General Antonio M. Taguba on vision, fear and failure

Our fourth annual UniPro Summit took place this past Saturday, May 31st. Ryan Letada, Chief Builder of NextDayBetter and the moderator of our Typhoon Response Panel at Summit, had the opportunity to speak to retired Major General Antonio M. Taguba, our Closing Keynote Speaker. I saw Ryan's original social media post about the encounter and knew I had to share his story here.

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By Ryan Letada, guest contributor

I absolutely admire Major General Antonio M. Taguba, US Army Retired. You can probably notice how nervous I was in this conversation. I don't usually write confessionals but I thought this was worth it.

At the Pilipino American Unity for Progress (UniPro) Summit, I pulled General Taguba aside and asked him a question:

"You commanded army battalions - thousands of men and women. Your leadership decisions are matters of life and death. I think it takes strong commitment to VISION to lead in such circumstance. Do you ever get scared of your vision?"

He was incredibly vulnerable in his response. Without hesitation, he talked about being scared. He talked about the six (6) people that died under his leadership. He talked about the importance of failing and accepting our own humanity. He started to talk about persistence and clarity in vision... but our conversation was interrupted by the throngs of people waiting to speak to him. Too bad.

Major General Taguba is an elder. I've been told that many adults don't graduate to "elderhood" - a concept not simply linked to age. Elderhood is about reaching a stage in life when you have absorbed and applied wisdom, and learned that your role is to "give it forward" as gifts. 

My vision for my life or NextDayBetter scares me a lot. I'm not perfect. In fact, this weekend I made mistakes and failed. General Taguba's words was a reminder to accept our human imperfections, and aspire to learn and grow so that we may eventually reach - if we're lucky enough - the stage of elderhood.

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Ryan Letada is CEO and Chief Builder of NextDayBetter - a culture platform that builds and activates diaspora communities to create a better future. He is also a foodie, Fulbright Fellow, and social innovation junkie.

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Photo credit: Lambert Parong

The "Know Thyself" Challenge

"Those who do not know how to look back at where they came from will never get to their destination."

The past can reveal a lot, and those who do not know their own are doomed to either repeat the mistakes of those before them or go against the momentum given to them.

I believe another important element absent from Rizal’s quote is “be aware of where you are now.” Awareness of one’s past and present puts more control and direction toward the future. The uncertainties of the future are mitigated, the immediate path becomes clearer and from that we become more decisive as an individual.

What about as a community? As Fil-Ams, what sort of look-back in history do we need to get to where we are headed? Where are we headed to begin with? Then there is the more present oriented question of “Where are we now?”

These are questions I want answered so we may understand our past, present, and future as individuals of the Fil-Am community. Though the sum of the parts don’t necessarily equate to the whole, we might at least see trends in our individual pasts and presents, as well as motivation for the future. All three will give us an idea of how we are moving as a community.

When we think about these three parts -- past, present, and future -- we can immediately see how intricately tied we are to the Philippines and its natives. Our culture, our family and our friends all branch out from the same tree as the Pilipino people. The branches have spread across the globe with overseas foreign workers (OFWs), nth generation immigrants, and those who have always remained native to the mother islands. Their story is ours as much as ours is theirs.

I’d like us to attack this endeavor strategically as a series over the next year. Each post will deal with a set of questions about the past, the present, or the future from the perspective of individuals; and will be presented as a challenge. I want us to discover our stories together and share them with each other in the comments, or simply bring it up in conversation with friends and family.

I’ll also concurrently interview Pilipino natives, OFWs, and various Pilipino-Americans and feature their stories side-by-side. How interesting would it be, for example, to see three nurses -- a second-generation Fil-Am, an OFW in the Middle East, and one in a rural hospital in the Philippines -- and compare and contrast their stories?

I would love to know why they are where they are, what they do similar and different from each other, and why they do what they do. How different are their motivations and dreams for their future? How similar are their pasts?

If you or any Pilipino/Fil-Am you know has a story you would like featured, here is the pre-interview questionnaire!

For the first challenge, let's take a look at the immediate past: 

Engage your parents and hear their story. Specifically how did they, as Pilipinos or Fil-Ams, believe they got to where they are from where they started? Where are they from exactly? Then share their story with the rest of the community!

I look forward to your answers. When we understand how we got here and where we really are right now, we will help each other get to our destination. Know thyself.

Photo credit: www.stephenlabit.com/travel

Reflections from the Fil-Am Young Leaders Summit in Hawaii

Summit? In Hawaii?!? I couldn't believe it when our editor send me inforfmation of a conference that was done in collaboration with UniPro as well as NaFFA! It's been almost a year since my first UniPro Summit and I've moved to Hawaii since then. Now working with a six-hour time difference (imagine how fun that is to work with blog deadlines!) and hearing of all the awesome events that was going on back in New York—a 10-hour flight away from Honolulu (which is closer to Tokyo!)—admittedly made it a challenge for me to connect more beyond remotely via the Internet.

