30 May 2014 - San Nicoleneus, USA, one of the major Filipino American organizations in Hawaii whose members hail from San Nicolas, Ilocos Norte, celebrated its 8th year anniversary with a Gala Dinner and Ball on May 25 at the Pacific Beach Hotel in Honoulu, Hawaii.
Speaking to around 280 guests, Representative Colleen Hanabusa (D-HI), the Guest of Honor and Speaker, expressed her deep gratitude to the Filipino community in the state who make up the largest ethnic group in Hawaii, or about 25% of the population, for their contributions to Hawaii. She shared how Justice Benjamin Menor, the first Filipino American State Supreme Court Justice, and a son of San Nicolas, inspired her to be fair and just in her profession as a lawyer and as a public servant. Rep. Hanabusa also apprised the attendees of her work in the US House of Representatives to promote the causes of the Filipino veterans of World War II.
In her remarks, Vice Consul Joyleen E. Santos, who represented the Philippine Consulate General in Honolulu, took the opportunity to invite the attendees, especially the Filipinos and Filipino Americans to visit the Consulate General to register for the 2016 Presidential elections. “In a democracy where elections are the manifestations of people power, voting is a civic responsibility. With Filipinos comprising the major ethnic group here in Hawaii, and given the participatory democracy here in America, you can make your voices heard by registering and voting,” Vice Consul Santos said. END