Fil-Am artist joins Charlotte Condom Couture show

Edelweiss de Guzman with her model

A Filipino-American artist and former official of the Filipino-American Community of the Carolinas Inc. (FACC) will join in the Condom Couture Charlotte event scheduled at the Fillmore Charlotte center on Feb. 24. 

Edelweiss de Guzman is representing the Philippines in this fashion show aimed to benefit and promote the Planned Parenthood South Atlantic group.

Edelweiss said it is a unique runaway fashion show where local designers use condoms to create fashionable, wearable art in order to promote safe sex.

This is the fourth time that de Guzman would be participating in the show and she is excited about joining anew after a one year hiatus during which she did volunteer work for the FACC.

The theme for this year's show is “Around the World.” Planned Parenthood is a nonprofit organization that provides reproductive health care in the US and around the world. Last year Planned Parenthood celebrated its 100 year anniversary.

Edelweiss's concept is Reyna Emperatriz (Queen Empress) St. Helena of Constantinople during the Santacruzan based on a yearly event in the Philippines. 

The dress adorned with pearls styled like the Philippine archipelago is known as “Perlas ng Silinganan” (Pearl of the Orient).” “The Santacruzan is a yearly festival that I enjoyed while growing up in the Philippines,” Edelweiss said. 

Every month of May in every year, all the beautiful young women in town would join a procession casting a flower and a cross, Edelweiss explained.  Her Filipino-American model would carry a cross and flowers at the runway. 

Edelweiss will have only one dress for the show which will have 1,000 pieces of condoms on it. She already ordered 1,300 condoms for the dress. The first condom couture dress Edelweiss made was in 2015 and it was later auctioned off. 

“I have 50 percent to the organization, Planned Parenthood. The concept of that 2015 dress was cosmos, supernova,  time, space and distant memory,” Edelweiss said.

Her dress reflected her fascination on the perception of life and the universe. In 2016 she was inspired by expressionist movement film and theater in creating her dress. 

“The year 2016 was a homage to German expressionist film. This particular style can be also seen on American filmmaker Tim Burton’s film and art. I am a huge fan of Tim Burton,” Edelweiss said. She wasn’t surprised that she found out later that Burton was also inspired by German expressionists. 

Weiss studied European film in college before she switched to fine arts. 

Last year, Edelweiss created a dress made of white condoms that was inspired by a 1910 icouture homage to the Industrial Revolution. 

She called the dress style as steampunk couture in which the past is the future and the future is the past. 

Edelweiss said Planned Parenthood was defunded in 2016 and they gave all the proceeds of the fashion show. 

De Guzman is a co-founder of the Art Ecologie group, a collective of artists who use eco-friendly materials in their work. 

She grew up in the Philippines and moved to the US when she was 18. Her works include illustrations, paintings and haute couture made from recyclable materials.

De Guzman is an immediate past 2nd Vice president of the FACC and chaired the FACC Gala Event in October of last year.  

The fashion show would be hosted by Ramona Holloway, co-host of the Matt and Ramona Show of 107.9 The Link. Music for the show will be from Miami Dice and DJ Spider while the NC Dance District will deliver a dance performance.

Love through mail and phone calls

by Susan Palmes-Dennis

Charlotte, North Carolina---This story is a keeper for a lifetime.  Despite advances in technology employed mostly by millennials, my friend Rowena Tocayon Montemor still prefers writing love letters on paper rather than email.

In fact she kept all the love letters written by her ex-boyfriend and now husband of 27 years Bill at their lovely home here in Charlotte, North Carolina. Rowena also kept the letters she wrote to Bill in a special place at their home. 

I will tell you about Rowena's love story starting with her in Calbayog City, Samar province in the Philippines. 

“Weng “as Rowena  is fondly called by close friends and family members, has two sons with husband Bill. She said they wrote each other letters for two years before she finally started working on her fiancée visa. 

When asked why she wanted to write letters on paper she explained “it is more meaningful and you can pour your emotions and sentiments to it.” “There is no doubt we can express more in writing than face to face conversation since we are more restrained when talking than writing,” Rowena said.   

