Two Major Global Filipino Organizations Unite
INQUIRER.net
First Posted 12:15:00 06/27/2008
Global Filipino Nation (GFN) and the Filipino United Network (FUN)-USA have formalized an organizational unity that augurs well for the future voice and influence of overseas Filipinos, their families and onshore allies.
GFN convenor Victor S. Barrios and FUN-USA’s Philip S. Chua, MD made this joint announcement following the recent GFN conference in Makati, with the theme of "Building the Global Filipino Nation for Good Governance."
FUN-USA joined GFN as a member organization on its own initiative. Its officers and members have likewise joined as individual members. As a GFN lead organization, FUN-USA will initially focus its efforts in promoting overseas voter registration and dual citizenship.
"There is a striking convergence in the goals of GFN and FUN-USA, focused on furthering good governance in the country," said Barrios. "We salute FUN-USA as an outstanding global Filipino organization whose leaders are imbued with a strong mission of moving the Philippines into the community of progressive nations."
"The directional and activity linkages between the two organizations, especially in the promotion of good governance, bring out the strong element of unity that is emerging within the global Filipino community," Chua added. "We want everyone to rally behind GFN, which I feel would be the great nucleus and leader for this movement."
Organized in September, 2007, FUN-USA is an advocacy group and a humanitarian organization composed of overseas Filipino leaders from socio-civic groups and various professions that include medicine and allied healthcare, law, business, engineering, architecture, and the arts and sciences.
Membership is open to both Filipinos and non-Filipinos “who wish to join our crusade.” The only requirement, says Chua, is “love of country, belief in the principles of justice, honesty and transparency in governance, and commitment to the fight against graft and corruption in government and the liberation of the poorest of the poor, drowning in the gutter of injustice and pervasive poverty.”
FUN-USA’s main goal is “to provide leadership, inspiration, and overseas assistance for the rebuilding and transformation of the Philippines and its people by supporting programs essential and vital in nation building.”
Its ultimate objective is “to make poverty history and restore the pride and dignity of the Philippines and its citizens as a nation and people.” In December, 2007 FUN-USA launched an initiative labeled "A Dollar Moral Crusade against Graft and Corruption," which has captured the imagination of Filipinos around the world. Its website address is FilipinoUNITEDnetwork.com (Please direct all queries to scalpelpen@gmail.com.)
GFN for its part is an association of global Filipinos and their onshore families as well as onshore Filipinos with a global mindset – focused on good governance in the homeland. GFN is anchored in grassroots economic empowerment and resolution of issues relating to migrant workers and their families and the raised consciousness of a nation ready to march as one.
GFN’s omnibus May conference at the University of Makati produced concrete economic, social and political action programs or logical frameworks, logframes for short. These logframes were the result of many months to a few years of stakeholder preparations before the actual conference.
GFN’s ten modules have corresponding logframes focused on specific goals, the quantifiable and time bound measurement of progress, the outcomes expected, the activities needed to bring about the outcomes, and the resources needed to carry out the activities.
GFN convenors belong to all sectors of society – business, academe, media, think tanks, professionals, urban grassroots, farmers, labor, NGOs and others. Excluded are traditional political parties and traditional politicians, military rebels, and the CCP-NPA. GFN encourages and supports marginalized groups to coalesce and thus strengthen their voice in governance, but it is non-partisan, neither supporting nor opposing any official or political party.
Its website address is globalfilipinonation.com
Please direct all queries to victorsbarrios@gmail.com.
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