By Johanna MataEarly Childhood TeacherKCMO School District My classroom management skills were one of my stron-gest points as a teacher in the Philippines. I taught in First Step Montessori School in Anonas , QC and Claret School of Quezon City and College of Nursing. That made me confi-dent and so self assured that I can handle American students. But when I got here, the first six months were my most try-ing times. My class was like a circus. I had a hard time impos-ing discipline. I was so used to having Filipino students who would listen to the teacher and parents who acknowledge the teacher’s concerns. Here the American students were very outspoken, at times disrespect-ful and the parents would take their child’s side despite their child’s misbehavior. I was also told not to smile that much because the students thought I was just playing with them and that I should have a strong tone in speaking so the stu-dents would take me seriously. And with a lot of sexual harass-ment incidents, I was reminded not to be affectionate with the students. I’m so used to my students in the Philippines giv-ing me a tight hug when they arrive and leave the classroom. So now I have to be more con-scious of my actions. Academically, the curriculum is way different from the Phil-ippines. My co-workers were

amazed to know that my nurs-ery students in the Philippines at the end of the school year can read C-V-C words (conso-nant-vowel- consonant), know their numbers and even write number numbers write their first and last name and copy sentences on the board. In the Philippines, we equip our students so that they will be ready for kindergarten and the higher grades. As early as 4 years old, the Filipino students are forming his/her study habits already. Education is given top priority. As what my parents would always say, “Mag-aral ka ng mabuti. Edukasyon lang ang tanging yaman na maibibi-gay naming sa iyo. Hindi yan mananakaw ng kahit sino”. (Study very well. Education is the only treasure we can give you. It can never be stolen by anyone.” ) So my thirst for knowledge and drive for perfec-tion come from living with my parents who are both public school teachers. And maybe that’s why my sister and I are both teachers too. During my second year, I was a totally different teacher. I was firm and strict on the first day. It was like there was a martial law and I’m the dictator. Hard at times but that’s the system that works for them. As I said before they may look cute but they will always try to outsmart the teacher. But it worked out for the best. My class was well disciplined so I guess tough love is the best method for American students. I learned

how to negotiate with American parents. Good thing I loved the English language that I now actually enjoy talking to the parents to report the good and not so good behaviors of their children. Now that I can handle my class well I got involved in almost all the school activities from making the yearbook, organizing school activities, feeding the birds and even recycling papers, water bottles and cans in our school. My first year was such a struggle but it helped me move forward and to make my sec-ond year memorable. Hopefully this fall I’ll have a great year too. And when I go back to the Philippines this Aug 2008 I will be bringing with me lots of in-teresting stories that I will share to our kababayans (country-men).

Pinoy Inside Out

More Fiesta Filipina pictures

By Johanna Mata

Thanks for making FIESTA FILIPINA 2007 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 Kan-sas 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 Nu-gent, Nicole Ruffy, 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-mer-rymaking 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, fiesta exhibit, sound system to the entertain-ment. Ben Conde, a local 14-year old world Yo-Yo champion from Lenexa, displayed his awesome skills and tricks. The talented Jarquio sisters, Chris-tine, Megan and Samantha, wowed the audience with their singing and accordion-playing. Our Vietnamese guests, six young girls, performed a de-lightful fan dance! The Filipino community’s pride, the Sinag-Tala Performing Arts Dance Troupe, once again held the audience captive. Their differ-ent 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 Com-mittee 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 pro-gram; the Senior Group head-ed by Dra. Filipinas Francisco and the faithful members of the Sampaguita Choir who, aside from singing, helped tremen-dously 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 sup-ply of food going, manned the concession stand and moon-walk 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!