It was in 1987 and Rowena was 16 ½ years old at the time when she stayed  in Olangapo City after being asked by her pregnant cousin whose husband was away as a member of the US Navy. 

She remembered that she met her future husband who then visited her cousin's friend. Rowena sat on the stairs when Bill arrived.  “I recalled that because that was 2 days before my 17 birthday,” Rowena said. 

The meeting was brief but eventually very memorable to Bill and Rowena was surprised that a year later the good looking American Marine returned and looked for her. 

Unknown to Rowena or Weng that chance meeting with Bill was all it took to get him smitten by her long hair and “kayumangi (clear) skin.” Rowena said it was only later than she learned that Bill requested to stay a month in the Philippines to find and know her more. 

He  proposed to Rowena a week after his arrival. He found an engagement ring at the US base in Olongapo city. And he popped the marriage question to Rowena who enthusiastically said yes.

When Bill returned to the US, Rowena said they kept in touch through letters. Weng said she always looked forward every day for a letter. “He would write six times a week,” she said.

Rowena said each letter would be two to three pages. She responded with letters of her own. “It was meaningful and when I write I can pour my emotions into it,” Rowena said.  

The correspondence took years and they also talked over the phone for hours. Rowena said she remembered going to the local PLDT office to make the calls. On Sept. 22, 1990 Rowena arrived in California and days later, married Bill.

They celebrated at a McDonald's outlet. Bill is a native of Massachusetts and was  in California, then assigned to Jacksonville, North Carolina for seven years. Rowena said she and Bill went to Japan on a seven-year assignment and then moved to North Carolina. 

She said their marriage is “almost perfect.” “There are always ups and downs,”  Rowena admitted but other than that she said she could not ask for more. 

In those days, love is cultivated through mails and phone calls. Rowena and Bill are proof that distance is no issue when it comes to connecting with each other. 

On that note, I greet everyone a Happy Valentine's Day. (Comments and questions please send to susanap.dennis@yahoo.com)

Fil-Am youth embraces Pinoy mom's influence

By Susan Palmes-Dennis

A Filipino-American youth whose mother came from Cagayan de Oro was invited  to attend a special session by Stanford University's law school this March.  

Kaelan Everhart, who turns 17 years old on February 21 this year is the son of Omaey Los Banos of Macasandig, Cagayan de Oro City who moved to Don Carlos, Bukidnon province years ago. Omaey always considers Cagayan de Oro home.  

The Los Banos family was originally from Samal Island in Davao and relocated to Macasandig, Cagayan de Oro.  

Kaelan was invited by Stanford Law School and Envision to attend the Intensive Law and Trial next month, as shared by the very excited Omaey. 

“Only a few are invited” to attend the short term course that would eventually offer seniors the chance to pursue law in college or related courses. 

In the invitation letter sent to the parents, the school stated that even if the invitee chose not to pursue law at the end of the program, the invitee can still be a life changer in any disciplines in policy, local government and law enforcement. 

By attending the Intensive Law and Trial Kaelan will get the opportunity to study stimulating subject areas while experiencing dormitory living at Stanford University. 

Kaelan is now a senior at Union Grove Christian School at Lexington, North Carolina and is a straight A student with the highest Grade Point Average (GPA), his mom Omaey said. 

He is also a member of the school's Honor Society. During his free time, Kaelan mostly reads all kind of books especially on law and philosophy.

 “It stems from my persistence on law and morality.” 

“I have recently started playing chess, kendama and yo-yo as a creative outlet and to improve dexterity,” Kaelan said. Though he isn't interested in medicine, Kaelan said most of his teachers suggested that he should consider pursuing it.

“I was number 1 in science and biology in tests done by the North Carolina state. I'm interested in technology but the only branch of science I want to pursue  is psychology because I want to know how God allowed the human brain to function after the fall of man,” he said. 

“He is the sweetest and obedient kid that you could ever have. He loves to go church and love the Lord dearly,” Omaey said. 

Omaey is the former president of the Filipino-American Association at Winston-Salem, North Carolina. It was during this time that the God fearing Kaelan had associated with the Fil-American group. 

