Press Contact:

Lorna L. Dietz
Executive Coordinator, 6th Global Filipino Networking Convention
Lorna@6thGlobalCebu.com
(415) 235-9884 cell
(415) 508-5326 skype
Skype: lornadietz

August 31, 2009, San Francisco, CA - Previously set to convene on October 9 – 11, 2009 at the Waterfront Cebu City Hotel and Casino, organizers announced this week that the 6th Global Filipino Networking Convention has been reset to January 21 to 23, 2010 – a few days after Cebu City’s celebration of Sinulog.
A couple of highlights are the business and networking opportunities among the participants of the global convention as well as the “Global Kapihan with the Presidentiables” which is planned as a town hall-style setting at the convention venue on January 23, 2010. The Kapihan will provide a forum for the global Filipino community to hear from and quiz the announced Philippine presidential candidates, including their plans for “shaping the future.”
“The various political parties will not select their presidential standard bearers until December of 2009 so we had to move the convention date to enable the global Filipino community to meet and hear from the official presidential candidates,” explained Rodel Rodis, the chair of the 6th Global Filipino Networking Convention’s organizing committee.
The new dates of the convention, with the theme “Surviving the Present, Shaping the Future,” was based on the recommendation of the Philippine-based organizers in Cebu and prospective sponsors who wanted to ensure a larger attendance and a more festive convention as it would be timed in between the Sinulog and Ati-Atihan festivals in the Visayas and would coincide with the annual medical missions from the United States.
The 6th Global Filipino Networking Convention is a joint project of the National Federation of Filipino American Associations (NaFFAA) and the National Association of Independent Travel Agencies (NAITAS), with Jenny Franco, the NAITAS Cebu chapter president who is the 6th Global’s Secretary General. NaFFAA Region 8 (Northern CA) and NAITAS-Cebu Chapter are the co-convenors of this event.
The First Global, held in San Francisco in 2002 at the Moscone Center, with Rodel Rodis and Marivic Bamba as co-chairs, drew 4,000 participants and delegates from throughout the world. The Second Global was held in Manila in 2003, the 3rd Global in Cebu in 2005, the 4th Global in Honolulu, Hawaii in 2006, the 5th Global in Sydney, Australia and the 6th Global which is now set for January 21-23, 2010 at the Waterfront Cebu City Hotel and Casino.
Billed as a “convention of opportunity”, the 6th Global aims “to build ties within our Global Filipino community, identify our common interests, and address our common concerns.”
The convention also aims to harness Pinoy Power worldwide. “We are among the 11 million Filipinos dispersed across the globe in the Filipino Diaspora,” said Greg Macabenta, NaFFAA National Chair. “If we stand together, strive together and pursue common goals together, we can harness Pinoy Power and be better able to help our Motherland.”
Lorna Dietz, the 6th Global’s Executive Coordinator, also said that the 6th Global’s organizers are encouraging overseas delegates and their guests to make pre- and post-convention trips to the Philippines’ many islands for their personal or business adventures.
The invitation is open to overseas Filipino organizations and individuals as well as Filipinos based in the Philippines who believe in the 6th Global’s goals and intentions of seeking common ground, Dietz added. “The convention is all-inclusive, welcoming citizens of other countries as guests who advocate for the Filipino people’s best interests.”
Aside from the “Global Kapihan with the Presidentiables”, the convention will feature “The Gallery of Heroes,” a multi-media hall of fame gallery of overseas Filipinos. Other topics include: Advancement of Popular Art & Culture; Global Filipino Media; GREEN: Technology, Alternative Energy, and Environment, Business Empowerment; Health Care; Tourism, Women Empowerment; Education; Dual Citizenship and the Overseas Filipino Absentee Voter.
MangoTours.com will provide US delegates with special airfare rates for the convention by booking directly at their website, http://MangoTours.com or calling 1-866¬-2-MANILA or 866-262-6452, promotion code: 6th Global Cebu. Hotel accommodations, airport transfers, and tours will be handled by the 6th Global’s Cebu Organizing Committee.
For more information about participating in the 6th Global, contact Lorna Lardizabal Dietz at (415) 508-5326 or Lorna@6thGlobalCebu.com if you are based in the USA and contact Jenny Franco at (63-32) 234-1282 or (63-32) 234 1613 office, (63-32) 234-1463 fax or Jenny@6thGlobalCebu.com if you reside in the Philippines and other countries. Delegates can now register online at http://6thGlobalCebu.com.