The Blacktown Street Parade at the end of May kicked off a busy period for the community.At the festival, I followed a group of men in suits and found myself sitting up on stage watching the parade go by.

But I made a few friends along the way and even got invited to lunch. Little did I know, that somebody else had the same idea and gate-crashed the VIP stage, waving a flag.As the Filipino contingent went past, one councilor said: “That’s a big contingent of Filipinos in Blacktown, but by the looks of it, they’re all divided.”I should have given him a prize for saying that!(Photo of my new-found friends.)

Next up, was the PCC Independence Day Ball which was met by a disappointed audience when the promised Vilma Santos did not turn up.They should have asked the Vilma Santos of Blacktown to step into the Governor’s shoes.The excuse for the cancellation was Ms. Santos had to enroll her children.In her position, does one really believe that Ms. Santos would queue up at the school registrar?Can you imagine the commotion every school year opening?

FILCCA president, Malyn Chun was forgotten in the seating arrangement.In all the formalities of the occasion, the late Neil Galang grabbed the opportunity to indecorously announce that he was running under the labor ticket for Councillor of Blacktown.(Hasn’t he been doing that for years?) That of course remains to be seen as pre-selection is on 5 July.

Raul Sunico’s concert at the Conservatory of Music was a delight but perhaps a littlehighbrow for some who stole a few winks between the rubatos of Chopin and Lizst.It was most amusing to watch one flap their hands in the air as if to show that the higher it got the more culture would be revealed.Quite the reverse, my dear!!

Then the FAME group was launched.A special segment highlighted the Filipino-Australian achievers which tickled the audience’s sense of pride.It was refreshing to see the silent achievers who have made it in the Australian scene be acknowledged and recognized.

But here are a few observations I made.Aside from their personal group of Filipino friends, these silent achievers had nothing to do with the community nor did they at any point in time ask for the community’s help.They had a dream and they pursued it relentlessly.They were consumed by a burning passion as they met every challenge that came their way.The achievement was not the goal – doing their best was.And between the dream and getting there was the unfaltering focus and perspiration that got them there.

Also evident was these silent achievers went for it without branding. They could also communicate well.Most refreshing was the humility they displayed.As they were not aware of what was happening when they were invited, the recognition was totally unexpected.They were thrilled and all remained level-headed. There were no prima donnas requests! As one mother exclaimed “Okay, enough of the five minutes of fame, let’s get him back to reality.”As Cr. Irene Broad put it, “I think you build me up too much.I hope I am worth it.” (Please note that Cr. Broad won the council seat of Temora Shire as an independent in a place where you can count the Filipinos with one hand.)

And yes, only the silent achievers made the cut – the noisy ones were left on the cutting room floor!

And now it seems that everybody wants to run for politics.Of course, Galang has been playing pretend councilor for a while, and even Ms. Dorothy del Villar has announced that she too will go down the yellow brick road.She can’t be serious!!What will Dorothy do once she’s in?Look for the Wizard of Oz?And whoever placed her up to this has absolutely no idea or is simply playing the numbers game at the expense of Filipinos.

I’m a great believer that everybody has the right to have a dream.The problem is how they handle the dream and how they get there. And please do not do it at our expense.

Jules Sanchez placed it quite succinctly.Those who have aspirations to be in office should pass the “3 I’s” – intelligence, industry and integrity. Intelligence means you have to have the grey matter between the ears and can speak; industry means you are willing to roll up your sleeves to do the nine yards; and integrity means you have an impeccable reputation. Visibility does not equate to quality.Some have neither the qualifications nor are they willing to walk the talk to get there. Just a lot of hot air! Mr. Charm boy and Ms. Charm girl is definitely out of the question!!However, I am confident that Filipinos are far more intelligent and discerning.