

Helena and company were drinking inside the unit. Being drunk, her party helped her get to bed; but when they went to check on her, they found her bed empty and her body on the seventh floor.

A graduate of independent Jewish-American institution Touro College in Berlin, Helena has been featured in several magazine covers since the beginning of her career in the 1990s.

According to Meg Magazine in an Instagram post: “MEG was created in 1998 because Helena Belmonte (1986-2014) needed a magazine too. She will forever be our MEG girl.”

Helena appeared to swing from happy to very, very sad, judging from her tweets in the past month, although it would be unfair to conclude anything from her tweets alone.

source: gmanetwork.com

Lucky guess wins Fil-Am $45,000 on Wheel of Fortune

For a lucky guess, a Filipino-American is now $45,000 richer.

Emilbert DeLeon, a nursing assistant based in Daly City, California, won the grand prize on Wheel of Fortune last Wednesday (US time).



According to a Huffington Post report, DeLeon, during the final round, managed to bag the three-word grand prize question (“new baby buggy”) on two letters alone (N and E). [See YouTube video here.]

DeLeon's quickness was so impressive that host Pat Sajak jokingly frisked him.

In a series of Facebook posts in 2013, DeLeon detailed the long audition process he had to undertake just to make it to the televised event.

His audition process supposedly started out in August 18, 2013 when the Wheelmobile, a bus that roams the United States in search of contestants from the show, passed by Daly City for auditions. The Mathematics graduate from San Francisco State University had to go through all three auditions on the date to make it to the next round of auditions.

“Fast forward to October 24, I pretty much just skipped school for this chance. I mean, how often do you get a chance to be on a game show?” wrote DeLeon.

Two weeks after the second audition's grueling test and a mock run of the game, the nursing assistant got a letter announcing his selection for an episode of the show.

In his letters, DeLeon thanked his family and friends, especially his mother. He also admitted to being a fan of the show, and lamented his inability to join it when the Wheelmobile rolled into town nearly a decade ago. — Rie Takumi/KBK, GMA

source: gmanetwork.com
 

50 years after King's speech, economic equality remains elusive - Fil-Ams

Fifty years ago, civil rights activist Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. intoned how race continued to separate Americans, how black men and white men remained unequal and how the “Negro is still not free.”

But he had a dream.

His hopeful dream was that one day his four little children “will live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character” and that every American is equal before society and the law.

Last week, tens of thousands of people gathered in the nation’s capital to reflect on his iconic “I Have a Dream” speech and commemorate the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington where he ruminated about his “dream.” Filipino Americans who were out at National Mall or watched the event on television said King’s message remains relevant to this day. Like many other minorities, they said FilAms are still struggling to achieve economic justice, and equal opportunities in jobs and education.

Marita Etcubanez
Director of Programs
Asian Americans Advancing Justice-AAJC

We had a sizable contingent of Filipino Americans for the 50th Anniversary March. Several of us marched representing the advocacy organizations we work for. We know that the pursuit of justice is ongoing. There is so much work that remains to be done: voting rights must be protected; we must end racial profiling; and, since immigrants’ rights are inextricably bound up with civil rights, we must reform our broken immigration system.

Our Filipino American community is one of the most impacted by our current system. We cannot leave it to others to fight for the immigration reform that we need, reform that will help immigrant families and allow the millions who are undocumented to come out of the shadows and begin working toward citizenship. Our community must answer the call and get involved.
No one group can do this alone. This was one of the messages of Dr. King’s speech 50 years ago. So I was heartened to see such diversity among the participants in the 50th Anniversary March.

Erwin de Leon,
Research Associate
Urban Institute’s Center on Nonprofits and Philanthropy

Last week’s commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington is and should be relevant to Filipino Americans because the civil rights movement, at its core, is about fulfilling the promise of equality for all Americans.

As people of color, FilAms and other Asians also experienced discrimination and abuse. Recall the anti-Chinese movement in the 1800s which saw the lynching and murder of Chinese immigrants and resulted in the Chinese Exclusion Act. Learn about the anti-Filipino movement during the late 1920s. Do not forget the Japanese internment in the U.S. mainland during WW II or the Rescission Act of 1946 which broke the promise of veteran benefits to 250,000 Filipinos who had fought bravely for America.

Today, FilAms and other Asian Americans, while perceived as the “model minority,” share the same concerns of other people of color. Many of us are poor, unemployed, and on a daily basis, experience discrimination. Fifty years ago, Asians marched alongside African Americans. We should continue marching shoulder to shoulder with our African American, Latino and Native American sisters and brothers until the American promise if fulfilled.

Jon Melegrito
Communications Director
National Federation of Filipino American Associations

We need to empower ourselves politically so we can have a stronger voice in public policy especially on issues that affect the elderly, gays, the disabled and the millions of undocumented immigrants.

We must also recognize our role in advancing race relations by ridding ourselves of biases and fighting for equal treatment for all regardless of race, creed, sexual orientation, nationality or religion. – The FilAm

source: gmanetwork.com

Fil-Am ESL pioneer appointed to California school district board

Thelma Boac, a Filipino-American who teaches English as second language (ESL) in California was recently voted to the Berryessa Union School District board of trustees.

The voting on April 23 was done to fill the seat vacated by former trustee David Neighbors who resigned. Boac will be serving as a board member until November 2014.

Board President Linda Chen said of Boac: "I look forward to serving with an experienced and excellent educator who has made a huge difference in many young lives."

Five candidates were interviewed during an open session. Voting began after comments from the public were gathered.

