Tuesday, October 22, 2024

White House Celebration of Filipino American History Month

This is my 10th article on my series about the Philippines and Filipino Americans in connection with Filipino American History Month Celebration here in the US 

Some of Filipino Americans Serving the Biden Harris Administration with VP Kamala- Look who is the one with purple hair in the 4th row? A very, very proud Papa, Tatay, Itay, Father or Padre, Indeed!   



๐Ÿ’—๐Ÿ’—Ditas Katague, my youngest Daughter attending Filipino American History Month White House Celebration, Monday, October 21, 2024, Washington DC  

Ditas and Major General Antonio Taguba at the  Filipino American  History Month Celebration in the White House

Antonio Mario Taguba (born October 31, 1950) is a retired major general in the United States Army. He was the second American citizen of Philippine birth to be promoted to general officer rank in the United States Army.

Taguba is best known for authoring the Taguba Report, an internal United States Army report on abuse of detainees held at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq. The report was leaked, then published, in 2004. Taguba again made national headlines in June 2008 when he accused the Bush administration of committing war crimes in a preface to a report by Physicians for Human Rights on prisoner abuse and torture in American military prisons.

Ditas Katague with Retired White House Chef Cristeta Comerford, 2024 at the White House

Cristeta Pasia Comerford (nรฉe Gomez Pasia; born October 27, 1962) is a Filipino-American chef who served as the White House executive chef from 2005 until her retirement in 2024. She is the first woman and first person of Asian origin to hold the post.

After Scheib resigned in February 2005, Comerford was appointed White House executive chef by First Lady Laura Bush on August 14, 2005. Comerford is the first woman to hold this position. She reportedly was appointed to this position due to her handling of a large dinner that was held in honor of Indian prime minister Manmohan Singh.

White House executive chef Cris Comerford and children make White House honey tea stirrers, Nov 28, 2012

On January 9, 2009, the Obama transition team announced that Comerford would be retained as the administration's head chef.[Michelle Obama stated, "She is also the mom of a young daughter, and I appreciate our shared perspective on the importance of healthy eating and healthy families."

Comerford appeared on a special two-hour episode of Iron Chef America, originally broadcast on January 2, 2010. She was teamed up with Bobby Flayand competed against a team of Emeril Lagasse and Mario Batali.

As chef to a head of state, Comerford is a member of Le Club des Chefs des Chefs. Comerford retired from the White House in July 2024.

The Program Featuring Fireside Chat with Chef Cristeta Comerford


Ditas with Irene Natividad at the White Filipino American History Month Celebration

Irene Natividad (born 14 September 1948 in ManilaPhilippines) is an American feministwomen's rights activist, corporate director, international advocate for women in leadership positions, President of the GlobeWomen Research and Education Institute, a non-profit organization based in Washington, DC whose lead programs include the annual Global Summit of Women and Corporate Women Directors International (CWDI). She previously served as Chair of the National Women's Political Caucus, Chair of the National Commission on Working Women, Executive Director of the Philippine American Foundation, Founder and President of Asian American Professional Women, and Founding Director of the National Network of Asian-Pacific American Women.

Bobby (Robert Cortez) Scott (born April 30, 1947) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the U.S. representative for Virginia's 3rd congressional district since 1993. A member of the Democratic Party, he is the dean of Virginia's congressional delegation and the first Filipino American voting member of Congress. The district serves most of the majority-black precincts of Hampton Roads, including all of the independent cities of NorfolkNewport News (where he resides), Hampton and Portsmouth, and parts of the independent city of Chesapeake. From 2019 to 2023, Scott was chair of the House Education and Labor Committee. He has been ranking member on that committee since 2023.

Scott is the first African American Representative from Virginia since Reconstruction. Also, having a maternal grandfather of Filipino ancestry makes Scott the first American of Filipino descent to serve as a voting member of Congress. His congressional district is the only one with a majority black population in Virginia. It was created in 1992 and has remained the state's most Democratic district.

Here are other photos of the well attended event featuring Filipino-Americans serving in the Biden-Harris Administration.  





Ditas with Irene Bueno ( API leader, lobbyist) and Chef/Owner Patrice Cleary of Purple Patch๐Ÿ’š Restaurant, Washington, DC






Jollibee at the White House- In case you have not heard of Jollibee-The McDonald of the Philippines

Jollibee is a Filipino chain of fast food restaurants owned by Jollibee Foods Corporation (JFC) which serves as its flagship brand. Established in 1978 by Tony Tan Caktiong, it is the Philippines' top fast food restaurant and is among the world's fastest growing restaurants, expanding its international presence from 2014 to 2024 almost sixfold. As of January 2024, there were over 1,668 Jollibee fast-food branches across 17 countries, with restaurants in Southeast AsiaEast Asia (Hong Kong and Macau), the Middle EastNorth America, and Europe (including SpainItaly, and the United Kingdom). Jollibee is best known for its bestselling item, the Chickenjoy.

Ditas with Paulo Pontemayor- one of my loyal blog readers and Fan in Washington DC
Ditas with Mayor Ron Nuremberg of San Antonio, TX
Ditas with Ambassador Chantale Wong ( Asian Development Bank) and Genevieve Jopanda





Purple Patch opened in 2015, one of the first Filipino Restaurants in Washington, D.C., and has since become a destination for travelers near and far. Through the years, Purple Patch has consistently been listed in the Washington Post’s Dining Guides, including top critic Tom Sietsema’s Favorite Restaurant in 2023. Other accolades include being named one of the top 9 Filipino restaurants in America by TableLog, named #4 in Best Big 7’s Top 25 Best Filipino Restaurants in the United States in 2020, and voted Best Filipino Restaurant in Washington City Paper’s Best of DC in 2023 and 2024.

Personal Note: Ditas ( my youngest daughter) is currently the Associate Director for Communications. Bureau of Census, Department of Commerce, Washington. DC


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