Philippine Independence Day, or June 12, is now preceded by another historic

Philippine Independence Day, or June 12, is now preceded by another historic day for Filipinos, at least those in northeastern New Jersey.

On June 11, they made political history by electing one of their own, Rolando Lavarro, Jr., to the City Council of Jersey City, the second largest city in the state. In a metropolis of 250,000 people, 15,000 to 20,000 residents are Filipinos, according to an editorial by Manuel L. Caballero in The Filipino Reporter lauding the election results as a “smart decision by Pinoys.”

Lavarro, the son of Philippine immigrants, became the first Filipino American in Jersey City elected to a full four-year term. He already claimed another first when he won a special election in November 2011 to fill a vacant council seat. Serving as councilman-at-large, he became the first Filipino American to hold an elected position in the city.

Caballero points out that, as with any community, is appreciated to have one of their own in government.

Pinoys know it is for the best interests of Filipino-Americans to have a voice in city government, who will look after their “demands” (meaning, needs or requests).

It is a fact of democratic life in a free community that, occasionally, certain groups present demands to their policy makers or legislators.

Caballero presents a list of “not really big demands” particular to “we, in the Filipino-American community.”

We need proclamations for yearly occasions, like Philippine Independence Day or the birthday of Dr. Jose Rizal.

We need a piece of city land to put up a monument of a Filipino hero.

We want the mayor or a city official to attend our social functions.

We need a place for an important community meeting.

We want an outstanding achiever in the community recognized by the City Council.

Caballero emphasized that “it is important that we have someone in City Hall whom we could approach.” Lavarro’s win comes after two votes: the May 14 runoff in which he came in second, with the top three all garnering a vote tally of within 1 percent of each other, and June 11, where unofficial results show him coming in at a close third to capture the council-at-large seat.

Lavarro praised the Filipino community, telling The Filipino Channel, a California-based TV network that targets the Filipino diaspora:

“The Filipino community in Jersey City was a huge part of the voters turnout and I’m looking to it being a great resource for the community going forward.”

http://filipinoreporter.us/editorials/on-my-watch/2494-smart-decision-by-pinoys-in-jersey-city.html