But two outstanding ladies unknowingly forced me back to my trusty computer; they simply had to be talked about, and their stories told. They are my very good friends Cherie Querol-Moreno and Mona Lisa Yuchengco, two very unique women who have made journalism and community service their lifetime commitment. The two ladies were the stars of the Filipino-American community the past two weeks, and for very good and deserving reasons.
Saturday evening, Lisa, joined by some 300 community and business leaders, Fil-American government officials, family and friends celebrated the 10th anniversary of her brainchild, Filipinas Magazine. The celebration at the Hyatt Regency Embarcadero in San Francisco was a glittering, wildly successful affair; we never expect less from the indefatigable Mona Lisa, who was the hub of all the preparations and decisions from beginning to the exhausting end.
"Filipinas has lasted 10 years – longer then most marriages, mine included," the irrepressible lady-tycoon quipped.
Lisa, as its publisher and editor, has successfully guided and inspired the evolution of Filipinas Magazine as an instrument of community advocacy bringing Fil-Ams together and giving them a voice and a sense of identity and pride. The magazine is the only nationally circulated Filipino-American monthly magazine, a rich source of culture, history, business, travel and entertainment.
The evening started with guests enjoying cocktails and the rondalla serenade of Fil-Am veterans from San Jose, after which the crowd moved to the improvised theater next door, which was the other half of the huge Hyatt Regency ballroom, where the 2002 Achievement Awards ceremony was to be held.
Emcee Lloyd LaCuesta, South Bay bureau chief of KTVU/Fox Channel 2, surprised Lisa by straying from the written script and presenting a video homage to the glamorous star of the evening. Lisa’s dad, Ambassador Alfonso Yuchengco, who was seated in the front row, was quite moved by her public tribute and gratitude for his unwavering support.
As usual, (this was the fifth year the awards were given out), the babandir awards recipients were an awesome group of achievers. They included Vivian Bayubay McLaughlin, star of Disney Channel’s Out of the Box, for communications; Danongan Kalanduyan, for arts and culture; Dr. Joyce Bruce, for community service; Rod McCleod, for corporate leadership; actor-producer Rob Schneider, for entertainment; Eddie Flores Jr. of Hawaii, for entrepreneurship; Dr. Albert Gaw, for medicine; Thelma Garcia Buchholdt, for public affairs, Elizabeth de Guzman, for youth leadership, and Mars Rivera, for lifetime achievement.
While all are eminent in their particular fields, most achievers are also involved in activities supporting the Filipino-American agenda. For example, Rob Schneider partnering with another Filipinas Magazine awardee, actor Lou Diamond Philips, has sent video-taped appeals to congressmen urging them to support the veterans bill. Eddie Flores, president of 62 L & L Hawaiian Barbecue restaurants, has also engineered the successful building of the multimillion Filipino Center in Oahu. Elizabeth de Guzman acts as mentor to Fil-Am teenagers. Through the organization she founded, Joyce Bruce encourages and assists seniors and young people to learn and help each other.
Through her magazine and through the Achievement Awards she has initiated, Mona Lisa Yuchengco has made the Filipino proud. Now we have more role models to inspire us, role models we would never have met had it not been for the determination of Mona Lisa Yuchengco to put their stories – and hers – across.
The celebration was held at the Miyako Hotel in San Francisco. Cherie, proudly wearing an embroidered ecru barong tagalog shirt, was simply radiant and happy, surrounded and supported as she was by staff, family (excluding mom Charing Querol who was in the Philippines) and friends.
Typically honest and sincere, Cherie was quick to laud her predecessors and other hardworking, milestone-setting Fil-American women leaders like Alice Bulos and Dr. Helen Muriera.
"I can only imagine the obstacles women like Dr. Helen Muriera faced when they came to study in this country in the 1940s," Cherie said. "But they persevered. They broke barriers for those who came later. And we the beneficiaries of their struggle and achievements owe it to them to give back."
Aside from Alice and Helen, Cherie’s other cheerleaders included Tessie Guillermo, Elma Loredo, one of the highest ranking Lions Club officers in California, Conchita Dalupan-Sebastian, Linda Galeon, Rachel Puno, Charing Vallangca, Claire de Leon, realtor Virginia Buban, Marisa Robles, Dr. Cora de Guzman, Dr. Agnes Alikpala, Rodel Rodis, Fel Amistad, Gerry Galvan and Amado Villanueva.