Tonight's ball to highlight release of 2009 calendar
By Mark-Alexander Pieper • Bayanihan • January 4, 2009, Pacific Daily News, Hagatna, Guam
The event begins 6:30 p.m. at The View. Among the highlights is the launch of the 2009 calendar, which is to be used as a fundraising project aimed at recognizing Filipinos and their "remarkable achievements in their field of work as well as their contributions to the island community."
"Actually it's one of our members that came up with the idea. What we did was to start of with a number of businesses and people within the community and eventually narrowed it down," said Eddie Sy, a member of the calendar committee.
Recipients of the first UPAG Community Awards are 12 Filipinos who are featured for each month of the year in the calendar.
"It's quite an honor to be selected, I knew I was going to be in the calendar but I had no idea it would be for January -- I was actually hoping for June which is my birthday," said Espaldon, who will be sworn in to his second term in office tomorrow.
"I think about my father with this honor of being selected to the calendar -- he was very proud in his Filipino heritage, at the same time he believed in American way and was committed to this island of Guam," the senator said.
"We are an immigrant community and I think to a lot of those people that immigrated here to provide for a better life for their children I represent those dreams to a lot of people and am proof that although we are not from here we can become an integral part of this community and still contribute while maintaining our heritage."
Also featured in the calendar are:
February -- Dr. Dometila Aquilizan; March -- Bernie Schumann; April -- Eduardo Ilao; May -- Dr. Tita Alegria; June -- Tessie Marcos; July -- Melen Ruiz; August -- Emelio Uy; September -- Catherine Bejerana Camacho; October -- Atilana Rambayon; November -- Mark V. Pangelinan; and December -- Peter Loriega.
"We are going to contact the schools to find which is in the most need of one in their district," Sy said.
All alumni of the University of the Philippines, registered or non-registered are encouraged to participate in the event. Subsidized by the organization, dinner tickets are available at $11 each.
