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July 30, 2010
Someone asked us a few years ago how long we think we’d be doing the annual Gintong Pamana Awards and we answered, as long as it takes and as long as it stays relevant. Really, over the years you begin to wonder when it must end. Yet the grueling marathon of beating deadlines, and the stressful task of trying to please everyone aren’t quite as hard as making sure our events matter. For us, there is no point of doing what we do if it doesn’t serve a greater purpose, if it doesn’t transcend the momentary pride and joy that come with the recognition and the honor… and the applause. This is what distinguishes our events from all the others.
It doesn’t live and die after one fleeting moment; it lives through the seasons. It breathes through the pages of our community paper, The FilAm Weekly MegaScene. It floats and lingers in cyberspace. It beckons to be shared in your Facebook, and soon, in You Tube. Whether in soft or hard copy, Gintong Pamana is a golden legacy that will remain part of the Filipino American community, especially in the Midwest. This annual tradition of excellence has its name engraved in the hearts of those honorees, their families, friends and supporters and the community who came, saw and genuinely believed in the foundation and publication’s mission and vision.
Abraham Lincoln said, “That some achieve great success is proof to all that others can achieve it as well.” It is for this reason that we have kept recognizing people who have accomplished for themselves what many others thought was either impossible or almost impossible to achieve. On this occasion, we are quite fortunate to have in person someone who epitomizes great success. Someone who opened our eyes to the truth that all things are possible to those who believe… to those who dare to dream big, bold to take risks and quick to pick themselves up after a fall.
White House Doctor, Dr. Connie Mariano earned the distinction of being the first military woman in American history to be appointed White House Physician. She was nominated by the Navy and selected by the White House for this honor. In 1994, Dr. Mariano was named Director of the White House Medical Unit and chosen by President William Clinton to serve as his personal physician. Dr. Mariano served nine years at the
White House where she was physician to three sitting American Presidents.
In the Filipino psyche, Dr. Mariano must have been her people’s lucky charm. For after her trailblazing stint at the White House, another Filipina followed suit, Susan Bonzon Ralston. Ralston was the Special Assistant to President George W. Bush and a deputy to Rove, the Deputy Chief of Staff and Senior Advisor at the White House for almost six years. If you think it was some stroke of luck that there were two Filipina VIPs in the White House two presidential terms in a row, think again. For before Ralston even left the White House, a third Filipina marched in, Cristeta Pasia Comerford. Comerford has been the White House Executive Chef since 2005. She is the first woman to be selected for the post, and also the first of Filipino descent.
Then along came Charice Pempengco and Arnel Pineda in the entertainment industry. Both names are making waves not only in the United States but around the world. Filipinos have finally arrived. From hereon, Filipinos aren’t settling for anything less than the best. How cool is that?
That’s what achievement does. It inspires, motivates and sustains. This is what our celebration is all about. It is about inspiring, motivating and sustaining a community that can use some powerful, live role models.