FYLPRO announces deferral of Annual Immersion Program, launches COVID Relief Fund

By: Lou Maningas Cabalona

 

The annual FYLPRO immersion program, the signature piece of the partnership between the US Embassy in Washington D.C. and the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs, the Ayala Foundation Inc. and the U.S. based not for profit, Filipino Young Leaders Program (FYLPRO) has been deferred for this year. For the past eight years, since 2012, the immersion has been a life changing and transformative trip back to their homeland for many of the 84 alumni. It has also led to the creation of many businesses, collaborations and partnerships serving Filipino and Filipino American communities.

“It is the desire of the DFA, Ayala Foundation and FYLPRO to continue this important program to bring more talented young leaders to the Philippines to represent, bridge, and discover their heritage. However due to the COVID19 pandemic and considering the health and safety of our future delegates and DFA and Ayala partners, we regret to report that we are deferring the fall 2020 immersion trip to 2021”, the announcement on its website says.

The organization instead is focusing its energies to help and support kababayans on the frontlines of this war against this deadly virus and with various local programming that support our alumni and the communities we live in.

“We are committed to partnering with other Fil-Am organizations on projects to provide relief and assistance to our kababayans struggling during the pandemic,” said FYLPRO President Joshua Ang Price. “And we are proud to collaborate with AAPI organizations to stand against the recent wave of anti-Asian racism and xenophobia surrounding COVID19.”

Being part of this organization and as a person with COVID-19 myself, I am incredibly proud of FYLPRO for stepping up to create a COVID Task Force to raise funds, mobilize outreaches and share information to combat COVID-19 and its devastating effects on communities.

I have to admit this disease has struck our family to the core with my husband testing positive at the beginning of April requiring him to live alone in his parents house for weeks while my son and I isolated ourselves from our senior parents and Reign’s Lola (Granny) who takes care of him while we work. And, just as he recovered from Covid, I started experiencing almost all the virus’ symptoms and tested positive too. The past several weeks have been challenging for us, but we still feel incredibly blessed to have the support of loved ones who take care of us (and some things we aren’t able to do), we have a comfortable home to stay in, friends who check in on us, jobs that are stable amid the crisis, and the means to stay financially afloat even in these difficult times.

But many, don’t. Both here locally and in our homeland, the Philippines, communities have suffered severely with daily wage earners and non essential workers losing their only source of income, families without enough food, water, masks and hygiene products, displaced immigrant workers left homeless, and healthcare workers in dire need of PPEs.

At the beginning of the month, FYLPRO donated 1,100 USD (54,000 Philippine Pesos) for a local feeding program at Malibay, Pasay City, Philippines through its Baranggay Chairman, Arturo Cruz. The donation, collected mostly from alumni, was used to give a relief bag of rice, sardines, local corned beef, noodles and rubbing alcohol to a total of 308 households.

Last May 5, a global day of unity as a response to the unprecedented need caused by COVID-19 known as Giving Tuesday Now, the organization announced the launch of its COVID-19 Relief Fund with a Facebook fundraiser.

The donations to the #GivingTuesdayNow FB campaign will go directly towards local and international projects identified by the COVID-19 Task Force that support the bodies, minds, and spirits of our kababayans, including providing medical supplies, food, housing, mental health support, assistance to unemployed J-1 Visa holders, and other areas of need.

As of this writing, the Facebook fundraiser has raised around $1,300 with additional direct donations through PayPal.

Organizations interested in partnering with FYLPRO on COVID-19 relief efforts can contact COVIDresponse@fylpro.org.

FYLPRO 2019 Delegates (Top Row) Frederick Docdocil, Leezel Tanglao, Earl Valencia, Everett Icao, TJ Simba-Medel, Kevin Zagala, Rizza Palmares O’Connor, Philjay Solar (Middle Row) Krystle Canare, Joyce King, Bernadette Lim, Eileen Agahan Igcasenza (Bottom Row) Antonio Moya, Sergio Alcubilla at the Immersion Program Closing Ceremonies at Seda Residences in Makati City, Philippines, Nov. 29, 2019.

Signing of the three-year Memorandum of Understanding last November 23, 2018 at the FYLPRO Closing Ceremony at the Ayuntamiento de Manila in Intramuros between FYLPRO 2018 President Dondi Quintans, Philippine Ambassador to the United States Jose Manuel Romualdez, Ayala Foundation Inc (AFI) President Ruel Maranan and Joanna Duarte, AFI Senior Director of Programs.

Baranggay Captain Arturo Cruz of Malibay, Pasay City distributing the relief bags on sponsored by FYLPRO last May 1, 2020.

FYLPRO’s Giving Tuesday Now campaign on Facebook showing photos from last year’s Immersion. Top photo: FYLPRO President Joshua Ang Price and Secretary Major Char McGinnis interacting with kids; Bottom Right: Joyce King and Rizza Palmares O’Connor.