WERE YOU THERE at the gala?
A successful fundraiser for the Poong Jesus Nazareno Filipino Catholic Center (PJNFCC) was held at the Knott’s Hotel in Buena Park on May 2. The sold-out event had 500 guests in attendance, filling a packed ballroom. Co-sponsored by the Diocese of Orange San Jose Filipino Ministry (DOSJFM) and the Alagad ni Maria, the event’s objective was to raise funds to help pay off the $2.4 million outstanding loan balance on the property which was purchased last year at $5.1 million to establish the PJNFCC.
THE BARKADAHAN DANCE TROUPE (BDT) PERFORMED DURING A FUNDRAISER FOR THE POONG JESUS NAZARENO FILIPINO CATHOLIC CENTER. PHOTOS COURTESY OF BECKY TAMONDONG, DOSJFM
This being our first venture in a fundraiser gala, the consensus is that overall, we did very well, not only financially, but in engendering greater awareness and support from the Filipino American community in the true spirit of Bayanihan—of working together and helping each other toward a bigger cause.
The gala was graced by the presence of Bishop Kevin Vann, who blessed and inaugurated the PJNFCC on July 21, 2025. We are thankful to Bishop Vann who has continually expressed his full support of the PJNFCC since its inception a year ago. All the Alagad ni Maria priests in the Diocese of Orange led by Fr. Peter Lavin, and several permanent deacons from the diocese honored us with their presence, as did Fr. Francis Ang, the second home-grown Filipino to be ordained a priest in the Diocese of Orange on June 6.
THE BAYANIHAN GALA WAS HELD ON MAY 2.
Other special guests included Lynda Johnson, the first Filipina mayor of Cerritos, with a cameo appearance of Mark Pulido, a former mayor of Cerritos. Steve and Kristin Luchetta, former Orange Area co-councilors of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem (EOHSJ), leaders of the Filipino Cursillo in the Diocese of Orange (FCDO), Marriage Enrichment Formation Program (MEFP) in Orange County, Couples for Christ, Federation of Filipino Rosary Group-Orange County (FFRG-OC), El Shaddai, and several outstanding professionals and entrepreneurs from Los Angeles and Orange County attended our “star-studded” gala.
For entertainment, guests were treated to a pre-dinner mini-Santacruzan which featured 10 teen sagalas dressed in pastel formal gowns with their escorts and 10 little angels in white. Rondalla music was played for the Santacruzan procession and while guests were being served dinner. The now well-known Barkadahan Dance Troupe (BDT) composed of 30 children (ages 5 to 17), performed the Singkil and a modern version of the Tinikling which thrilled the audience. Bishop Vann watched the BDT perform for the first time at the gala and had a group photo taken with the kids right after their dance numbers.
“We now have a souvenir photo of our BDT children with our dear Bishop to save for posterity,” quipped one parent on this photo op.
The silent and live auctions added excitement to the evening with Fr. Peter Lavin as auctioneer. Thanks and appreciation to our generous sponsors, donors and hard-working volunteers as well as acknowledgements of special guests were announced by co-emcees Dr. Tony Reyes and myself.
With line dance instructors as leads, our fun-loving guests enjoyed the rest of the evening dancing the night away to the music of Alex Lagman and his First Choice Band, with Florence Aguilar as vocalist. Two of our local talents—Kim Doria from the Hijas, and Fronnie Degamo from the Hijos, provided musical intermission numbers with their vocal renditions of popular songs which delighted the audience.
The Bayanihan Gala—a Celebration of Faith and Culture was a successful fundraiser; it was also a fun-raiser.
Don’t you wish you were there?