By
The SUN
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| The happy bunch from UPAA-HK pose for a group photo |
Covid or not, the University of the Philippines Alumni Association of Hong Kong
(UPAA-HK) has continued its tradition of holding its annual Christmas party and
election of officers this year.
The event, held on Saturday, Dec 3, at the Platform in
Sai Ying Pun, was made more fun by a trivia quiz show that has become a staple
of many UPAA-HK gatherings, a raffle draw, as well as a sumptuous dinner all
put together by the outgoing officers led by president JV Villafuerte.
Elected as officers for year 2023 were: Klervin John B.
Collado, president; Rey Oliver P. Favros, vice president; Marie Abigail G.
Perez, secretary; Simon Alec J. Askin, treasurer; Carmela Emilia S.A. Biag,
P.R.O.; and Kalayaan F. Magno, auditor.
They were immediately inducted into office by guest
speaker, Vice Consul Angelo D.G. Manuel, himself an alumnus of UP.
Vice Consul Manuel took the opportunity to invite the newcomers in Hong Kong to register for the next overseas voting for Filipinos which will take place in 2024.
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| The new officers take their oath before Vice Consul Gelo Manuel |
In his report to the membership, Villafuerte recalled
the difficulty of keeping the organization going amid the severe restrictions
imposed by the Hong Kong government as the fifth and deadliest wave of the
pandemic took hold in the first part of the year.
“Despite the daunting task ahead, UPAA-HK was able to
stage various activities that developed camaraderie among its members while
contributing to society by conducting an online talk for OFWs and participating
in the conduct of the overseas voting for the 2022 Philippine elections,” he
said.
Apart from these community projects, and amid the
strict social gathering rules, members found a way to hold fellowship nights,
including eTambayan in March when members were asked to gather via zoom to eat
and drink together, and play games.
In October, they had a successful face-to-face trivia
night and fundraising event dubbed “Patalinuhan 2022”at David Bistro Café in
Sheung Wan.
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| Villafuerte (seated, leftmost) with past officers and Collado with the current ones |
Asked what advice he would give to the next batch of
officers, Villafuerte said they should “continue to foster goodwill within the
UPAA-HK community, to serve fellow Filipinos in HK whenever possible, and to
remember to enjoy the journey.”
He added, “At the end of the day, it is all worth it.”
Apart from Villafuerte, who graduated from UP with a
degree in business economics (1997); the other outgoing officers are: Charo Logarta
Lagamon, vice president; Joane Rabang Mata, secretary; Chad de Guzman,
treasurer; Tess Turingan, PRO; and Lucky Bunao, auditor.
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