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Jul. 8th, 2006 03:32 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
elyoucMy papa was voted one of the top 20 outstanding Filipino-Americans in the United States and Canada. :) I'm now going to edit his profile for the filamimage.com website.
Bio of Romeo K. Dela Paz
Romeo “Romie” K. Dela Paz was born in Dulag “Liberation Town”, Leyte , Philippines, the youngest of
seven siblings. A few months after his 35th birthday, in January 1986, this Virgoan arrived Florida for a
visit , and on assignment from the Junior Chamber Philippines (JCP) to the Junior Chamber International
(JCI) World Headquarters at Coral Gables (near Miami), a youth leadership training organization started in the United States extending to more than 100 countries and territories including the Philippines. Dela Paz was on leave of absence from the Ministry of Local Government and Community Development where he started in 1982 as Supervising
Community Development Officer, National Barangay Operations Office (NBOO), and subsequently designated as Administrative Officer III, next in command to the Chief, Administrative Division. His
office is tasked with the development and supervision of the basic unit of government in the Philippines,
the barangay (barrio) council, 42,000 all over the country. At the same time ,NBOO served as the secretariat to the Pambansang Katipunan ng mga Barangay (PKB) headed by its elected National President
who was the appointed NBOO Director, too.
Due to the People’s Power I that toppled President Marcos’ regime---Dela Paz was a junior officer of
the Marcos bureaucracy yet became a “poster boy” of the Aquino government when its government
TV station used Dela Paz’ pro the late Benigno Aquino rally face in solo -full screen- shot of an evening news intro video shown every night in Metro Manila and at ABC’s Nightline Kopells’ interview of Pres. Cory on her report on the first 100 days of her governance---the Florida visit became an “asylum” and
later, a U.S. permanent residency application. In his first month in the U.S.A., he went to the JCI HQ in Miami while making time to attend his very first time general membership meeting to a FilAm organizat-ion, the Filipino-American Association of Brevard County (Space Coast), Florida Inc.(FAABCO), and
the rest is history. Dela Paz is one of the 2006 Twenty Outstanding Filipino Americans (TOFA) in the
Unites States and Canada!
A mainstream organization, Palm Bay Area Jaycees (PBAJ) of Palm Bay, Florida elected Dela Paz its
1989-1990 Chapter President-the first ever non Caucasian head since 1964 founding - , less than a year after signing up for membership in July 1988(his original chapter is the Dulag”Duminagat” Jaycees, Leyte). As
a Jaycee President , he has been written about/profiled by a publication of Florida Today (sister newspaper
of USA Today) as well as by the Philippine News San Francisco and Chicago editions. To quote
Florida Today’s Rod Coffee,”If a man’s stature is measured by his good deeds, 5-foot Romeo Dela Paz is a giant among men.” “Don’t let Romeo Dela Paz’ stature fool you; when it comes to leadership, he is head
and shoulders above many men.”, wrote Pollyyana Dy-Liacco, PhilNews staff writer. Currently, he is
the elected National Federation of Filipino American Associations (NaFFAA) Florida State Chair 2006-
2007.