Boac is currently the adjunct faculty student teacher supervisor at the San Jose University and National Hispanic University.

A long-time educator, Berryesa resident

Boac was a former principal of the largest union high school district in Northern California, the Eastside Union High School District.

Before this, she taught in Independence High School for over two decades, according to an article by Lorna Dietz on her Radiant View blog site.

Boac was the president of the Filipino American Movement of Education (FAME) in the Silicon Valley, a group founded in 1972 by dedicated educators.

Dietz also noted that Boac was the recipient of the Martin Luther King Jr.’s Day “Good Neighbor Award for Community Service” in January 2005.

During the same year she was named by Marquis Publications as one of the “Outstanding Women” during the “Who’s Who Among America’s Women.”

For Boac, education and teaching are two of the most important things in the world.

“When you’re an educator, you become ‘public.’ You also become an advocate for what you believe in: the best educational opportunities for all children. Education is not only the responsibility of the school but also a partnership with parents and the community,” Boac said on the blog.

Twist of fate

Dietz said Boac who was born in the island of Bohol, Philippines left the country in 1965 to come to the United States with her foster parents.

Her foster mother is her aunt. She was surrendered for adoption by her biological mother.

As a 10-year-old girl, she started living in California barely knowing any English.

Boac later graduated from San Francisco State University where she earned a bachelor's degree and a master's degree in education, administration and supervision.

However, in a twist of fate, Boac's life seemed to mirrored by history when her youngest sister passed away in 1989, Dietz said.

“I had no idea that my life would be repeated. Danny and I adopted the two children of my youngest sister who had passed away.” she recalls, adding that “they are a gift from God.” - Andrei Medina, VVP, GMA News

source: gmanetwork.com

700 Fil-Am students gather for Spring conference at Harvard University

Some 700 Filipino-American college students from different parts of the United States Northeast Region participated in the Annual Spring Conference hosted by the Filipino Intercollegiate Networking Dialogue (FIND)-District 1 (New England) at Harvard University on April 6.

This year’s conference was among the largest gatherings of campus-based Filipino-American associations and individuals, a report of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said.

FIND was founded in 1992 as a network of Filipino-American students in the US East Coast, mainly in the Northeast Region.

The theme of this year's conference is “Filipino Life – I am (….),” with the following sub-themes:

    “Balikbayan: Giving Back”;
    “Bayani: Changing the Impossible”;
    “Sining: Telling Our Story”; and
    “Tagumpay: Breaking Barriers”.
    

The sessions featured Filipino-American achievers in various fields such as events organizer and women’s rights advocate Analisa Balares of Womensphere, rap artists Deep Foundation, Jason Tengco of the White House Initiative on Asian Americans, comedian and designer Rich Kiamco, actor and stuntman Sonny Sison, and Will Simbol of the Brooklyn Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra, among others.

The other speakers included two delegates to the first ever Filipino AmericanYouth Leadership Program or FYLPro (formerly FAYLP), Angela Lagdameo and Michael Vea, who spoke about giving back to the Philippines through the Teach for the Philippines Program.

In his closing remarks, Philippine Consul General to New York Mario de Leon, Jr. congratulated the organizers of the event led by conference tri-chairs Riana Balahadia, Carmen Wong and Erlinda dela Cruz and FIND National Chair Jericho Cruzado.

De Leon likewise emphasized the need for young Filipino-Americans to find their passion and advocacies and pursue these with commitment, creativity, and diligence.

He noted that in the 2010 US Census, Filipino-Americans have become the second largest Asian-American group. However, the presence of Filipino-Americans in mainstream US consciousness has yet to match the population figures.

He called on the second and third generation Filipino-American students to contribute to making Filipino-Americans more visible, especially as they have many technological tools at their disposal.

FYLPro

Meanwhile, Consul General de Leon also invited the young Filipino-Americans to apply for the 2013 Filipino American Youth Leadership Program (FYLPro) as applications are only open until April 30 this year.


The Philippine Consulate General in Los Angeles said the search for outstanding young Filipino Americans (aged 18 to 40 years old), hopes to tap future leaders of their Filipino-American communities and advocacies.



Among the qualifications for the outstanding Filipino-American achievers and leaders are the applicants’ scholastic achievements and other accolades, leadership skills, accomplishments, active involvement in school, civic, political, business and other organizations as well as their vision, innovativeness and commitment to making a difference in the Philippines and within the Filipino-American community.

The chosen delegates will take part in an immersive program in the Philippines from July 7 to 9, 2013 and will likewise participate in the 8th Ambassadors, Consuls General and Tourism Directors Tour (ACGTDT) from July 9 to 11, 2013.

The special FYLPro program will give them the opportunity to meet and dialogue with the highest officials and policymakers in the Philippines, leaders of industry, legislators, media, artists and cultural experts, entrepreneurs (both traditional and social), as well as innovators in different fields.

Applicants should be between the ages of 18 and 40 years old by July 1, 2013. They should be ready to travel by this date (i.e. have a valid passport for international travel), and are expected to commit time, skills and resources to engage with the Philippine Foreign Service Posts in the US in ways which would advance the causes and interest of Filipinos and Filipino-Americans.

The application form for the search may be accessed at the following link, http://www.philippineembassy-usa.org/uploads/pdfs/embassy/2013/2013-0315-FYLPro.docx.

The deadline for submission of applicants is on April 30, 2013.

The names of the chosen delegates will be announced on the website of the Philippine Embassy in Washington, DC (www.philippineembassyusa.org) on May 15, 2013.  - VVP, GMA News

source: gmanetwork.com