CHICAGO (JGL) A Filipino American employee of Walmart in Richmond, California will be crowned Mrs. San Carlos City, Pangasinan Association of California, Inc. (SCCPA) on the occasion of its 44th anniversary celebration on June 10 at the Crown Plaza Hotel in Burlingame, California.
The proud husband, Jorge B. Castro, Jr., a former correspondent of Tempo and Manila Bulletin in the Philippines and colleague and classmate of this reporter, said his wife, Delia (nee: Ferrer), a native of San Carlos City, will be crowned by visiting San Carlos City Mayor Julier Resuello and reigning Mrs. SCCPA, Inc. Queen Marilyn Ilagan Paningbatan.
Mrs. Castro was chosen by incoming President Ricardo F. Paningbatan and outgoing president Romulo Arenas of SCCPA with unanimous approval of members of SCCPA as successor to Mrs. Ilagan Paningbatan as Mrs. SCCPA.
SCCPA prides itself of its officers and members carrying out its mission based on honesty, integrity, transparency and service to humanity. Among its five-year (2011-2016) accomplishments are as follows:
Initiated in 2012 under the leadership of Dr. and Mrs. Jun Aquino the conduct of a medical mission in San Carlos City, which was hailed a success. This was followed by a medical and dental missions headed by Mr. and Mrs. Percy Lopez in 2014. Together, the two missions treated hundreds of indigent Filipinos with their medical and dental needs. They also distributed medicine to those who did not make it to the missions thru barangay (village) and church leaders.
SCHOLARSHIP FUNDING
The SCCPA also funds college scholarships to deserving students, who otherwise could not afford to pay the high price of higher education. The SCCPA organization says “nothing is more ‘studifying’ (“grouping togetherâ€) to society than to neglect promising talents and see them fade into mediocrity and oblivion.†It believes no students with high hopes and dreams should be left behind by recognizing them no matter how humble their stations in life are.
SCCPA has also engaged US-based and local volunteers in distributing food to poor
families to remote barrios with nutritional values, clean drinking water, health and sanitation awareness and virtues of helping and sharing.
SCCPA also provided financial assistance to two churches for the repair or improvement of their facilities to enhance safety and comfort of parishioners to increase attendance on both churches.
SCCPA also sponsored or participated in sports activities in San Carlos City and Bakersfield, California.
SCCPA also hold annual banquets and picnics.
TEMPO-BULLETIN STAFF
Jorge, who used to work at Nestle Philippines, dabbled as correspondent of Tempo, a sister publication of the Bulletin, before immigrating to the United States in 2004 based on the family petition from his wife.
Jorge and his wife, Delia, have six children, all boys. “I was trying to add a girl in the family but I had no luck, so I have to stop at six boys.†Jorge mused.
Jorge was a former Associate Editor of the Lyceum, the school organ of the Lyceum University of the Philippines. He was its acting editor when he graduated with Bachelor of Science degree in Journalism in 1980.
He is colleague of this writer and Mr. Fred Gabot, the editor-in-chief of Philippines Today, a weekly tabloid out of San Bruno, California.
Jorge organized and founded the first press club in Laguna province in the Philippines – the Laguna Reporters Association (LARA). He was also the first president of the Police Regional Office 5 (PRO 4) Press Corps based in Camp Vicente Lim in Canlubang, Laguna, in a hotly contested election of the club covering CALABARZON Region. The region covers : Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, and Quezon, and Highly Urbanized Cities of Lucena, San Pablo, Calamba, Binan, Santa Rosa and San Pedro, all in the first district of vote-rich first district of Laguna. (Contact reporter: jglariosa@hotmail.com)