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The acclaimed singing group, ArtiSta.Rita, which arrived a day earlier on May 13, performed before the family and friends of La Canada community leader and businessman Mike Cucueco and his wife, Nimia on Thursday evening, May 15. Among the guests who were treated to a one-hour show featuring Kapampangan folk songs and original compositions, were PamagCUSA vice chair Josie Castro, Josie Phillips and her husband, Chuck, filmmaker Joey Gonzalez and his wife, Alice, Fr. Rodel Balagtas, Auxiliary Bishop Mallari, Photos and text by Rene Villaroman -- PHOTO-REPORTERS

Rodel and Shirley Lumanog, Ruby Paguinto of Asian American People’s Journal, Malou Mariano, and PHOTO-REPORTERS Guild officers Larry Pelayo, president; and Jess Espanola, treasurer.

The troupe performed flawlessly for about an hour, singing indigenous Kapampangan songs, including the popular “Ati Ku Pung Singsing,” and capping their song-and-dance performance with the very popular “Kapampangan Ku,” penned by ArtiSta.Rita’s founder, choreographer and songwriter, Alvin Alviz, which, lately, had assumed the title of Pampanga’s patriotic anthem. “Now, you know why I am so into this song,” comments Josie Castro.

The ArtiSta.Rita will be performing on Sunday, May 18, at the Richard and Karen Carpenter Theater in Long Beach, where they are expected to present a wider repertoire that includes tap-dancing in their “bakya” or wooden shoes. The Cucuecos, who were highly impressed by the performance, invited the troupe to come back in December to show their wares during the second observance of Pampanga Day in the city of Carson. Mike had promised the troupers an all expenses paid stay.

Josie Castro, who had helped the troupe in more ways than one, told this writer that some members of the group were still giddy and unbelieving that they were performing for the first time in the United States. About 95 per cent of them have never been here,” reveals Josie, “and for most of them, it was their first plane ride.” The performers also have been booked to play Las
Vegas, New York and New Jersey.

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Article and photo by Rene Villaroman/Photo-Reporters

IRWINDALE — “Our strength is our diversity. But that strength is also our fundamental weakness,” declared State Assemblyman Warren Furutani at the 3rd Annual Asian Pacific Heritage Month Celebration at the Southern California Edison (SCE) Customer Technology Application Center on Friday, May 2. Furutani was the keynote speaker at the event where SCE recognized community and business leaders and organizations.
“Unless we integrate, unless we diversify truly, in every shape, fashion and form, then all that strength in deversity will not be brought to bear,” Furutani said. “That is still a challenge that we have to deal with.”
SCE presented the Corporate Award to Lee Kum Kee, USA Inc., an Asian-owned business that has proven its commitment to the success of Asian American businesses and made significant contributions to the community. The Community Service Award was given to the Asian Pacific American Legal Center (APALC) for its commitment to justice and equality, and Rafu Shimpo, a bi-lingual newspaper, for continued dedication serving the Asian Pacific American communities. The Community Leadership Award was presented to Yul Kwon, winner of the reality TV show Survivor, for helping to change the media representation of Asian men. “It is wonderful at Southern California Edison to celebrate and honor our corporate and community partners who contribute so much to our diverse communities,” said Frank Quevedo, SCE vice president of equal opportunity.
“This event and others like it increase the awareness of the many and important contributions of Asian Pacific Americans.” Furutani, a memeber of the California Assembly’s Wildlife, Parks and Utilities Committee, said that the business world has understood that the API community is no longer a minorities’ minority. “The API community is a dynamic powerhouse, an engine of the economy that is critical to the United States,” Furutani said. “Now we are regular people. We are in different commercials for cars. We are consumers; that’s who we are. They acknowledge our existence.”
On the political front, Furutani said he is not so sure whether the API community wields sufficient political clout. “I don’t know if you noticed, but there are twice as many Asian Pacific Islanders in the state of California than there are African Americans. And the only reason I referenced that is there will be a proverbial political power generated from these communities,” he said. “Clearly the Latino community is right there.”
“The API community is the fastest growing community in the state of California and in the United States. Our numbers have reached a point, where as voters, registration shows weakness for us. But even with this weakness in capacity, we are about 1.1 million voters in the state of California,” he added. “There are more than 3 million Latinos, and there’s 500,000 African Americans. So relative for the state, that shows that we are on the incline to a certain degree. But relative to political power, it is clear there is so much still to be learned from the African American community.”
“As a member of the California Assembly, I have in front of me a green button and a red button. I can protect the smelt in the waterways of Northern California to a point that it is going to really upset farmers that grow the food that you and I eat by pressing the red or green button,” Furutani revealed. “It is not that we all eat rice. It’s not the color of our skin. It’s not the texture of of our hair. It fundamentally comes down to what we believe in, what our values are, what we stand for as an emerging community. If we are going to use the word civic, then let’s just be Asian Americans.”