31 March 2014 - The Philippine Consulate General hosted the Forum on Politics and Governance: Lessons from the Experiences of Elected Asian American Leaders at the Philippine Center on February 28.
The forum, co-sponsored by the Pilipino American Unity for Progress, Inc. (UniPro), Junior Chamber International (JCI) Philippine-New York and AsianinNY, featured Congresswoman Grace Meng (6th District of New York), New York State Assemblyman Ron Kim, Jersey City Council President Rolando Lavarro, Jr. and Mr. Ed Santos, candidate for the 2013 New York City (NYC) Council elections.
During the sharing and discussion, which was moderated by Mr. Brian Tajo, the speakers told the audience how they got involved in politics and their views on the level of political engagement of Asian Americans.
Congresswoman Meng, the first Asian American from New York to become a member of the United States Congress, encouraged the audience to become more actively involved in lobbying for community initiatives. She cited the Filipino Americans’ move to push for the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) designation for the Philippines, which she supports, in the aftermath of super typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan). She said Asian Americans should learn how to influence governance.
New York State Assemblyman Kim, who was born in South Korea until he moved to Queens, New York with his family at a young age, spoke on how his participation in politics stemmed from his desire to help his ethnic community and to stand up to what he viewed to be an institutional and social marginalization of Asian Americans. He prompted the audience to become as highly visible as possible within their communities and not to allow themselves to be sidelined by “ethnic politics.”
Councilman Lavarro narrated how he was inspired to join politics in the late 1990s when he joined a national campaign lobbying for the cause and benefits of Filipino World War II veterans. His desire to see political and social justice for the veterans and serve his community prompted him to run for public office. He told the audience to grab whatever opportunity there is to become actively involved in local politics.
Mr. Santos encouraged the audience to take any chance possible to become agents of positive change for their neighborhood and for the youth to do their part in enhancing the welfare of their communities. He related how his experience as a worker for Teach for America based in East Harlem, New York did much to help him develop his community relations skills through dealing with underprivileged students.
In his remarks, Philippine Consul General in New York Mario De Leon, Jr. discussed the demographics of Asian Americans and their characteristics as a people. He expressed hope that the forum would inspire more Asian Americans to run for public office or become more involved in politics. In hosting the forum, he said, “The Philippine Consulate General wants to open its door to the Asian Americans and build a bridge between them and the Filipino Americans. We believe that, many times, we face common issues and concerns and that we have to work with each other to address them.”