Page 27 - 2017 KA'AKBAY January-June

January to June 27
2017

New York and New Jersey Fil-Am Youth
Battled it out for Cheers and Charity

On its 16th year now, the Battle of the Barrios gathered Filipino-
American school organizations in the Filipino Intercollegiate Networking
Dialogue Inc (FIND) District III Region last 25 March in Rutgers
University New Brunswick campus.

Ten schools otherwise known as the “Barrios”, from New York

and New Jersey participated in the Battle. Each group performed a 10-

minute skit incorporating Filipino traditional dance and art, historical

tidbits, current socio-civic issues along with Western modern dance and Host Rutgers University RAPS pose backstage during Battle of the

pop culture. Barrios. (Photos by Rutgers RAPS)

St John’s University’s PARE was the big winner that evening, bagging the Team Trending Award, Best in Cultural
Performance, and Best in Overall Performance, injecting Singkil, Pandanggo,
and Igorot dances in their skit that tackled ancestral land issues. City
University of New York-Hunter College POH’s delivered a compelling piece
on women’s rights to win Best Skit. City University of New York-Baruch
College’s FUSION went home with the Best in Modern Dance trophy, after
their step-dance routine drew the most cheers.

PARE wowed the crowd with their Igorot/Singkil mash-up. This year, Battle of the Barrios donated $982 to the Advancement for
Rural Kids (ARK), with host Rutgers University RAPS raising $867 of the total
amount, winning them the Most Charitable Award. Donations will help ARK’s
programs in the Philippines to develop innovative and sustainable solutions to
get kids back to school, end hunger and malnutrition, and provide
marginalized communities with new income.

(Continued from page 26… Global Studies Students) Other school organizations who

performed were College of Mount St. Vincent

SAMAHAN, Stony Brook University’s PUSO,

Stevens Institute of Technology

FAST. Students from Montclair State

University MUFASA and William Patterson

University FACE collaborated for a single

skit, while members of Rutgers University

Vice Consul Khrystina Newark FSA and New Jersey Institute of
Corpuz, PCGNY Technology FINEST worked together for their
first time in Battle.

Consul General Dizon-De Vega briefs the Tallwood Delegation Vice Consul Khrystina Corpuz sat in the panel of judges
who decided on the winners. In her remarks, Ms Corpuz, whose

portfolio in the Consulate includes Community Relations with the

Consul General Dizon-De Vega gave a briefing on Second-Gens expressed her pride in the students’ recognition of

the work undertaken by the Consulate and the Philippine their identity and their desire to connect with the Philippines and

Embassy in Washington, D. C. and the common work of anything Filipino.

foreign missions in general under the Vienna Convention

on Diplomatic Relations and the Vienna Convention on

Consular Relations.

After a question and answer portion where
students asked about gender equality challenges in the
Philippine foreign service, systems for rendering
assistance to overseas nationals, and priority foreign
policy concerns of the Philippines, the delegation was

taken on a tour of the Center premises by Mr. Cruz.

The session with the Tallwood students is part of St. John’s University Fil-Am Reaching to Everyone (PARE) took home three awards,
the Consulate General’s outreach efforts to young including Best Overall performance during the Battle of the Barrios at Rutgers University
Americans to better inform them about the Philippines and New Brunswick last 25 March.
Philippines-US relations.