Page 22 - 2017 JUL -DEC KAAKBAY

22 July to December
2017

Immigration Lawyer and Community Volunteer from Brooklyn Chosen to Join
FYLPRO Immersion Trip

The Philippine Embassy in Washington, DC has announced the 10 delegates to the Filipino-American Young Leaders
Program (FYLPRO) 2017, including Brooklyn native Amanda J. Bernardo, Esq. She will be travelling with the cohort in an
immersion trip to the Philippines to meet with leaders of government, industry, business, culture, and social enterprise from 8
to 14 October.

An immigration attorney, Ms Bernardo is the Chair of the Immigration Committee of the Asian American Bar
Association of New York, and the Public Relations Chair of the Filipino American Lawyers of New York. She recently
collaborated with Congresswoman Nydia Velasquez and Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Jose Antonio Vargas to educate
Filipino immigrants on their rights in the United States.

Atty Bernardo has helped win asylum for refugees, and has
assisted in transforming the experience of Filipinos and
underrepresented communities in the immigration system.

For her FYLPRO legacy project, she plans to launch a US-
wide “Know Your Rights and Resources” program for new Filipino
immigrants.

Amanda joins ten other FYLPRO alumni from the US

Northeast since the flagship program’s launch in 2012: Michael Vea

(New York, 2012); Steven Raga (New York, 2012); Rachelle Peraz

Ocampo (New York, 2013); Edward Santos (New York, 2013); Ryan

Letada (New Jersey, 2014); Bernadette Contreras (New York, 2014);

Nicole Ponseca (New York, 2015); Jennifer Coliflores (Massachusetts, Amanda J. Bernardo, Esq. from Brooklyn is the NYPCG delegate to this
year’s FYLPRO. (Photo by Pineapple Industries)
2015); Jhett Tolentino (New York, 2016), and Noel Joseph Aglubat
(New York, 2016).

ConGen Dizon-De Vega Brings News from PH at Press Hour

Barely a week from her official trip
in the Philippines, Consul General Ma.
Theresa Dizon-De Vega met with the Fili-
pino-American media personnel during the
ConGen Press Hour held at the Kalayaan
Hall Annex of the Philippine Center New
York last 14 August 2017.

During the event, Consul General
Dizon-De Vega apprised the 20 plus jour-
nalists present about her stay in the Philip-
pines which started with the Ambassador’s Consul General Ma. Theresa Dizon-De Vega (seated, center) engaged with the Filipino-American media
Tour from 11 to 16 July, a Culinary and members at the ConGen Press Hour last 14 August. (Photo by Boyet Loverita)
Heritage Tour of Pampanga organized by
the Consulate for Ambassadors’ Tour delegates from New York on 16 and 20 July, a Regional Planning Meeting of US Heads of
Posts and capped by the 50th ASEAN Ministerial Meeting, Post-Ministerial Conferences and the ASEAN 50th Anniversary
Grand Celebration last 2 to 8 August.

She then entertained questions from the media, on various topics such as the outcome of the ASEAN meetings; the
North Korean nuclear threat and contingencies that Foreign Service Posts have in place to protect Filipinos; updates on infra-
structure projects under the Government’s Build.Build.Build program; and developments on the relief and rehabilitation efforts
in Marawi.

Consul General Dizon-De Vega also announced changes in the Consulate, with Deputy Consul General Felipe
Carino’s recall at the end of August and a new Vice Consul assuming her Post in September .