PACC reports 2,400% increase in membership after one year

The author with Black Eyed Peas' apl.de.ap at a typhoon Haiyan fundraiser. Photo by Elton Lugay

The author with Black Eyed Peas’ apl.de.ap at a typhoon Haiyan fundraiser. Photo by Elton Lugay


By Mike Nierva
President
Philippine American Chamber of Commerce, Inc.

The summer is winding down. The new Philippine American Chamber of Commerce (PACC) has had quite a busy year and so I thought it might be good to review what the Chamber has done so far and unveil some of our plans for the end of the year.

First, from an organizational perspective, we restructured the PACC into 12 sections or verticals, filled leadership positions in seven of those sections and are still looking to fill key roles in Arts & Entertainment, Entrepreneurship, Healthcare, Manufacturing and Technology. John Howley, the long-time Chairman of the Chamber Board has decided to step down but will remain engaged and be given the title of Chairman Emeritus. Rembert de Villa, a long-time supporter of the PACC will assume the role of Chairman, after an interim period where Rembert and I will co-chair the Board. From a membership perspective, we have seen an increase of more than 2400 percent, including several corporate members and have a strategic plan in place for continued and sustained growth. We redesigned a new logo, which we proudly display on our business cards and on our brand new corporate banner, showcased at all our events.

Speaking of events, we have been quite busy over the past year. We started with an intimate get-together with Wick Veloso, CEO of HSBC Philippines, and then hosted a healthcare conference reception with DTI Undersecretary Ponciano C. Manalo. The Chamber also got involved in several charitable initiatives, following the devastating 7.2 magnitude earthquake in October and super typhoon Haiyan in November. We donated 100 percent of the profits generated at our private event held at the residence of Consul General Mario de Leon Jr. with Miss World, Megan Young and at our annual foodie event, Inuman at Pulutan. Funds were distributed to “Beauty with a Purpose” and Handang Tumulong/the Philippine Disaster Recovery Foundation, respectively. We followed by our partnering with the Nicotra Group for an entertainment gala and dinner at the Staten Island Hilton Garden Inn and were privileged to be involved with the Alvarez Foundation on Pinoy Relief, culminating in a concert at Madison Square Garden.

More recently, the Chamber partnered with PhilDev on “Under the August Moon,” held at the residence of Tony and Gail Alvarez. We plan to continue participating in these types of events, especially when our 501(c)3 sister organization is fully approved and operational.

To close out the year, we plan on co-hosting the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) road show in October and have our annual Inuman at Pulutan event in November. Due to its popularity, we decided to increase the capacity of this year’s Inuman to approximately 500 guests. Stay tuned for dates and venue. Our big event to close out the year is scheduled for October 18-26, which is our 11th Trade Mission to the Philippines. If you are interested in joining the delegation or sponsoring the event, please reach out to us as availability may be limited. We are thrilled to announce that for the first time, the Rockefeller Foundation/Aspen Institute will join us, and we welcome their partnership in this endeavor.

As you can see, we have done a lot in a year and plan to do even more in the future. The Chamber thanks you for your continued support and we look forward to seeing you at our future events.

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