Fiesta Filipina 2007 – Youth and Experience Equals Results!

july birthdaysJulie Francia 1Harry Mullins 1Ted Tungol 1Wilma Cepeda 2Sophia Medallada 2Tacing Jalbuena 3Carmen Jalbuena 3Nico Torres 3Nita West 3Tony Aquino 4Roman Enriquez M.D. 4Cheryl Gaela 4Gabrielle Miciano 4Murray Winicov 4Joe Condra 5Keith Raymond Berry 6Edmund Alcazaren 8Phil Chico 8Richard Andrew Mac-araeg 8Prescilla Villamayor 8Erlinda Horne 9Joe Medallada 9Stan Berry 10Raesa de los Santos 10Luis Antonio Mamuric 10Rachel Manakul 10Julian Torres 10Carmen Chico 11Dading Cipat 11Caring Francisco 11Jo Abraham 12Ana Cabalse 12Natalie Chevalier 12Clare Sumaljag 12Ali Thompson 13Amy Tinio 13Katrina Abraham 14Noemi Condra 15Fely Francisco M.D. 15Karl Kruger 15Al Agustin Jr. 16Josie Cruz 17Aisa Dimalanta 17Rica Rivera 17Bing Toloza 17Robert Francisco 18Anthony Navas 18Reed Bremer 19Pauline Martin 19Garing Alemania 20Joseph Cordero 20

Ian Joseph Kuhlmann 20Gerry Morrow 21wife test 21Syri Abanilla 22William Davis 22Caroline Labayen 22Joy Mamuric 22Patrick Alcazaren 23Deanna Cross 23Ceron Encomienda 23Edward Salvatierra 23Pure Soriano 24Annie Covillo R.N. 25Robert Cross II 25Randon Cross 25Grace Engle 26Michael Tinio 26Isabella Vergara 26Geri Aquino 27Anna Mamuric 27Sue Pardo 27Tito Sumangil 27Tracy Tadeo 28Tina Zapien 28Cito Jalbuena 29Jun Rivera R.N. 29Albert Glean 30Mark Prochaska 30Bob Christmas 31Mike Johnson 31Bong Medallada 31Lee Tabiendo 31

July Anniversaries

George and Grace Engle 2Dave and Maria Ferber 3Murray and Elsie Winicov 3Robert and Alma Brown 11Edwin and Diane Peñalo-za 12Gary and Naty Pricer 13Romero and Lydia Geroche 16Kent and Julie Dobson 16Julie and Kent Dobson 16Paz and Tanch Bayani 17Tanch and Paz Bayani 17Ed and Elaine Herman 18Al Agustin and Angie

Chico-Agustin 18Bill and Noemi Condra 19Karl Kroen and Cecil La-bayen-Kroen 20Marti and Marcelo Qui-nones 23Marcelo and Marti Qui-nones 23Cito and Tacing Jalbuena 26Ben and Elena Sabido 27

More Fiesta Filipina pictures

Scholarship 2007 Award Guidelines1. Eligibility: The FAGKC Education Scholarships are open only to deserving children of paid members of the Association for at least two consecutive years. Applicants for the scholarships must have a grade point average (GPA) of at least 3.5 on a scale of 4.0.2. The College Education Scholarship Program (CESP) will grant $200 award to a college- bound, graduating high school student. An official acceptance letter from the college of choice must accompany the application.3. The Secondary Education Scholarship Program (SESP) will grant a $100 award to a student entering or continuing high school.4. The Performing Arts Education Scholarship Program (PAESP) will grant a $200 award to a Sinag-Tala performer entering or continuing high school or college.5. Selection Criteria: a. GPA and Class rank (20%) Submit a copy of applicant’s report card for the school year 2006-2007. b. Standardized test scores (20%)(e.g., ACT, SAT, CAT, IOWA, PSAT) Submit a copy of official test results. c. Extracurricular Activities/community service (20%) Submit a description of applicant’s role and extent of involvement in each activity. In addition, a letter of recommendation for each activity must be submitted by a teacher or advisor and sent directly to the FAGKC Scholarship Committee chair. d. Awards, honors, and citations (20%) (e.g. Medals, Certificates of Merits, Honors) Submit verification of award and a letter from a teacher/advisor supporting receipt of award. e. E. Essay (20%) Submit a 250-word essay on the following theme: Global Warming Essays become the property of the FAGKC and are subject to publication in the TAMBULI.6. Deadline: Application and all supporting documents must be submitted by July 15, 2007 to: Cory Sorio, Chair, Scholarship Committee 205 W. 53rd Terrace Kansas City, MO 641127. Scholarship Selection Panel: A panel coordinated by the Scholarship Committee of the FAG KC will evaluate applications. No member of the selection committee shall be related to any of the applicants.8. The top candidates will be selected from the pool of applicants and invited for an interview with the Scholarship Committee.9. The Scholarship Committee will announce the awards at the September General meeting of the FAGKC.10. The committee reserves the right not to grant any or all of the awards if too few qualified ap plicants meet the selection criteria. One application will be accepted per person. Each appli cation shall be considered for any of the above scholarships for which the applicant is eligible. Each deserving applicant will be limited to one award.11. Any questions should be directed to CORY SORIO (816-333-9087)

