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| Delivered by Mina Guinto-Tahayeri, president of the Aguman (2008-2010), in the Filipino-American Historical Society's (FANHS) symposium of 2008: First, let me thank the Filipino-American Historical Society for inviting me to be one of its speakers in this symposium. I am Mina Guinto-Tahayeri, the president of the Aguman Capampangan Northwest U.S.A. Since we are supposed to pass on to others our experiences as Filipino-Americans, I'll have to rewind the tape of my life-story. I distinctly remember that It was in March 1980 when I came to the U.S., with my younger brother, Nick. My parents, who had immigrated to the U.S. in 1972 and living in San Francisco along with my six other siblings, were the ones that filed petition for us. We could have come earlier but they wanted us to finish our studies first, it being way cheaper to get college education there than here in the U.S. I took up Banking and Finance with a major in management at FEU and graduated in 1979. During my senior year, I worked as a commercial model for BF Homes for a year, and my pictures graced advertisement pages in daily newspapers, and at one time, even an issue of Readers Digest. In as much as I had to wait for my brother to finish college which was the following year, I decided to get a full time job as a marketing and sales representative for Pillar Development Corporation in Makati, selling units of their high rise buildings and condominiums. But let me take you further down memory lane, on a journey further back into the past to give you more of an idea of who Mina was. I first saw the light of day on November 24, 1957 in the town of Masantol, Pampanga. My parents, Dioscoro Guinto and Felisa Bernarte, were merchants dealing in prime commodities. As a child, I was never satisfied with just being in the honor roll, and so I always strived to be at the head of my classes. My propensity for excellence paid off when I graduated valedictorian in the elementary and then in high school too. And as if this was not yet enough to boost my whole being, I was enthroned as a beauty queen in school quite a few times, both in high school and in college, as well as in our town's fiestas and SantaCruzans. Now, fast forward! Like I said before, it was in 1980, after my kid brother's graduation from college, when we finally were able to leave for the U.S. At that time, the Philippines had just shifted to something akin to a parliamentary system. Ferdinand Marcos was still at the helm as president. The prime minister was Cesar Virata; the defense minister was Juan Ponce Enrile; the solicitor general and justice minister was Estelito Mendoza; the information minister was Francisco Tatad. Gen. Ver was the AFP chief of staff, and Fidel Ramos, who would later become president, was his vice chief. Ninoy Aquino had been detained at Fort Bonifacio since the outset of martial law in 1972 and was, in about two months time, going to be allowed to go to the U.S. for a heart by-pass operation. In our own province, former governor Jose B. Lingad who was contesting his loss in the gubernatorial election, was not yet assassinated as he later would be in that same year. Commander Dante of the NPA was captured just three years ago then and was serving time in prison. Archbishop Jaime Sin had been riding the crest of popularity as a cardinal for four years then, although not yet involved in politics. The country's population was just 45 million - just half of what it is today. The exchange rate then was P____ to the dollar. That was how it was in the Philippines when we left bringing with us that dream for greener pasture. I have thought of putting this in writing in the hope that it would contribute a little to the history of Filipino-Americans which is currently in the making. Now let us go to Part II. My family had already moved from California to Oregon when my brother and I arrived in that first week of spring in 1980. It was quite an experience being aboard an airplane for the first time in life! And I was so eager and excited to see the U.S. that I left all my cares behind. I was looking forward to seeing not just the country itself but also my family whom I had not seen for __ years! The first thing I noticed when I first set foot on U.S. soil was the temperature, especially having arrived at night. Oh my gosh, I thought I couldn't endure the cold! While back in the Philippines, the heat was sweltering because that's how it had always been during Lent, here in Portland, it was so cold that my father had to lend me his woolen coat! I found out later, however, that over time, we could easily adjust to the weather. For now, whenever I go home, even if it is the Christmas season, I still need the air conditioner just to feel comfortable. But let me first give you some data regarding that year we came to America. It was President Jimmy Carter's last year in office. The vice president then was Walter Mondale. The chief justice of the Supreme Court was Warren E. Burger. (I just could not forget his name, because I got to love cheeseburgers, you see :) The governor of Oregon was Vic Atiyeh. The state's U.S. senators were Mark Hatfield and Bob Packwood. And the mayor of Portland was Neil Goldschmidt. And for those of you that are movie fans, the Oscar-winner for best picture then was "Kramer vs. Kramer". Dustin Hoffman was the academy award winner for best actor, and Sally Field was best actress. And now for more of my personal life. I met my husband, Akbar Tahayeri, in one of the parties our family friends and town mates, the Bonifacios, had been hosting from time to time. It was, oh, a love at first sight! For he was, to me, a wonderful man! He was the best thing that ever happened to me! But his being an Iranian posed a big problem to my family at first, especially my father. For one thing, no one among us was familiar with Iranian culture, and so my parents and siblings were apprehensive as well as protective. My folks were also worried in that if I were to marry him, he would take me to his country and they would not see me anymore! But soon enough, they all got to know him better - his kindness of heart, his generosity and all that, so much so that in the end they were even the ones prodding me to go ahead and marry him. And so, it came to pass that in 1982 Akbar and Mina had a wedding which was cherished by both their families and their friends. And just like in storybooks, they lived happily everafter, and were blessed with two sons, Allan, now a college graduate, and Anthony, a senior in high school. Now as regards my work experience in my new country.... Well, just a couple of weeks after our arrival here, I tried my luck in some large corporations and fortunately got hired by the U.S. Bank as a new accounts representative. Unlike Filipinos that came earlier, I was lucky in that I did not experience any discrimination. For after just a year or so, I was promoted to the position of loan officer, and then much later, to a senior accountant. In 2002, however, I decided to stay at home and assist in the family business my husband and I established shortly after our wedding, as well as to enable myself to take care of my mother who is now 90 years old. You see, Akbar is an electrical engineer and also holds an M.S. in computer science. Since 1985, he has owned and managed A&M engineering. After building our custom home in 2006, our business expanded to now include commercial and home building. At present we have several ongoing projects related to home-building and I have wound up as a contractor. Despite my engagement in business (our business that is), I still find time in socializing with the Fil-Am Community. I am proud to say that I have been a member of PACCO since its establishment in 1997. In fact, I was a part of its delegation that went to Malacanang and saw President Ramos regarding our survey in connection with our business ventures. I was also one of those that helped support the formation of the CFAA. I am also an active member of the Filipino Community Choir here in metro-Portland, the Filipino-American National Historical Society, and the Academia Ning Amanung Sisuan International - a world-wide organization working for the propagation of our own culture and language, Kapampangan. Since 1996, I have been an active member of the Aguman Capampangan which I initially served as its business manager, and then as an adviser from 1997 to 2008. Last May, I was elected president, and as early as the following month I launched a fund-raising event at Fowler Middle School which was quite a success, considering that we just had one a couple of months before that. More than half of the money we were able to raise went towards the Filipino's Dambana project. Out of the money we raise through Christmas caroling, Santa Cruzans and dinner-dances, we are able to hold picnics at Cascade Locks every year, but most of all, we are able to launch medical missions to the Philippines every two years, and in fact, we have already scheduled another one for this coming January. I now cap my speech with the conclusion that I am really enjoying life here in the U.S. because of all these activities on hand. This country of which Akbar and I are now citizens has given us and our extended families the opportunity to have a better life. Living here is really a blessing, although I must say that we should never forget to help the country of our birth. If I had it to do over again, I would! I thank you. |
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