First published in Tulay, Chinese-Filipino Digest 1, no. 3 (August 1998): 6, with original title, “One Year at Kaisa.” Kaisa Para Sa Kaunlaran had its baptism of fire on that infamous 28th day of August 1987. The organization was launched at the National Press Club supposedly in a press conference that day. Unfortunately, Gringo Honasan […]
First published in Tulay Monthly, Chinese-Filipino Digest 1, no. 2 (July 1988): 3. Kaisa Para Sa Kaunlaran is for cultural integration and political, social and economic assimilation. What is the difference between integration and assimilation? When these two terms are used by non-technical people, they are more or less interchangeable. They are affirmed of people […]
Fishing boats. To city dwellers, these bring to mind quaint remembrances of vacations spent by the sea. To fisherfolk in the many islands of the archipelago, these make a vital difference between a decent living and penury. In November 2013, Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) touched down in the Visayas and in one brief sweep of violence […]
First published in Tulay Fortnightly, Chinese-Filipino Digest 24, no. 7 (September 6-19, 2011): 14-15. Ever heard of the three Rs? Most of us learned about “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle” in school. For the 24th birthday of Kaisa Para Sa Kaunlaran, we introduced the four Rs – reduce, reuse, regift, recycle – and launched the first Regift […]
First published in Tulay Fortnightly, Chinese-Filipino Digest 27, no. 6 (August 19-September 8, 2014): 12. July was a month of community giving. Kaisa Para Sa Kaunlaran Inc., through its Tsinoy Bangkabuhayan Project, collaborated with Health Futures Foundation, Inc. to provide 100 motorized fiberglass pumpboats and 100 sets of fishing implements to 1,069 fisherfolk survivors of […]
First published in Tulay Fortnightly, Chinese-Filipino Digest 29, no. 7 (September 6-19, 2016): 5. With all the sham and drudgery, it’s still a beautiful world. This struck me as I attended the Ramon Magsaysay awards, an event I rarely miss. With the many uncertainties and problems in society we face, the speeches of the awardees […]
First published in Tulay Fortnightly, Chinese-Filipino Digest 29, no. 6 (August 23-September 5, 2016): 16, 14. On Aug. 28, 1987, Kaisa Para Sa Kaunlaran was founded by a group of professionals and businessmen who refused to be bystanders when significant events were unfolding. EDSA People Power had just finished one year prior, and the country […]
First published in Tulay Fortnightly, Chinese-Filipino Digest 27, no. 6 (August 19-September 8, 2014): 11. July was a very busy month for Kaisa Para Sa Kaunlaran’s Bangkabuhayan project volunteers, with several turnovers of boats and fishing gear to fisherfolk in barangays affected by Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) last November. Further complications arose when the fiberglass boat […]
First published in Tulay Fortnightly, Chinese-Filipino Digest 27, no. 6 (August 19-September 8, 2014): 10. It is with humility and gratitude that I and fellow Kaisa Para Sa Kaunlaran members celebrate the organization’s 27th year of existence. Kaisa continues to exist and stay relevant as a builder of bridges in the community and Philippine society, […]
First published in Tulay Fortnightly, Chinese-Filipino Digest 27, no. 6 (August 19-September 8, 2014): 8-9. Help the fishermen fish, and the whole community eats. That is our guiding philosophy when Kaisa Para Sa Kaunlaran thought of our Bangkabuhayan Project to help fishermen recover their livelihood after it was swept away during Typhoon Yolanda’s (Haiyan) rampage […]