He said he helped her mom in medical missions in the Philippines during her presidency at the group. “It was a great experience,” Kaelan said.

He said he hopes that the Filipino-American community in the US would be united in engaging and empowering other minority communities in the US. Born of a Filipino mother, Kaelan grew up adopting Philippine culture.

Among those he counts as his influences were Ben Shapiro, whom he credits for stirring his interest in government and two Bible teachers named Beverly and Mr. Gilmore “who taught me so many things to remember.”

“Of course how will I forget my mother who taught me the value of money and how important family is. I cannot, nor can anyone else, see where they will be in 10 years. But I hope to have my law degree and working in my local government and working through state to federal government,” Kaelan said.

Instilling love of country in our children

by Susan Palmes-Dennis

Charlotte, North Carolina--While I listened to the State of the Union address of US President Donald Trump this week, my tired mind and body was glued to the announcement that one of the guests of First Lady Melania Trump was a 12-year-old boy named Preston Smart. 

Clad in coat and tie, the good looking Preston sat beside the 45th First Lady. Preston Sharp is a native of Redding, California. 

After noticing that the grave sites of fallen soldiers didn’t have American flags and or markers, Sharp organized the placement of more than 40,000 American flags and red carnations on these  graves.

It was part of his goal to honor the veterans of all 50 US states and to challenge others to join the Flag and Flower challenge. 

I tell you this because there is a valuable lesson to be learned about developing a strong sense of patriotism and civic duty among our children. I can imagine that maybe Sharp was brought to a cemetery by his parents and relatives.

I think that he saw a strong sense of love of country in them that touched his heart. Sharp may have felt the sense of loneliness felt by the families and relatives of those veterans. 

In his young mind he thought that fallen heroes should be loved and respected. And it is his sense of civic duty that he learned from his home and further cemented in school that he began his Flag and Flower Challenge. 

I honestly believe that love of country really starts at home. 

Parenting is already a huge responsibility yet educating our young in both home and school about this value, to obey laws and to respect elders and pay taxes is crucial to shaping good character.

Don’t get me wrong there are parents and guardians who had been doing this back in my country of birth the Philippines and it isn't as widely reported as it should be. 

Thanks to Rod Stewart's version of the song Blue Moon, my mind wandered back to an interview I did with senatorial candidate Alex Lacson many summers ago. I believed he really deserved a seat in the Senate, perhaps even in Malacañang. 

Lacson, a lawyer from the University of the Philippines who's born and raised in Kabanlakan town, Negros Occidental talked about his little book “12 Thinks Every Filipino Can do to Help Our Country: I am a Filipino.”
To him, the 12 things a Filipino should do are:

1. Follow traffic rules. Follow the law.
2. Whenver you buy or pay for anything, always ask for an official receipt.
3. Don’t buy smuggled goods. Buy local. Buy Filipino
4. When you talk to others,especially foreigners, speak positively about us and our country.
5. Respect your traffic officer, policemen and soldier.
6. Do not litter. Dispose of your garbage properly. Segregate. Recycle. Conserve. 
7. Support your church.
8. During election, do your solemn duty.
9. Pay your employees well
10. Pay your taxes
11. Adopt a scholar or a poor child.
12. Be a good parent. Teach your kids to follow the law and love our country.

I sort of memorized these 12 rules and I was reminded of that interview when I heard the name of Preston Smart on TV days ago.  Love of country, love of our fallen soldiers and heroes. 

A minor throwback; I read the 12 things of Alex Lacson before I met him personally in a national paper back in the day and I sort of started following it by myself. 

And now it touched a nerve again when I learned about Preston Smart and his Flags and Flowers Challenge for fallen veterans. They say that love of country can be felt by old people. 

There is is no denying that I am going there or maybe I get touched when it comes to conversations about love of country.

What I would really hope for is for young Filipinos to start loving their country not only by passing their civics and culture subjects in school but about really living a life that reflects their love of country. 

May we start instilling this love of country with the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts of the Philippines. But I want these two organizations to really work on it and not just take photo ops with the politicians. How about it, Christian Palmes Mejorada?  

(For questions, comments please email to @susanap.dennis@yahoo.com).