Page 27 - 2017 JAN-JUN - KAAKBAY

January to June
2017 27

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

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On its 16 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.

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
PARE wowed the crowd with their Igorot/Singkil mash-up.
marginalized communities with new income.

Other school organizations who
(Continued from page 26… Global Studies Students)
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
Newark FSA and New Jersey Institute of
Vice Consul Khrystina Technology FINEST worked together for their
Corpuz, PCGNY
first time in Battle.

Vice Consul Khrystina Corpuz sat in the panel of judges
Consul General Dizon-De Vega briefs the Tallwood Delegation 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
the Consulate General’s outreach efforts to young
Americans to better inform them about the Philippines and St. John’s University Fil-Am Reaching to Everyone (PARE) took home three awards,
Philippines-US relations. including Best Overall performance during the Battle of the Barrios at Rutgers University
New Brunswick last 25 March.