Dancing with the FlipsSaturday, June 30, 2007 7:00 P.M. @ The Filipino Cultural Center ($10.00 per person) There will be a professional dance instructor from 7:00pm to 8:00pm and then the dance floor opens so we can dance the night away.Foods and Drinks Available Due to building capacity we are asking you to RSVP by calling Malou on or before June 27. This is a first come first serve basis.For information and to RSVP contact Malou Nix @ 913-269-4497

FILIPINO ASSOCIATION OF GREATER KANSA CITYMONTHLY GENERAL MEET-INGSJUNE 1, 2007

-Call to Order at 8:25pm by the president -Approval of the Agenda- ap-proved-Approval of the Minutes of the May Meeting- approved

President’s Report- planning fiesta, will try new things. Basement is still being worked on. Saturday June 2: will set up tents at 9am to make sure everything is ready. Food prep at Eric’s 5:30

Treasurer’s Report-(See trea-sure’s report) collected $4,070 (not including expenses) for parent’s night, membership has been included; treasures report approved

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE’S REPORTMembership- still behind from last year, but lots of payment received.Tambuli Editor-in-Chief- May was distributed; logo is now correct! Tambuli should be out 1 week before the meeting; Rich suggested that Tambuli staff should meet to do Tambuli at FCCHospitality- no reportNomination- not hereSocial Affairs- scheduled poker night cancelled. Raised $99 at fun fundraising. Major Holiday events are

planned alreadyWays & Means- planning garage sale after September affair; good Samaritan job for July Finance- taxes paid before deadline, income for 2006 is $18,000; for 2007 more ex-penses than revenue; bricks that were bought at debutant ball 3 years ago have not been done. Had meeting end of 2006 to make sure all compli-ances are met.Dr. Lilian Pardo motion that building usage be started again so long as user is spon-sored by a member.Motion was friendly amended to include non- members with-out sponsors.All in favor and passWho will take care of rentals? Director needs to be contact-ed.Request fee schedule FCC-not hereScholarship- lock in at cultural center June 23 open to all youths 13 and above; ad in tambuli and on websiteFYO- not hereSenior Council- where’s the bulletin board?; Seniors will be participating in fiesta and will wrap the Turon; parents day was a success; meeting in July for income; calendar still wait-ing for pictures, deadline is in AugustInformation Services- scanning archive. Archive is through 1996, but not yet available to view. Tambuli logo is now official. New program being used was shown at a

meeting that Roland was the only one there. Wireless con-nection is secure. Code will be available. Would like to sell archived tambuli articles. Would like to buy a banner to promote website that promotes activities. Buildings & Grounds- There was a suggestion to have a “card” to gain access to the Cultural Center and that a camera be installed to record the activities in the Cultural center when it is rented out.