During the 1993 United States Junior Chamber of Commerce (USJCC) or Jaycees National Convention
held at Greensboro, North Carolina, Dela Paz proudly stood and led the cheering when his recruit and 1992-1993 PBAJ Chapter President Jim Roberts walked across the stage -a historic first for PBAJ-
receiving award as USJCC Over-all Best Chapter for Community Development! The chapter got runner-up
awards for membership, management, individual development including a first runner-up
finish to Brownsfield, Texas Jaycees on the International Involvement category project, Palm Bay’s
hosting of JCI Senator Linda Deleste and family, of twin (sister) chapter in the Philippines, the Bai Lawanen Jaycees of Cagayan de Oro City- all in the year that Dela Paz is recognized with the chapter’s
Key Person Award for the most influence for the accomplishments of the year. Jaycees, individually or
as a chapter, and the society in general were touched by the services of this Filipino transplant , Dela Paz
is bestowed with JCI’s highest honor, the JCI Senatorship, a Life Member for an under 40-year old
young members leadership and entrepreneurship development world-wide organization. The Senatorship
was to cap his services and Jaycee career that included Florida Jaycees State Chairmanship for the Search
for the Outstanding Senior Citizens (1989), and International Involvement (1992) when the Florida Jaycees / Florida JCI Senate hosted for the first time a JCI World Congress (Miami ‘92) of 6,000
participants including almost a hundred from the Philippines and in spite of Hurricane Andrew a few months before the November gathering. At the state-wide year end Convention in Orlando where the
surprise Senatorship was presented, he was presented, too, the Robert Kennedy School of Government Award for outstanding participation/ contribution to the 1993 Government Affairs Leadership Seminar, that included a “mock” legislature using the exclusive floor and facilities of the Florida State Legislature in
Tallahassee. The following year 1994 Florida Jaycees was the Number One Jaycee State in America:
Dela Paz, the dimunitive Jaycee from the Philippines was given the rare privilege of center-stage holding the award’s banner on one end during the presentation. In 1995, at the Government Affairs Legislative
Seminar (GALS) in Washington, D.C., Dela Paz was able to speak in behalf of immigrants rights to the
assembly that included the USJCC National President Kelly and his National Executive Board ,
50 State Presidents , and JCI dignitaries , having the speaker from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce ( The
CHAMBER) as his ally. After the session’s break-time, he found placed in his seat, anti immigrant
brochures that he kept with fond memory. In that D.C. trip, he attended the Ten Outstanding Young
Americans (TOYA) Awards Ceremony, meeting ,among others, awardees Scott O’ Grady, 29, (pilot/survivor in Bosnia), Theodore Waitt, 33, (computer marketing wiz), U.S. Rep. Julius Caesar
Watts, Jr.,38, and astronaut Susan Leigh Still, 33. As a JCI Senator based in Florida, Dela Paz is a
Florida JCI Senate Inc. Life Member, and a Florida JCI Senate Foundation, Inc. member supporting their Scholarship Awards to high school graduates and “Return the Favor” programs for USJCC, to mention a few.
When FAABCO was incorporated in 1986, it filed its 1975 Constitution in toto. With changing condition
and needs of the community and organization including a dream of a Filam community center of which funds were slowly being raised, Dela Paz ,having worked for his Jaycee chapter’s federal income tax
exemption and its charitable sister corporation, used this experience to chair the FAABCO’s charter
review and, subsequent amendments, among which is a provision to be a 501(c)(3) organization. This,
further, led to his leadership in the Exploratory Committee and founding of the Florida’s Space Coast
Filipino American Charitable and Educational Foundation, Inc. (Florida’s SFACEF), a 501(c)(3),
public foundation , serving as one of the three Initial Trustees and later, Executive Director for the last
five years completing Florida’s SFACEF probationary period. Now, under the chairmanship of Manuel
Verceles, together with the rest of the Board of Trustees , and the continued support of FAABCO, among
others, the community center is closer to its realization. Dela Paz would serve as FAABCO President
2004-2006 that led to his election as NaFFAA Florida State Chair 2006-2007, too. With a state-wide
platform, he has represented NaFFAA in the Florida Minority Community Reinvestment Coalition
(FMCRC) at this think tank and action/advocacy group ‘s 3rd Economic Summit 2006 where he
assured the mostly Hispanic and African American conferees that Florida has a significant Asian
Pacific constituency including Filipinos. Later, he would represent the Asian and Pacific Floridians
through the FMCRC delegation to the 13th Economic Summit hosted by the Greenlining Institute held
in Los Angeles, California last April. Again, representing NaFFAA Florida , he was a marcher , together
with leaders of the Florida Farmworkers Association, ACORN and Florida Farm Ministry and others,
arms linked as vanguard of the 30,000 people/2.5 mile march in Downtown Orlando passing by the offices
of U.S. Senators Bill Nelson and Mel Martinez. At this May 1st Immigrants Rally, the biggest political action Central Florida has ever seen, he was one of the speakers of this multimedia covered event, shouting
Filipinas with the crowd repeating/cheering. Dela Paz was quoted by Orlando Sentinel, both on its print
and online , as speaker in behalf of the one million undocumented Filipinos , and delivering the stand of a
national organization. Florida based Basta Pinoy News featured the May 1st Rally and Dela Paz in both
Florida and Metro ( D.C.) print editions as well as its online edition. Also, in May , Dela Paz was able
to facilitate Department of Homeland Security ‘s Immigration and Citizenship Ombudsman Prakash
Khatri’s visit to the Space Coast speaking at Brevard Community College’s Moore Multi Cultural Center’s
Asian Pacific American Heritage Month celebration, having earlier, conducted a dialogue on immigration
issues with Brevard County officials and community leaders, media representatives composing the
Brevard Immigration Task Force as hosted by the Brevard Hispanic Human Services and Advocacy Group.
