Planning Committee
Co-Chairpersons: JOEL JACINTO and YEY CORONEL
Honorary Advisor: PHILIPPINE CONSULATE GENERAL OF LOS ANGELES
Filipino American Community of Los Angeles (FACLA)
Dr. Jose Baldonado is the current President of FACLA, the oldest Filipino American organization in Los Angeles established on April 26, 1945. FACLA continues to provide social services to seniors, as well as a venue for meetings and special occasions in Historic Filipinotown.
Jilly Canizares is the Executive Director of the Association for the Advancement of Filipino American Arts and Culture (FilAm ARTS) and cofounder of the California Cultural Alliance. FilAm ARTS is a multidisciplinary community arts organization whose mission is to advance the understanding of the arts and diverse cultural heritage of Filipinos in the United States through presentation, education and arts services. Its three major programs are: Festival of Philippine Arts & Culture (FPAC), Pilipino Artist Network (PAN), and Eskuwela Kultura (in partnership with SIPA).
LA/Southern
California Centennial Committee Co-Chairperson
Yey Coronel is a
businesswoman, consultant and community advocate. She previously worked as a
committed public servant with the City of Los Angeles for twelve years,
having served the City Council as well as two previous Mayors. Under former
Mayor James Hahn, Yey was the Director of Community Development in charge of
the city’s grants processes, as well as the Liaison to the Asian and Pacific
Islander community focusing on Filipino American issues.
California State University – Northridge
Dr. Enrique de la Cruz is currently Professor of Asian American Studies at California State University, Northridge. He has written articles on Asian Americans, Filipino Americans and the Philippines. He co-authored the award winning publication, “The Forbidden Book: The Philippine American War in Political Cartoons”. In connection with the Centennial of Philippine-U.S. relations in 1998, he co-curated a photographic exhibit entitled “Confrontations, Crossings, and Convergence”, and edited a special double issue of Amerasia Journal, “Essays into American Empire in the Philippines”.
Winston is Chair Emeritus of the Board of The Association for the Advancement of Filipino American Arts and Culture (FilAm ARTS), an organization he has served for more than a decade, the co-founder of the Philippine Overseas Olympic Development Committee (POODC) and co-founder of the annual Asian Pacific Filmmakers Reception at Sundance Film Festival. Professionally, he is a partner in a boutique PR firm specializing in independent film release and Oscar strategy campaigns and remains a dogged advocate for accurate and equal representation of Filipinos and Asian Pacific Islanders in all media.
LA/Southern
California Centennial Committee Co-Chairperson
Search to Involve Pilipino Americans (SIPA)
Joel Jacinto serves as the Chairperson of the Centennial Committee. He is the Executive Director of SIPA, a nonprofit organization and leading provider of social and economic services for youth and 100 families in Historic Filipinotown. SIPA’s mission is to YEARS enhance the quality of life of Pilipino Americans and other communities through the provision of a wide LOS ANGELES array of social services and economic development SOUTHERN programs, as well as housing development and CALIFORNIA community advocacy.
City of Glendale Arts & Culture Commission
Zen Lopez is the first-ever Filipina American to be appointed as Arts & Culture Commissioner in the City of Glendale. She is an Arts Consultant and Curator of Verbal, Visual and Performing Arts and educational programs for targeted and general audiences that promote cultural awareness and understanding amongst people.
Jonathan Lorenzo is the Administrator for the Filipino American Library. The Filipino American Library (FAL) gathers the rich history and culture of Filipino Americans to maintain a link with the past and create a path to the future. It is one of the largest repositories of Filipino American works and Filipiniana materials in the United States with a collection of more than 2,000 titles. The collection forms the basis of FAL’s programming, which focus on educating the community about the Philippines and Filipino Americans. The mission of FAL is to actively promote the history, culture, and professional achievements of Filipinos and Filipino Americans through the book collection, leadership development, and cultural programming thereby contributing to the achievement of a culturally dynamic multiethnic America.
Guila Maramba is the Southern California associate of the Philippine-based Ayala Foundation and its US arm, Ayala Foundation - USA. The foundation is currently conducting a multi-sectoral special project called G.I.L.A.S. (“Gearing up Internet Access and Access for Students”), which is an effort to develop more internet skills and computer access for students in disadvantaged areas of the Philippines.
City of Torrance Cultural Arts Commission
Benito Miranda is the first Filipino American to be appointed to the Cultural Arts Commission of the City of Torrance. A true community leader, Benito also serves as the President of the Board of Search to Involve Pilipino Americans, a member of the Board of Pilipino American Network & Advocacy, Vice President of the Philippine Overseas Committee, and Vice President of the Board of the Federation of Filipino American Associations in Long Beach.
Pilipino American Network & Advocacy
Drs. Benjamin Marte and Leo Pandac both serve as Co-Chairmen of PANA, an organization primarily designed to promote collaboration within and to advocate for issues that affect the Filipino American community in Los Angeles County.
Filipino American National Historical Society (FANHS-LA)
Francine Redada serves as the FANHS-LA Chapter Secretary. The mission of FANHS shall be to promote understanding, education, enlightenment, appreciation and enrichment through the identification, gathering, preservation and dissemination of the history and culture of Filipino Americans in the United States.
Historic Filipinotown Chamber of Commerce
James Santa Maria is interim President of the Historic Filipinotown Chamber of Commerce and serves as Vice President of the Board of the Association for the Advancement of Filipino American Arts and Culture (FilAm ARTS). He is also the President of The Santa Maria Group (SMG), a real estate and community development consulting firm. The foundation of his firm's vision is to demonstrate that each development project can produce lasting positive impacts that will revitalize, enhance and empower the stakeholders of that community.