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF SINAG-TALA PERFORMING ARTS TROUPEDirector of Sampaguita Choir-not hereDirector of Sinag-tala Dance Troupe- There was a sugges-tion that invitations for performances shouldn’t be done on a week-day where there is school or during office hours. Ethnic Enrichment-Dr. Pardo informed the group that the Sinag-Tala will be per-forming on a primetime slot, 6pm Saturday. He also raised the need for improved decoration on the booth.

New BusinessThe Bowling League donated $500 to the association. The check was endorsed to Gem-ma Snyder.

Meeting Adjourned at 10:30pm

FILIPINO ASSOCIATION OF GREATER KANSAS CITYSUMMARY OF RECEIPTS AND DISBURSEMENTSFor the Period Ending May 31, 2007

General Building Fund Cultural Arts Fund MTD YTDFund Seniors FCC Choir Sinagtala Total Total

Beginning Balance 4,308.98 8,256.61 19,765.87 4,209.26 2,754.12 39,294.84 52,453.92RECEIPTS: Committees Receipts 1,360.00 4,070.00 5,430.00 10,162.58 Cultural Program/Projects 0.00 292.00 Special Projects 0.00 1,100.00 Others 0.00 3.80 Total Cash Receipts 1,360.00 4,070.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 5,430.00 11,558.38

DISBURSEMENTS: Operating Expenses 1,248.74 771.97 2,020.71 12,391.84 Mortgage and Interest Payment 1,567.40 1,567.40 7,837.00 Special Projects Expenses 95.73 210.00 305.73 2,952.46 Total Disbursements 1,344.47 0.00 2,549.37 0.00 0.00 3,893.84 23,181.30TOTAL CASH IN BANK 4,324.51 12,326.61 17,216.50 4,209.26 2,754.12 40,831.00 40,831.00ADD: INVESTMENTS (CDs) 582.21 11,386.08 11,968.29 11,968.29TOTAL CASH IN BANK & INVEST. 4,906.72 12,326.61 28,602.58 4,209.26 2,754.12 52,799.29 52,799.29

Submitted by Rizvend Pecana RN BSN Approximately 340,000 deaths occur every year attrib-uted to Sudden Cardiac Death (SCA). It is estimated that 90% of these SCA’s occur outside the hospital placing the chance of survival in the hands of a bystander. Cause of death? An arrhythmia which throws the electrical system of the heart into chaos, otherwise known as Ventricular Fibrillation, render-ing the heart unable to pump blood. What can a bystander do in this situation, much less, without the proper equipment such as CPR knowledge or an Automated External Defibrilla-tor?

The Philippine Nurses Asso-ciation of Greater Kansas City in cooperation with the Philip-pine Medical Society of Greater Kansas City will be installing an AED at the Filipino Cultural Center in Overland Park, KS. On May 4, 2007, the topic was presented to the Filipino Asso-ciation of Greater Kansas City general assembly and was met with an overwhelming support from its members and leader-ship. The gesture is part of the initiatives being carried out by PNAGKC to promote healthy living within its community. In addition to the AED device, CPR education and train-ing will also be offered by the PNAGKC as part of the upcom-

ing healthfair. Quarterly CPR classes for the first year may also be offered to maximize the number of people, children and adults alike who will be familiar with CPR and the use of the AED device. Chain of SurvivalIt is estimated 50,000 lives maybe saved by simply pro-moting the placement of these devices where people congre-gate for activities and within their homes. The availability of this device together with the familiarization of using it can make this a reality. Who knows, maybe the next life saved could be yours…

Linking the Chain of Survival: An AED Near You...

ANNOUNCEMENT : Please come to a Filipino Associaton TOWN HALL MeetingWhen : Saturday, July 28, 2007 ; 1 to 3 pm at the Filipino Cultural Center(FCC) Who should come : Association Members (youth and seniors as well as recent, new or old)Why you should come: to express your opinion on the future of FCC ***Refreshments will be served.