In celebration of the Filipino American History Month, a new award — The Outstanding Filipino Americans in New York (TOFA-NY) — was created to recognize individuals and organizations that have influenced the Fil-Am community in a positive way. To make this year’s TOFA truly a people’s award, voting will be conducted through Facebook. The final voting will be on October 8 this year at midnight. “We believe social media is crucial in getting the word out about the many personalities and organizations that have made us one significant and dynamic community in this part of the US," the organizers said. An awards ceremony will be held October 29 at 8:00 p.m. at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Hall in New York. Consul General Mario Lopez de Leon Jr. will be the keynote speaker while community leader Loida Nicolas Lewis will deliver an inspirational address. Those who will provide entertainment during the awards ceremony are Jonathan Badon, Kirby Asunto, Nina Mojares, Seven Odon and Gabe Basalatan. Tickets to the event start at $40 and available by phone at (212) 247-7800 or online at carnegiehall.org. Those who are interested may also visit: facebook.com/TOFAINY The organizers of the award are a group of multimedia professionals:
Marisse Panlilio, technical and stage director at MPE Productions; Percival Roque, photographer; Cristina DC Pastor, founding editor of The FilAm and contributing writer to the Center for New York City Affairs’ immigration blog Feet in Two Worlds; and Elton Lugay, journalist and community events organizer. 2011 nominees The following are the nominees to this year’s The Outstanding Filipino Americans in New York (TOFA-NY) awards: ARTS & CULTURE Bessie Badilla—Film and music entrepreneur who is involved with the promotion of Brinoy (Brazil and Pinoy) music. She is also a producer of independent films; Michael Dadap—Guitarist and rondalla musician who founded the non-profit Children’s Orchestra Society dedicated to teaching chamber music to children and teens; Roz Li—Preservationist architect and founder of Bakas Pilipinas. The non-profit is dedicated to celebrating Philippine historic buildings and sites, including the restoration project for San Sebastian Church, Manila; Philippine American Friendship Committee—A community organization that seeks to enrich the quality of life of families by promoting inclusiveness, opportunities, interculturalism, advocacy and intergenerationalism; Philippine Fiesta—An organization which provides an avenue for the mainstream business to reach the fast-growing and very strong Filipino American market, and connects Filipino businesses to the mainstream market in the United States; and Philippine Independence Day Council, Inc—An entity that organizes the yearly Independence Day Parade on Madison Avenue. BUSINESS AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP Aguila Sisters of Phil-Am Grocery and Merchandising—An entrepreneurial family that has built a grocery chain and food distribution network across the Northeast; Lyna Larcia Calvario—Founder of KasalNY, a wedding and event planner in Manhattan; Grace Hufano-Labaguis—A marketing professional who has her own media promotion company; Johnny Air Cargo—A pioneer in the balikbayan box and air courier services with offices in Queens; Philippine National Bank Remittance Centers—A pioneer in remittance services, one of the first full-service banks to establish an office on the East Coast; and Ben Santos—CEO and president of United Staffing Registry for health care professionals. He is also a newspaper publisher. COMMUNITY SERVICE AND ADVOCACY Association of Filipinas, Feminists Fighting Imperialism, Re-feudalization, and Marginalization (AF3IRM)—A women’s organization with a transnational, feminist perspective; Catholic Action of Mary—A parish-based group that celebrates religious traditions and organizes the Annual Santacruzan on the Northeast, now on its 33rd year; Damayan Migrant Workers Association—Grassroots organization dedicated to promoting the rights and welfare of Filipino migrant workers; Dr. Gabriel Esteban—First Filipino and first lay president of Seton Hall University in New Jersey; and Philippine Forum—Community organizer and advocacy group, founder of Bayanihan Filipino Community Center in Queens. COURAGE OF CONVICTION AWARD Catherina Cenzon-de Carlo—Mt. Sinai Hospital nurse who refused to assist in abortion procedures for religious reasons; and Jose Antonio Vargas—Pulitzer Award-winning journalist who outs himself as an undocumented immigrant in a New York Times essay. ENTERTAINMENT Mig Ayesa—Manila-born rocker performing on Broadway’s “Rock of Ages"; Teresa Victoria ‘TV’ Carpio—Broadway actress currently playing Arachne in “Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark"; J. Elaine Marcos—Broadway actress playing the Filipino mail-order bride character in the musical “Priscilla Queen of the Desert"; Luis Pedron—Co-founder of Soho International Film Festival, film director; Sounds of Manila—Pop and ballad band promoting Original Pilipino Music across the Northeast; and Air Tabigue—Comic, entertainer, and a regular at comedy clubs, colleges and community events. FASHION AND STYLE Josie Natori—Fashion designer who started with a lingerie collection and whose line has expanded to