July 2007
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Thanks for making the 2007 Fiesta Filipina a big success! Who can ask for anything more? Rain or shine, the Fiesta pushed through - further proof that the Filipino spirit can never be dampened! It was a perfect example of "Bayanihan."*
President-Elect Eric Sorio, who belongs to the Filipino Association of Greater Kansas City’s younger generation, spearheaded this two-day event. This year marked many firsts. It has been a common practice to charge admission, but this time, he wanted it to be FREE! He said, “This is a way of encouraging everyone to see what our Fiesta is all about. With the money saved from the entrance, they will definitely have the opportunity to buy something to eat or drink. Also, it gives them the chance to play games and even come back on the second day.” The dunk tank and the moonwalk proved to be good attractions! Both kids and adults had fun dunking Gemma Alemania-Snyder, Jackie Nugent, Johanna Mata, Eric Sorio, RJ Pineda, Michael Hicks, Corina Dela Cruz, and Jace Santiago. The kids had fun on the moonwalk, which also gave their parents a break from watching them. It gave the event a carnival atmosphere. Though the Fiesta was never meant to be primarily a fundraiser, we were able to collect $5,000 from gate donations, food, and games sales without expenses.
It was the youth’s time to shine, from leadership skills, stage design, exhibits, and entertainment. Ben Conde, a local 14-year old world yo-yo champion from Lenexa, displayed his awesome skills and tricks. The talented Jarquio sisters, Christine, Megan, and Samantha, wowed the audience with their singing and accordion-playing. Our Vietnamese guests, six young girls, performed a delightful fan dance! The Filipino community’s pride, the Sinag-Tala Performing Arts Dance Troupe, once again held the audience captive. Their different country-side dances were gracefully executed, much to the amazement of all. But it was the cute Filipinettes who stole the show! These three to nine-year-old dancers proved that it’s never too early to learn how to dance. Of course, the “seniors” had their turn, singing with the Sampaguita Choir and dancing with the KC Coolers!
Food preparation was done days ahead. But that wasn’t enough to sustain the demand. There was a need to cook more food! The pork BBQ (kabob), pansit, lumpia (egg roll), and turon retained their reputation as the Fiesta crowd favorites!
On behalf of the Fiesta Committee, headed by Judy Sorio-Jeffers and Johanna Mata, we would like to thank all those who helped make this year’s fiesta memorable. Special thanks to Tita Adela and Tito Michael Tan who took over the food management; to Tita Mirla and Tito Paul De Los Santos and Tito Sid Dolina, for keeping close tabs with the money; to Tito Ping Bayani and Michael Hicks for organizing the program; the Senior Group, headed by Dra. Filipinas Francisco and the faithful members of the Sampaguita Choir who, aside from singing, helped tremendously in the food preparation; Mike Garlick, David Prebyl, Tito Neo Rabang and Frank Sorio, the barbecue experts; Tita Amy Mesina, Tita Lisa Hopkins, Tito Cito, and Tita Tasing Jalbuena for their practical guidance and insights; to Tita Lucila Rider and Tita Carmen Chico, for making sure that the kitchen was spic and span; to Tita Angie Chico-Agustin for making sure that we had ample supply of food for the volunteers and for having the raffle, which all the volunteers enjoyed after a hard day’s work; to Joel Gaela and the Snyder family along with the Sinag-Tala Performing Arts Dance Troupe who helped with the setup and clean up; and all those who kept the supply of food going, manned the concession stand and moonwalk and dunk tank. I’m sure there’s a lot of people out there that I failed to mention, and to all of you, many, many thanks!
Till next Fiesta!
*Bayanihan - Pronounced "buy-uh-nee-hun," bayanihan is a Filipino word derived from the word bayan meaning town, nation, or community in general. "Bayanihan" literally means, "being a bayan," and is thus used to refer to a spirit of communal unity and cooperation.
Although bayanihan can manifest itself in many forms, it is probably most clearly and impressively displayed in the old tradition of neighbors helping a relocating family by getting enough volunteers to carry the whole house, and literally moving it to its new location. They do this by placing long bamboo poles length-wise and cross-wise under the house (traditional Filipino houses were built on stilts), and then carrying the house using this bamboo frame. It takes a fairly large number of people - often 20 or more - working together to carry the entire house. All this is done in a happy and festive mood. At the end of the day, the moving family expresses their gratitude by hosting a small fiesta for everyone.
