The Filipino American Student Association (FASA)’s second annual Pilipino Cultural Night (PCN) featured a Miracle Minute, in which participants donated to help people in the Philippines recover from a recent bombing.
Miracle Minute: Donating for a cause
As part of the Miracle Minute, FASA hired Malay Tacoma Chairperson Clauds Cabellon and Northwest Filipino American Student Alliance (NWFASA) East Region Advisor Emma Cavin to speak about the recent traumatic event in the Philippines.
“Negros Island is known as the Sugar Bowl of the Philippines. It is so incredibly rich in resources, while the poor peasants tilled the land across the sugar cane plantations owned by the wealthy elite,” Cabellon said. “The Armed Forces of the Philippines conducted indiscriminate bombings, … displacing over 650 people and massacring 19 individuals, nine civilians, one of which was our beloved friend Kai [Sorem].”
“Kai left the US to return home in a noble act of finding bayanihan to truly serve the people until her very last breath,” Cabellon continued. “As I envision her last moments on this earth, I see her protecting peasant youth and women, helping them find shelter as bullets rained upon Negros Islands.”
The guest speaker and donation period of PCN were called Miracle Minute because the event hosts set a timer for one minute, trying to collect as much cash as possible.
When explaining the importance and purpose of Miracle Minute, Cavin said in her speech, “Back home in the Philippines, communities are constantly facing typhoons and flooding and now we have communities facing bonding. Families are displaced. They are losing their homes and they’re losing everything and they have to start over.”
Despite the tragic times people in the Philippines have recently faced, a total of 176 attendees filled the SURC ballroom on the evening of Friday, May 1, with their energy and support at PCN. Equity Services Council Advisor Justin Santoli counted attendees by having each guest scan a QR code.
Bayanihan: uniting together as a community
Bayanihan was the main theme of this year’s PCN. It is a Tagalog word with a definition similar to that of the English word, unity. Electrical Engineering Technology Major and FASA General Member Emanuel Chavez said, “It doesn’t exactly have a translation, but it just means coming together as a community, as a family.”
Chavez, along with FASA President Jaden Joy Rosabia, served as the PCN emcees. Rosabia asked five FASA general members and alumni to share what bayanihan looks like within their club and across the CWU campus.
One of the five people whom Rosabia interviewed onstage was Ralph Ramier, who was last year’s FASA president.
“Here at CWU with FASA, we’re able to reflect not only bayanihan, but one of the customs of bayanihan, which is kapit-bisig, meaning linked arms, in order to literally link arms, do great things tonight here at PCN, put on a crazy event,” Ramier said.
“But also I see bayanihan…in the smaller things that maybe not everybody sees,” Ramier continued. “I see these guys at lunch hanging out together and they are one. And I think that’s pretty beautiful. It’s awesome. When I think of these guys, I think FASA. I think Filipino. I think bayanihan.”
Free Filipino food
FASA incorporated bayanihan into their event in several ways. For instance, CWU Catering made and served free Filipino food for everyone in the SURC Ballroom to enjoy. The menu items included adobo, pancit, buko pandan and white rice.
The Ballroom was so crowded that Rosabia had to call out groups of people by table to get their food. FASA marked the tables with images of objects that symbolized Filipino culture. Despite eagerness for free food around the room, Rosabia noticed how patiently everyone in the last group waited for her to call out their table image.
In and Out: a game of bayanihan
Rosabia and Chavez also hosted and provided the commentary for several traditional Filipino games. “Games are always a great way to interact with the spectators and people watching,” Washington State University (WSU) FASA Co-Advisor Donavyn Velez-Fucaf said.
Cavin appreciated how unique the games were. In and Out was a game that especially stood out to her. She was one of 20 attendees who volunteered to play In and Out.
“That game was really fun for something so simple, when the movements get so quick and then the new rule where you flinch, then you’re out,” Cavin said. “They originally asked for 15 people and they ended up with 20 people onstage. It was really great. Shout out to the girl from Tacoma who got this smiski.”
The smiski, a mini-figurine, was one of several prizes that participants earned by winning each of the games. Other prizes included gift cards and various mystery boxes.
Dance performances
The celebration also included five dances, four of which are part of traditional Filipino culture. The dance performances went in the following order: Sayaw Sa Bangko, Medley, Tinikling, Eskrima and Maglalatik.
The dancers have practiced their PCN routines every Wednesday from 6-8 p.m. ever since late January.
Sayaw Sa Bangko is also called the “Bench Dance” because it involves dancing on narrow benches. “What better way to demonstrate bayanihan than the unity of two dancers performing on top of this narrow bench,” Rosabia said.
The Bench Dance, choreographed by Rosabia, is a performance that originated in Pakistan. It “tests the balance between partners, traditionally performed as a celebratory for newlyweds,” Chavez said. “Dancers have their agility tested to their limits through hops, spins and even stacking of the benches, which rise higher and higher.”
Velez-Fucaf and Cavin, both of whom visited Ellensburg from Spokane, especially loved the Medley dance. “The footwork went crazy. Their stamina was crazy for a 10-minute dance,” Cavin said.
Sonia Lanuza, a General Business student who performed the Medley dance, described her performance as “a modern hip-hop dance.” During the Medley performance, the disc jockeys (DJs) played songs such as “24K Magic” by Bruno Mars.
Alicia Yala, an Elementary Education student who was also in the Medley group, added that, in her dance routine, “guys have their part, girls have their part. Then, we all dance together.”
Upcoming FASA Year-End Celebration
FASA will host its Year-End Celebration on Saturday, May 30 at 6 p.m. in SURC Room 137. General FASA members who are graduating in June can register to secure a free custom stole to wear at the end of their last year at CWU.