In June, with the Council of Filipino American Organizations (CFAO) hosting, NaFFAA Florida and
Florida Coalition of Leaders and Advocates as co-sponsors of the Florida Political Action Conference,
resulted in the formation of a first ever Florida wide FilAm political action committee (PAC) named
Filipino American Political Alliance (FAPA) of Florida intending to flex its political muscle starting
2006 primaries and general elections at all levels! Dela Paz values work in an organized setting like coordinating the Manila Children’s Choir ,and the Leyte Dance Theater Florida Tours ;assisting the Himig Singers, Silliman University’s Ating Pamana , and U.S.T. Choir , he has been serving the FilAms on one on one basis especially distressed kababayans on a variety of issues and concerns, at one occasion
has to be provided with police and court protection after receiving death threats for helping victims of
domestic violence. “ Leader for most of his life” is sub-heading of the profile by Philnews staff writer
Dy-Liacco, and “Desire to help inspire local man” was banner headline, front page story of a publication of Florida Today re: Romeo K. Dela Paz.
Today, I get to meet Michael's mother. Oi.
Bio of Romeo K. Dela Paz
Romeo “Romie” K. Dela Paz was born in Dulag “Liberation Town”, Leyte , Philippines, the youngest of
seven siblings. A few months after his 35th birthday, in January 1986, this Virgoan arrived Florida for a
visit , and on assignment from the Junior Chamber Philippines (JCP) to the Junior Chamber International
(JCI) World Headquarters at Coral Gables (near Miami), a youth leadership training organization started in the United States extending to more than 100 countries and territories including the Philippines. Dela Paz was on leave of absence from the Ministry of Local Government and Community Development where he started in 1982 as Supervising
Community Development Officer, National Barangay Operations Office (NBOO), and subsequently designated as Administrative Officer III, next in command to the Chief, Administrative Division. His
office is tasked with the development and supervision of the basic unit of government in the Philippines,
the barangay (barrio) council, 42,000 all over the country. At the same time ,NBOO served as the secretariat to the Pambansang Katipunan ng mga Barangay (PKB) headed by its elected National President
who was the appointed NBOO Director, too.
Due to the People’s Power I that toppled President Marcos’ regime---Dela Paz was a junior officer of
the Marcos bureaucracy yet became a “poster boy” of the Aquino government when its government
TV station used Dela Paz’ pro the late Benigno Aquino rally face in solo -full screen- shot of an evening news intro video shown every night in Metro Manila and at ABC’s Nightline Kopells’ interview of Pres. Cory on her report on the first 100 days of her governance---the Florida visit became an “asylum” and
later, a U.S. permanent residency application. In his first month in the U.S.A., he went to the JCI HQ in Miami while making time to attend his very first time general membership meeting to a FilAm organizat-ion, the Filipino-American Association of Brevard County (Space Coast), Florida Inc.(FAABCO), and
the rest is history. Dela Paz is one of the 2006 Twenty Outstanding Filipino Americans (TOFA) in the
Unites States and Canada!
