Kapwa & Community: Architect of my heart and soul of my Kababayans

Dec. 1, 2019

MANILA, Philippines — My heart and soul is full.

I’m honored to be a witness of how kapwa, a precolonial Filipino value, is alive and thriving today, especially with the group of Filipino Americans I spent Thanksgiving with this past week.

The last two years have brought so much change to my life.

But the throughline in this all has been finding community in so many places and making every moment count in a world of uncertainty and fear.

Being part of so many different cohorts for different parts of my life has reignited and fueled the fire inside of me to live a life of purpose, learn from past and proactively create a future that has impact for generations to come.

This past week, I had the opportunity to be part of another part of a cohort that is a direct line to my core, heart and soul.

It’s been 11 years since I step onto the land of my ancestors — the Philippines. In 2008, I was 25, in my first job as a reporter in Southern California.

On that first trip, I traveled with my aunt. It was the first time to the motherland — a land that I had only heard about in passing family conversations and in books. It was an eye-opening experience.

This time, I’m older, wiser and in my 9th job in my 15th year in journalism. In the past 11 years, I’ve gone through many changes — moving cross country, working in the media capital of the world — New York and establishing a life outside of California hometown.

Seeing the motherland a decade later alone — through my own lenses, has confirmed and reaffirmed my passion to tell the stories of the Filipino diaspora.

For Filipinos outside the Philippines, it’s a long way to travel to the motherland but the true journey is not a linear one nor has an end date nor is limited by a physical space.

The Filipino kapwa exists wherever Filipinos live, work and breathe.

This cohort of individuals came together and experienced something that can only be defined as beautiful and magical. I’m forever bonded and indebted to them. They have shown and taught me what a diverse group of individuals can do together, united by a shared love of family and identity.

We 14 young leaders are all different — from ages, professions and where we are in our lives but our roots remain the same — we are descendants of the resilient and unflappable people who walked the earth on one of the many islands that make up the Philippine archipelago.

Here’s a little bit about each of my new kuyas and adings:

Sergio J. Alcubilla III is an attorney and the Director of External Relations for the Legal Aid Society of Hawaii, a non-profit, public interest law firm where he focuses on improving access to justice for the most vulnerable. https://www.facebook.com/FYLPRO/photos/a.397544407021531/2295806713861948/?type=3&theater

Krystle Canare is a community builder, includer, connector, and mental health advocate. As President of the Philippine American Foundation for Charities and Capital Region Chair for the National Federation of Filipino American Associations (NaFFAA), Krystle harnesses the spirit of bayanihan (“community-building”) to connect and support the well-being of Filipino Americans in the Washington D.C metro area. https://www.facebook.com/FYLPRO/photos/a.397544407021531/2297479780361308/?type=3&theater

Frederick Alain Docdocil is an active member of multiple Filipino American organizations, including the Filipino Community of Carson (FCC) and the National Federation of Filipino American Associations (NaFFAA). https://www.facebook.com/FYLPRO/photos/a.397544407021531/2299636833478936/?type=3&theater

Everett Icao is employed at Cooney & Conway, a plaintiff’s personal injury firm based in Chicago that proudly serves clients who seek assistance when finding themselves at the most vulnerable time of their lives. https://www.facebook.com/FYLPRO/photos/a.397544407021531/2301504603292159/?type=3&theater

Eileen Agahan Igcasenza currently serves as executive director of the Guam Women’s Chamber of Commerce while actively practicing commercial and residential real estate. https://www.facebook.com/FYLPRO/photos/a.543770985732205/2304183196357633/?type=3&theater

Joyce Roldan King is the Chief Counsel at the Frederick County State’s Attorney’s Office. She leads the Frederick County, MD Cybercrimes Task Force, serves on the Maryland Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (ICAC), and is cross-designated as a Special Assistant United States Attorney through The United States Department of Justice. https://www.facebook.com/FYLPRO/photos/a.397544407021531/2304722122970407/?type=3&theater

Bernadette Lim is an MD/MSc. student at the Joint Medical Program with UC Berkeley School of Public Health and UCSF School of Medicine. Her master’s thesis centers on working with Filipino youth to identify community health issues and solutions through art, storytelling, and social justice. https://www.facebook.com/FYLPRO/photos/a.397544407021531/2304729652969654/?type=3&theater

Antonio Moya is a neurologist and UCLA National Clinician Scholar, and a physician of the Los Angeles County Department of Public Healthat Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center, where he cares for underserved patients. https://www.facebook.com/FYLPRO/photos/a.397544407021531/2304735016302451/?type=3&theater

Rizza Palmares O’Connor is the Chief Magistrate Judge of Toombs County and the first Filipino American judge in Georgia. She presides over small claims civil cases, criminal warrant, and bond hearings. https://www.facebook.com/FYLPRO/photos/a.543770985732205/2316106078498678/?type=3&theater

TJ Simba-Medel is the first Filipino faculty member of the Arkansas Repertory Theatre and continues to be a Youth Advocate and Mentor for the APA — Arkansas Philippine Association. https://www.facebook.com/FYLPRO/photos/a.543770985732205/2324404747668811/?type=3&theater

Philjay Somera Solar currently serves as the Commissioner of the Asian American Commission for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts where he sits as Chair of the AAPI Young Leaders Symposium. He also is the youngest and only Commissioner of Filipinx descent. https://www.facebook.com/FYLPRO/photos/a.397544407021531/2325648937544392/?type=3&theater

Earl Martin Valencia is a venture advisor for start-ups and corporate innovation teams where he focuses on growing companies or emerging business units from seed to scale. https://www.facebook.com/FYLPRO/photos/a.397544407021531/2329957613780191/?type=3&theater

Kevin Zagala s currently a Senior Quality Assurance Engineer at Reputation.com, and has worked at numerous companies throughout the technology sector such as Life360, Zynga and SalesForce. https://www.facebook.com/FYLPRO/photos/a.397544407021531/2332904373485515/?type=3&theater

I’m in awe of each one of my batchmates who each contribute something to their community, their industry, and the larger Filipino diaspora.

We don’t gloat, we float and rise to the call to action in each of our respective industries.

I’m excited to see us slay in everything we do as we didn’t show up only to play not to lose, but rather we play to win.

Thank you to the following for this rare opportunity and for taking the time to meet with us during this journey: FYLPRO, Department of Foreign Affairs, Republic of the Philippines, Philippine Consulate General in New York, Ayala Foundation, Inc., Minnie Montano, Pou-pou Balmes, Philippine Embassy in Washington DC USA, JR Calanoc, Joshua Ang Price, Char McGinnis, Melissa Palma, Anthony Guevara and Lakhi Siap.

I look forward to taking this transformative experience and paying it forward.

Dacal Salamat.