But to have UniPro come here for the Fil-Am Young Leaders Summit? Needless to say, I looked forward to it!

Hosting Summit was the Filipino Community Center (FilCom Center for short), the pride of the local community and the envy of those from the mainland. To have such a large campus dedicated mainly toward Fil-Am events and services was something to behold, much to the inspiration of those visiting it for the first time. The FilCom Center is located in Waipahu, home to a Pilipino enclave that dates back to the days when Oahu was dotted with sugar plantations, and is about a half hour from Waikiki - double if you rely on public transportation. I disagree with Ben Cayetano, former Hawaii governor and fellow Fil-Am: we NEED light rail out here!

Opening the summit was Jose Cuisia Jr., the Philippine ambassador to the US who took the time to fly out and join us in Hawaii. While I'm accustomed to seeing such speakers head out after their speech, Ambassador Cuisia stayed around into the afternoon, certainly something that should be recognized especially when you have the temptation of enjoying Hawaii.

Following Cuisia was Tony Olaes, CEO of Gawad Kalinga USA (GK USA), the successful "born again Filipino." Known for his high-powered talks, he shared the experiences of his recent trip to the Philippines, where he took California Assemblyman Rob Bonta to participate in the Bayani Challenge build in Leyte. But along him and Bonta were two undergraduates from San Diego State who were overwhelmed and inspired by the sights they witnessed as they connected with their culture and heritage. Olaes wrapped up by sharing a draft of his three-pronged vision for Fil-Am community engagement by (without spoiling too much before it's official launch): connecting, educating, and investing. Stay tuned from Tony for more details!

Now for the meat of the summit: the breakout sessions. The ones I managed to sneak into were "Filipino Community and Civic Engagement" and "Education as the key to uniting the Filipino diaspora." It was here where I really began to see the different perspectives that span from Guam to the East Coast, a culture clash that couldn't be ignored. Indeed, the perspective of a Fil-Am from Kalihi will differ with one from Queens, NY, and as Jeffrey Tangonan Acido proposed as a perspective check in the education panel, "you cannot expect a module from NY or San Francisco to work the same way in Hawaii."

The optimist in me appreciated the differences as they gave us a taste of what it takes to strive for the namesake of one of the panels: to unite the Pilipino diaspora. It gave us exposure to the challenges we needed to overcome to reach this particular goal. It showed us how to better handle such intercultural dialogue when working with Pilipinos back in the PI and around the world. I saw that such differences also allowed an exchange of new ideas that we'd otherwise not be exposed to. Indeed, such a module might not work in Hawaii but, if anything, there certainly can be parts that we can take from them to adapt into our own.

My favorite part of FYL Summit came from someone who noticed her differences among fellow Fil-Ams. Rovaira Dasig, co-founder and president of The PULSE Group (an incubator that assists those disadvantaged to thrive within the country) strives to strengthen such intercultural dialogue. Dasig shared her story of how she the left the "good life" in the US three years ago so she could return to the Philippines and understand her "Filipino-ness" -- something she felt couldn't be cultivated in America. She has since also found herself as creator and co-producer of the sitcom MNL on FilAm TV, a show dealing with the Fil-Am search for connections in Manila.

One of her quotes that echoed most deeply can be found in her reflection on the Summit website. It is something that we Fil-Ams can connect with as we strive for that connection to our identity, involvement, and passion. It is something that I truly feel can be a major unifying factor in uniting the diaspora:

"... I’m not saying you have to move to the Philippines, but believe me when I say that being able to relate with your kababayan in the Philippines in ways that demonstrate your understanding of the history, culture and current issues they face—well, that’s beautiful and is necessary for any of THIS to work. The impact of what you do should extend beyond the borders of America."

And this is just a glimpse of how much I've taken from the Summit. We're now days away from the UniPro Summit in New York and less than three months until the NaFFA National Empowerment Conference in San Diego. I'm already psyched up to be further enriched by more ideas and networking opportunities that my limited scope wouldn't have otherwise found. I'm looking forward to seeing familiar faces such as our UniPro leadership who joined us in Hawaii and are now ready to take on what’s to come this Saturday.

To UniPro and the delegates joining us this Saturday: Now, it's your turn. Now, it's Your Move.

Photo credit: Jeff Orig

NextDayBetter's NYC Event: Great Food. Great People. Great Ideas.

