Welcome From Your President

Naimbag nga rabii tayo amin kakabsat ken gagayyem. Magandang gabi kapamilya at mga kaibigan. Good evening family and friends.

I am Ferdinand Ponce, a resident of Las Vegas for 3 years and 4 months. I have been involved with the Ilocano American Association of Nevada for 3 years as an active member, recording secretary under the presidency of Madeline Mendoza; and now, the current President. During my involvement, I have seen the growth of the association, and witnessed the outstanding camaraderie of the leaders, whose service is second to none! They work together as a team to provide stellar service to the community despite the growing pains and obstacles they are going through. The year 2020 has been a very challenging year for all of us. The COVID-19 pandemic has seriously wounded the world economy, the government had a few shutdowns, many have lost their lives and jobs, and defiantly, this disaster is in the history books; but because Filipinos are very resilient, we are able to get back up slowly, and continue to lift each other up.

On behalf of IAAN, I would like to welcome each one of you as we celebrate one of the most anticipated & well- attended events in the Filipino American community here in Las Vegas. The Filipiniana Gala and Affair which begun in 2003 under the leadership of Amie Belmonte, is a pageantry showcasing the traditional, elegant, and contemporary styles of the Filipino Terno, Barong and Maria Clara. It is also our main goal to provide college entrance scholarships to well- deserving students that have excelled in their academics and contributed their time and talents for the advancement of their communities. The month of October is very special for all of us since we are also celebrating the Filipino American History Month across the county. As you very well know, the Filipinos were the first Asians who immigrated to the United States and grew to be 4.1 million in number, and stronger and resilient as ever.

In February 1993, 20 hardworking and persistent Ilocanos and Ilocanas founded the organization IAAN. As of today, membership grew up to 700. It is considered as the largest organization in the history of Fil-Am communities in Las Vegas because the members are not only Ilocanos or Iloko people, which is the 3 rd  largest Filipino ethnolinguistic group, but the organization also welcomes the different ethnicities & other nationals who embrace and support the vision & mission of the association.

As your servant leader, I pledge and commit myself to serve IAAN with its programs and continue to provide all the services you need within the association; as well as to work with various leaders to make a difference in the community. It is our goal to empower the younger generations to be involved and made them aware of their beginnings, the Filipino values and culture. We have so much to offer that we can be proud of!

Distinguished guests, congress delegates, community leaders, please allow me to express my profound appreciation for being here --it means a lot. To the Executive Board and the Officers, thank you for your hard work, dedication, sacrifice and so much more. Your selfless efforts are not unnoticed. You are all amazingly beautiful with golden hearts.

Last but not the least, let’s support each other by showing our love for the Ilocano heritage; and continue in working closely as ONE community not only with the Filipino Americans, but also with the Asian-American organizations in Las Vegas. As 2021 comes to a close, and 2022 is just around the corner, we look forward to a better year ahead of us, and put the bad memories behind us

Let’s enjoy the festivities. May God bless us all.

Thank you! Maraming Salamat! Dios ti Agngina!

Ferdinand Ponce

IAAN President