The Global Filipino

Did you know that American Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates, Michele J. Sison, who was nominated to the post by US President George Bush, is a Filipino-American and is the “first American of Philippine ancestry to become a US Ambassador?” (Her father Pablo S. Sison is originally from Pangasinan). And did you know that it is also a Filipino who is preparing and cooking the food for the most powerful man in the world, US President George W. Bush, his family, other US officials and heads of state in the White House? Since August 2005, Cristeta Comerford nee Pasia has been the White House Executive Chef and is the first woman to be selected for the post. (By the way, it is a Filipino again who heads the kitchen of another world-famous and influential individual. Chef Ron Bilaro, who was born in Pasig and immigrated to the US with his family when he was 19 years old, is currently the personal chef of Oprah Winfrey, the world’s only black billionaire, and the world’s richest and most influential woman).

Did you know that Major General Antonio Taguba, who became famous worldwide for his report on the military abuses in the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq in 2004, and who we featured in one of our TFC’s The Global Filipino interstitial ads, is the second Filipino-American to become a General in the U.S. Army?

And did you know that a Filipino was one of the four people who ushered in a musical revolution all over the world in the 1990s? Manila-born Joey Santiago was the lead guitarist of the band called the Pixies, an American alternative rock group, which according to Wikipedia, is “frequently posited as the immediate forebearer (sic) of the alternative rock boom of the early 1990s” and which largely influenced and left its legacy on many bands and artists including Thom Yorke of the British rock band Radiohead and the late rock legend Kurt Cobain—founder, lead guitarist, singer and chief songwriter of the heavily influential 90s grunge band Nirvana. Kurt Cobain admitted that their biggest hit song “Smells Like Teen Spirit” was a conscious attempt to copy the Pixies.

You see, wherever you find us Filipinos in the world, we dream the impossible and reach for it. We do our best in everything we do, leave a mark in the society we are in by making a difference and touching the lives of countless people.

Here are more Global Filipinos:

In music: Death Angel, Moonpools and Caterpillars, Kai, One Vo1ce, Kirk Hammet (Metallica’s lead guitarist), Kathleen de Leon (Hi5 kid show), Myleene Angela Klass (former pop group Hear’Say member), Vanessa Anne Hudgens, Nia Peeples, Jocelyn Enriquez, Billy Crawford (remember him in That’s Entertainment) Enrique Iglesias and of course, Grammy-award winning hip hop artist Allan Pineda Lindo, aka apl.de.ap of The Black Eyed Peas.

In television: Brad Virata and Jenny Mae Guzon (contestants on Survivor: Cook Islands), Guji Lorenzana, Camille Velasco and Jasmine Trias (American Idol); and Mig Ayesa who placed third on RockStar: INXS.

In entertainment: Dean Devlin (producer of Independence Day), Rob Schneider, Tia Carrere, Mark Dacascos, Dante Basco (Hook, The Debut), Joy Bisco, Ernie Reyes (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), Paolo Montalban, Phoebe Cates, Cheryl Burke, and Lou Diamond Philips.

In fashion and business, Josie Natori and Monique Lhullier (who designed the wedding dresses of Kevin Costner’s bride and Britney Spears) and Loida Nicolas-Lewis, the CEO of TLC Beatrice Holdings Inc.

In TV broadcasting: Veronica dela Cruz (CNN News Anchor), and Emmy-award winners Cher Calvin (KTLA Channel 5 News Anchor) and Victoria Recaño (The Insider and Inside Edition correspondent).

In sports: Filipino-Greek professional wrestler David “The Animal” Batista, Filipino-Australian rugby player Craig Wing, pool legend Efren “Bata” Reyes, six-time world champion and Guiness Book of World Records-holder Ten-pin bowler Paeng Nepomuceno, the late Gabriel “Flash” Elorde (the only Filipino elected to the Boxing Hall of Fame) and The People’s Champ Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao.

In arts, there’s comic book artist Whilce Portacio (co-founder of Image Comics), Ernie Chan (inker for Marvel and DC Comics), Nelson Bohol (Pixar artist for “Finding Nemo” and “Cars”), Gini Cruz (Pixar character artist for Dory in “Finding Nemo”), Ricky Nierva (Character Art Director for “Finding Nemo” and “Monsters Inc.”) and Giovanni Fiel Nakpil (digital artist who worked on “Star Wars Episode 2: Attack of the Clones” and “Van Helsing”).

In literature, there’s poet Jose Garcia Villa, writer Carlos Bulosan, Carlos Romulo (President of the Fourth Session of United Nations General Assembly from 1949-1950 and the first Asian to win the Pulitzer Prize), journalists Byron Acohido and Alex Tizon (1997 Pulitzer Prize Winners).

In beauty: Gloria Diaz and Margie Moran-Florendo (Miss Universe 1969 and 1973 respectively), Gemma Cruz, Aurora Pijuan, Melanie Marquez and Precious Lara Quigaman (Miss International 1964, 1970, 1979 respectively), Angela Perez Baraquio (Miss America 2000), Kirby Ann Basken (Miss Norway 2007), Vanessa Minnillo (Miss Teen USA 1998), Andrew Jumapao (Miss USA contestant 1976), Robyn Michelle Samso Watkins (Miss USA 2006 contestant) and swimsuit model Raquel Gibson.

And others: Kiwi Camara, the youngest Harvard law graduate at 19 years old; Benjamin Cayetano; the first US Filipino American governor, and Fr. Oscar Solis, the first Filipino American Roman Catholic Bishop in the US… and the list goes on and on.

But one Filipino who has continuously put the Philippines literally on the world stage is no other than Tony, Olivier, Drama Desk and Theatre-world award-winning singer and actress Lea Salonga, who became famous for her role as Kim in the hit musical “Miss Saigon”, and as the singing voices of Princess Jasmine in “Aladdin” and Fa Mulan in “Mulan”, both Disney cartoon films.

Anywhere and everywhere you go in the world, you’ll find a Global Filipino.

We are ambassadors of goodwill, music, arts, and laughter, friends of everyone and bearers of remarkable things.

You are a Global Filipino. The world is your home. Leave your mark. Change the world. Make it a better place.

Middle East Note, Page 10
StarStudio Magazine Middle East Edition
September 2007 Issue