THE Oriental Mindoro Association of Southern California (OMASC) crowned Alexandra ‘Ali’ Umali Chua, the 2008-2010 Miss OMASC, at a dinner dance held at the Los Angeles Airport Marriott Hotel in September of this year.  The occasion celebrates the 15th anniversary of OMASC’s founding.  Ali is the daughter of Ellen Umali and Arthur Chua and a granddaughter of former Oriental Mindoro governor, the late Alfonso Umali, Sr.  The Honorable Vice Consul Charmaine A. Serna-Chua, a Mindorena from the capital city of Calapan, was the guest speaker.  Two members of the clergy from Oriental Mindoro, Reverend Fathers Wilfredo Villas and  William Abas, were on hand to bless the occasion.

LOS ANGELES  - The Filipino-American Service Group, Inc. (FASGI) on Oct. 15, hosted a media briefing on the 2010 Census: “It’s In Our Hands,” a nationwide population count taken every ten years. The results of the April 1, 2010 Census will affect political representation and the allocation of billions of dollars in government funding to every community in all 50 states, Washington, DC, Puerto Rico, US V irgin Islands, Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and American Samoa.