A mainstream organization, Palm Bay Area Jaycees (PBAJ) of Palm Bay, Florida elected Dela Paz its
1989-1990 Chapter President-the first ever non Caucasian head since 1964 founding - , less than a year after signing up for membership in July 1988(his original chapter is the Dulag”Duminagat” Jaycees, Leyte). As
a Jaycee President , he has been written about/profiled by a publication of Florida Today (sister newspaper
of USA Today) as well as by the Philippine News San Francisco and Chicago editions. To quote
Florida Today’s Rod Coffee,”If a man’s stature is measured by his good deeds, 5-foot Romeo Dela Paz is a giant among men.” “Don’t let Romeo Dela Paz’ stature fool you; when it comes to leadership, he is head
and shoulders above many men.”, wrote Pollyyana Dy-Liacco, PhilNews staff writer. Currently, he is
the elected National Federation of Filipino American Associations (NaFFAA) Florida State Chair 2006-
2007.
During the 1993 United States Junior Chamber of Commerce (USJCC) or Jaycees National Convention
held at Greensboro, North Carolina, Dela Paz proudly stood and led the cheering when his recruit and 1992-1993 PBAJ Chapter President Jim Roberts walked across the stage -a historic first for PBAJ-
receiving award as USJCC Over-all Best Chapter for Community Development! The chapter got runner-up
awards for membership, management, individual development including a first runner-up
finish to Brownsfield, Texas Jaycees on the International Involvement category project, Palm Bay’s
hosting of JCI Senator Linda Deleste and family, of twin (sister) chapter in the Philippines, the Bai Lawanen Jaycees of Cagayan de Oro City- all in the year that Dela Paz is recognized with the chapter’s
Key Person Award for the most influence for the accomplishments of the year. Jaycees, individually or
as a chapter, and the society in general were touched by the services of this Filipino transplant , Dela Paz
is bestowed with JCI’s highest honor, the JCI Senatorship, a Life Member for an under 40-year old
young members leadership and entrepreneurship development world-wide organization. The Senatorship
was to cap his services and Jaycee career that included Florida Jaycees State Chairmanship for the Search
for the Outstanding Senior Citizens (1989), and International Involvement (1992) when the Florida Jaycees / Florida JCI Senate hosted for the first time a JCI World Congress (Miami ‘92) of 6,000
participants including almost a hundred from the Philippines and in spite of Hurricane Andrew a few months before the November gathering. At the state-wide year end Convention in Orlando where the
surprise Senatorship was presented, he was presented, too, the Robert Kennedy School of Government Award for outstanding participation/ contribution to the 1993 Government Affairs Leadership Seminar, that included a “mock” legislature using the exclusive floor and facilities of the Florida State Legislature in
Tallahassee. The following year 1994 Florida Jaycees was the Number One Jaycee State in America:
Dela Paz, the dimunitive Jaycee from the Philippines was given the rare privilege of center-stage holding the award’s banner on one end during the presentation. In 1995, at the Government Affairs Legislative
Seminar (GALS) in Washington, D.C., Dela Paz was able to speak in behalf of immigrants rights to the
assembly that included the USJCC National President Kelly and his National Executive Board ,
50 State Presidents , and JCI dignitaries , having the speaker from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce ( The
CHAMBER) as his ally. After the session’s break-time, he found placed in his seat, anti immigrant
brochures that he kept with fond memory. In that D.C. trip, he attended the Ten Outstanding Young
Americans (TOYA) Awards Ceremony, meeting ,among others, awardees Scott O’ Grady, 29, (pilot/survivor in Bosnia), Theodore Waitt, 33, (computer marketing wiz), U.S. Rep. Julius Caesar
Watts, Jr.,38, and astronaut Susan Leigh Still, 33. As a JCI Senator based in Florida, Dela Paz is a
Florida JCI Senate Inc. Life Member, and a Florida JCI Senate Foundation, Inc. member supporting their Scholarship Awards to high school graduates and “Return the Favor” programs for USJCC, to mention a few.