include women’s clothing, home furnishings and perfume; Cesar Obrero—Photographer and fashion impresario known for coaching aspiring Filipino models and beauty pageant contestants in New York; Jerry Sibal—Designer of events, from private parties to charity balls, by coordinating interiors with lighting, architecture and tabletop arrangements; Robin Tomas—Promising fashion designer whose award-winning T-shirt line is one of Bloomingdale’s best-sellers; and Rafe Totengco—Designer specializing in men and women’s bags, leather goods and accessories. FOOD AND RESTAURANTS Rena Avendula—Owner of Payag bar and restaurant in Queens, a popular venue for community meetings and musical concerts; Alex Dino—Named one of Best Cafeteria Chefs in 2008 by Fortune Magazine. Won the 2010 Sears Chefs Challenge cooking competition; Romy Dorotan—Chef and owner of Purple Yam in Brooklyn. Published “Memories of Philippine Kitchens" with wife Amy Besa; and King Phojanakong—Chef and owner of two Asian tapas restaurants—Kuma Inn in Manhattan and Umi Nom in Brooklyn. HEALTH CARE Dr. Lorna Bayes—A doctor who runs medical missions through the Mano-a-Mano International Relief Organization; Kalusugan Coalition—Non-profit organization dedicated to improving the health care of Filipino Americans through educational activities, research, community action, and advocacy; and Dr. Kevin Nadal—Professor, psychologist, performer and advocate against childhood obesity under the banner of the Papaya Project. Promoter of Filipino American mental health with two books on Filipino American Psychology. LGBT ADVOCACY Barangay New York—Organization serving the needs of the Filipino LGBTQ community and providing a supportive safe space for discussion of issues; Michelle Manangan—Transgender woman who organizes the annual Miss AsiaNYC pageant and advocates for rights and empowerment of transgender people; Therese Rodriguez—Chief executive officer of the Asian and Pacific Islander Coalition on HIV/AIDS; and Anastacio Roxas—Gay rights advocate and officer of the New York Police Department. MEDIA AND PUBLISHING Sheila Coronel—Director of the Columbia University Graduate School’s Stabile Center for Investigative Journalism. Many of her students have won awards for their in-depth investigative reporting; Luis Francia—Poet, journalist, and history and Tagalog language educator. His semiautobiographical “Eye of the Fish: A Personal Archipelago" won the PEN Open Book and Asian American Writers literary awards in 2002; Kristine Johnson—Award-winning CBS 2 news anchor; Elda Rotor—Penguin Publishing editorial director in charge of global promotion of Jose Rizal’s Noli and Fili novels, among other literary classics; Don Tagala—Reporter and videographer at ABS-CBN International; and Momar Visaya—Editor in Chief of Asian Journal weekly. PUBLIC SERVICE AND POLITICS Filipino American Legal and Education Defense Fund—Provides pro bono services to immigrants, is the retained counsel for journalist Jose Antonio Vargas and the hundreds of teachers in Maryland at risk of losing their jobs; Rolando Lavarro—The latest Filipino to run for a city council seat in Jersey City; Ivy Suriyopas—A lawyer for the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund providing assistance to victims of human trafficking; and Roland Ubaldo—Deputy U.S. Marshal and spokesman of the U.S. Marshals Service of the Southern District of New York, the office which conducted an auction of hundreds of personal property belonging to Ruth and Bernie Madoff. YOUTH AND SPORTS Bukas-Loob sa Dios Youth Ministry-Newark—A Christian ministry for young FilAms aimed at building character and meaningful empowerment, and fostering spiritual growth; Pilipino American Unity for Progress—Young professionals and students seeking to address historical and divisional problems among FilAms through dialogue and community building; Apollo Riego—Popular magician who performs at Coney Island, with specialty in card tricks; and The Filipino School of New York and New Jersey—A cultural and language school for children and teens. HERITAGE AWARDS Part of the awards ceremonies is the presentation of special HERITAGE AWARDS to the following personalities and organizations, whose involvement with the community are deemed invaluable and immeasurable: Craig and Samantha Abaya—Siblings who won Dancing with the Stars junior championship. They are regulars at providing entertainment at Filipino community events; Filipino American Human Services Inc.—A community-based, non-profit organization dedicated to serving the most vulnerable segments of the Filipino community of New York—particularly youth, women, recent immigrants, and the elderly; Filipino American National Historical Society—Founded in 1982, the group documents and promotes Filipino American history through its archives, conferences, books, programs, films, art and more; Filipino Reporter—A weekly newspaper that has steadfastly served the Filipino American community in New York City since 1972; Loida Nicolas Lewis—CEO, lawyer, philanthropist and advocate, she is one of the most enduring leaders of the FilAm community in the northeast; and Lea Salonga—Tony Award-winning singer-actress and the most celebrated Filipino talent on Broadway. - GMA News 
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