When I first walked into the room for NextDayBetter’s NYC event last Saturday, May 3^rd, a single word popped into my mind: snazzy. Held inside the Center for Social Innovation, the space invited attendees in with pulsating music, coconut sake cocktails, and a big blue kitchen with a sea of Pilipino food samples. The intimate and casual yet energized vibe of the room said, “Hey there, let’s get together over good eats and drinks and change the world.”

The event kicked off with a tableside chat with featured chefs from Bibingka-esk and Masarap Supper Club. The chefs shared not only their culinary concoctions but also their stories of how they began pursuing their love of making Pilipino food professionally and intend to play a role in its evolution.

“I want Bibingka to be the next chocolate chip,” declared Binbingka-esk creator Eileen Formanes.

NextDayBetter Co-Founder Ryan Letada then took the stage and posed to the room:

“What can we do to collaborate and exchange ideas to make the next day better?” He explained that the presenting speakers were asked to share their stories because they were all individuals who took risks and made breakthroughs for themselves and their communities.

Below are short summaries of their inspiring talks:

Geena Rocero, transgender model and founder of Gender Proud, discussed the need for political recognition of transgender identity and the right to choose one’s own gender marker on identification documents. When one’s gender marker doesn’t match how a person feels on the inside or looks on the outside, it turns regular activities like applying for a job, voting, or even opening a bank account into highly stressful and embarrassing situations.

“Imagine constantly divulging the most personal thing about yourself,” she proposed.

Teach for the Philippines Fellow Leah Villanueva spoke about how the dream of making a better Philippines is an attainable one, but it can’t be achieved without improving public education. Currently schools in the Philippines suffer from high dropout rates, overworked teachers, and frequent electricity outages among many other challenges.

“These kids deserve so much more, our country deserves so much more,” Leah noted.

Restaurateur Nicole Ponseca chatted about how Maharlika and Jeepney were the first Pilipino fusion restaurants to truly own Pilipino food without apology, duck fetuses and all. Rather than hiding the less mainstream aspects of Pilipino cuisine, Maharlika held a contest challenging participants to eat as much balut as possible in five minutes.

“If you’re embarrassed about anything, whatever it is, you got to turn it around and make it a sense of pride,” Nicole encouraged.

Although the founder of Rappler couldn’t be there in person, Maria Ressa recorded a video in which she introduced Project Agos, a real-time disaster reporting platform that harnesses mapping, social media, and crowd sourcing so that relief responders “can visually identify areas in need of help or relief and what exactly is needed.”

Matt Grasser and Team LDLN held a tech demo in which they showed how the device and mobile app they designed could be used to create makeshift Wi-Fi networks in the event of an emergency, such as Typhoon Haiyan. Through these low-cost devices, people on the ground would be able to communicate with relief services even if power sources are down.

Airforce veteran Lourdes Tiglao shared her experiences as a member of Team Rubicon, a disaster response organization comprised of American military veterans who want to continue utilizing their skills after returning home. Team Rubicon was deployed in Tacloban after Typhoon Haiyan hit and acted as first medical response for many victims. Tiglao met several Pilipino veterans who were enthusiastic about the idea of creating a Team Rubicon in the Philippines.

Photo credits: www.facebook.com/NextDayBetter

Get Inspired at NextDayBetter NYC - May 3rd

How can you make the next day better?

On May 3^rd, NextDayBetter is kicking off their global speaker series for 2014 in New York City. The series is themed “Defining Breakthroughs: Unlocking Human and Community Potential” and will feature inspiring speakers who will share how to make real, visible change for communities in the Philippines and beyond.

“The global Filipino Diaspora is a hub and inspiration for world-changing ideas that pushes humanity forward,” says CEO and Co-Founder Ryan Letada.

“This global speaker and action series is designed to celebrate and amplify the impact of these ideas."

Featured change makers include:

• Geena Rocero- Transgender Model, Advocate, and Founder of Gender Proud
• Nicole Ponseca- Founder of Maharlika + Jeepney NYC
• Rob Baker- White House Presidential Innovation Fellow and Ushahidi
• Matt Grasser- CEO of LDLN
• Maria Ressa- Founder of Rappler
• Leah Villanueva- Teach for the Philippines Fellow
• Lourdes Tiago- Airforce Veteran and Team Rubicon

This event is not only going to satiate your hunger for change, but will feature great food and drinks as well. Living up to its claim for creative innovation, NextDayBetter will even showcase a Tech Demo in which hackers will present smart technologies focused on disaster response and resiliency rebuilding.

Seats are limited so register now here.

If you can’t make it to NYC and/or are thirsting for more inspiration, don’t you fret because NextDayBetter will also be hitting up Los Angeles, Toronto, San Francisco, and London during the upcoming months. To learn more about NextDayBetter and the speaker series, you can visit their website.

Photo Credit: www.facebook.com/nextdaybetter