When FAABCO was incorporated in 1986, it filed its 1975 Constitution in toto. With changing condition
and needs of the community and organization including a dream of a Filam community center of which funds were slowly being raised, Dela Paz ,having worked for his Jaycee chapter’s federal income tax
exemption and its charitable sister corporation, used this experience to chair the FAABCO’s charter
review and, subsequent amendments, among which is a provision to be a 501(c)(3) organization. This,
further, led to his leadership in the Exploratory Committee and founding of the Florida’s Space Coast
Filipino American Charitable and Educational Foundation, Inc. (Florida’s SFACEF), a 501(c)(3),
public foundation , serving as one of the three Initial Trustees and later, Executive Director for the last
five years completing Florida’s SFACEF probationary period. Now, under the chairmanship of Manuel
Verceles, together with the rest of the Board of Trustees , and the continued support of FAABCO, among
others, the community center is closer to its realization. Dela Paz would serve as FAABCO President
2004-2006 that led to his election as NaFFAA Florida State Chair 2006-2007, too. With a state-wide
platform, he has represented NaFFAA in the Florida Minority Community Reinvestment Coalition
(FMCRC) at this think tank and action/advocacy group ‘s 3rd Economic Summit 2006 where he
assured the mostly Hispanic and African American conferees that Florida has a significant Asian
Pacific constituency including Filipinos. Later, he would represent the Asian and Pacific Floridians
through the FMCRC delegation to the 13th Economic Summit hosted by the Greenlining Institute held
in Los Angeles, California last April. Again, representing NaFFAA Florida , he was a marcher , together
with leaders of the Florida Farmworkers Association, ACORN and Florida Farm Ministry and others,
arms linked as vanguard of the 30,000 people/2.5 mile march in Downtown Orlando passing by the offices
of U.S. Senators Bill Nelson and Mel Martinez. At this May 1st Immigrants Rally, the biggest political action Central Florida has ever seen, he was one of the speakers of this multimedia covered event, shouting
Filipinas with the crowd repeating/cheering. Dela Paz was quoted by Orlando Sentinel, both on its print
and online , as speaker in behalf of the one million undocumented Filipinos , and delivering the stand of a
national organization. Florida based Basta Pinoy News featured the May 1st Rally and Dela Paz in both
Florida and Metro ( D.C.) print editions as well as its online edition. Also, in May , Dela Paz was able
to facilitate Department of Homeland Security ‘s Immigration and Citizenship Ombudsman Prakash
Khatri’s visit to the Space Coast speaking at Brevard Community College’s Moore Multi Cultural Center’s
Asian Pacific American Heritage Month celebration, having earlier, conducted a dialogue on immigration
issues with Brevard County officials and community leaders, media representatives composing the
Brevard Immigration Task Force as hosted by the Brevard Hispanic Human Services and Advocacy Group.
In June, with the Council of Filipino American Organizations (CFAO) hosting, NaFFAA Florida and
Florida Coalition of Leaders and Advocates as co-sponsors of the Florida Political Action Conference,
resulted in the formation of a first ever Florida wide FilAm political action committee (PAC) named
Filipino American Political Alliance (FAPA) of Florida intending to flex its political muscle starting
2006 primaries and general elections at all levels! Dela Paz values work in an organized setting like coordinating the Manila Children’s Choir ,and the Leyte Dance Theater Florida Tours ;assisting the Himig Singers, Silliman University’s Ating Pamana , and U.S.T. Choir , he has been serving the FilAms on one on one basis especially distressed kababayans on a variety of issues and concerns, at one occasion
has to be provided with police and court protection after receiving death threats for helping victims of
domestic violence. “ Leader for most of his life” is sub-heading of the profile by Philnews staff writer
Dy-Liacco, and “Desire to help inspire local man” was banner headline, front page story of a publication of Florida Today re: Romeo K. Dela Paz.
Today, I get to meet Michael's mother. Oi.
