On this page you will find short bios of the people who have so generously contributed their works to the site. We must attribute most of the strengths of the BagongPinay site to these people.

If you are a writer or an artist and would like to contribute to this site please contact us.

Alphabetical Listing

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. Geejay Arriola
An art and word weaver, Geejay writes poems and essays, designs webpages and publications, paints canvasses, curtains and clothes, sketches in pen and ink, sews and hates to cook. As a theatre artist and cultural worker, Geejay has behind her, 10 years experience with Mindanao-based Kaliwat Theatre Collective. She started development work at the age of 18, married at 21, got separated (from her husband) at 27 and remarried at 32. She now enjoys managing PUSLAN MAN, Davao's only artists' and development workers' pub while taking care of daughter Soleil (10), and sons Chaim (7) and Enlil (1). Visit her interesting site.

Works featured on BP site:
• Women and Media, Pinay Ngayon Highlight of Aug. 1998
• Philippine Mythology Goddesses, Art Hall of the BP Galeria.

Marjorie is a freelance writer living in Dallas, Texas, with her husband, Brian, a photographer. Born in the Philippines, she moved to the U.S. with her family when she was seven but still speaks pretty damn good Tagalog. When she's not writing and traveling, she works as a fundraiser for the local PBS/NPR affiliate. You can view some of her work on her upcoming Web site at www.marjorieasturias.com.

Works featured on BP site:
• Girls's Behaving Powerfully, Malakas at Maganda Article. June 2004

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. Connie Dello Buono
Connie is an apprentice midwife and the director of Motherhealth, www.motherhealth.com. She is based in San Jose, California.

Works featured on BP site:
• Philippines Feeding Practices, Pinay Ngayon Highlight 2002.

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. Sheelagh Cabalda
Sheelagh works in the Office of African American, Latino and Asian American Student Services at New York University. Ms. Cabalda has been a reporter with The Jersey Journal (Jersey City, NJ), and also works with the youth in the NJ/NY area.

Sheelagh received her master's degree in Student Affairs/Higher Education Administration from NYU in 1996 and has a bachelor’s degree in Journalism and English from Rutgers University.

Works featured on BP site:
• A Need to Represent, Pinay Ngayon feature of August 1998.

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. Chris Cabuay of the Konshus Pages.
Chris is in his early 20's and is based both in the Philippines and the US. He is a college student, musician, model, graphic artist, writer. He also designs commercial web sites, is producing a CD compilation of Filipino artists and works in Internet Marketing. He is based in what he calls "the so-called Philippines." You can find more of his radical thinking and thought-provoking essays at his site called the Konshus Pages.

Works featured on BP site:
• Signs of Colonial Mentality, Asar Time feature of July 1998.

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. Cookie Hiponia
Cookie Hiponia is the only one of three Marias in her family who lives in the San Francisco Bay Area. To feed herself, she works as the community relations director at a Filipino American telecommunications company. To feed her Self, she writes poetry, performs Filipino folk dances, volunteers for the community, and paints any clean flat surface. She was involved in the Asian American Studies campaign at the University of Maryland and she has had her poetry and essays published in a couple of newspapers and magazines.

Works featured on BP site:
• Many More Silences to Be Broken, Pinay Ngayon highlight of April 2000.

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. IBON Foundation Inc., www.ibon.org
IBON means "bird" in Filipino. But it is popularly known for these things, especially when it comes to socio-economic issues. IBON is a research-education-information development institution. IBON Foundation undertakes the study of socio-economic issues that confront Philippine society and the world today and seeks to bring this knowledge and information to the greatest number of our people. In this way they will be able to effectively participate in building a self-reliant and progressive Philippines, a nation that is sovereign and democratic.

Works featured on BP site:
• Seven Years After Flor, Hetty Alcuitas for IBON Foundation, Sigaw Ng Mutya 2002

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. Inter Press Service (IPS) Asia-Pacific
IPS, the world's leading provider of information on global issues, is backed by a network of journalists in more than 100 countries. Its clients include more than 3,000 media organizations and tens of thousands of civil society groups, academics, and other users. IPS focuses its news coverage on the events and global processes affecting the economic, social and political development of peoples and nations.

Please check the Pinay Ngayon Highlight Section and Sigaw Ng Mutya Section for contributed articles from IPS Asia-Pacific.

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. Mary Anne P. Ledesma
Mary Anne is now in her late 30's, has taught High School and College in the Philippines, and has an M.A. in Special Education. She is based in the Philippines and travels out of the country to study on occassion.

Works featured on BP site:
• Searching for Lost Idealism, Pinay Ngayon highlight of July 1998.

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. Eloise Rose Lee
Eloise is a multi-talented filmmaker, writer, poetess, activist, and an all-around good cook. She has been sighted at the Asian American Writers' Workshop and other venues that have invited her to share her prose and poetry. She is also known for her work in the Asian-American community, serving both as a community advocate and fine arts activist.
Someday, Eloise will be a soulful-rock star-surf-Goddess-media-magician, dividing her time between Hawaii and everywhere else. The world is her workplace. The world is her playground. The world is hers. Till then, she is a local gurl, born and raised in Hawaii, now living in Woodside.

. Cristina Peczon
Cristina Peczon is a broadcast journalist based in Manila. She is a well-known face on Philippine and now co-hosts a weekly public affairs television show on RPN Channel 9 -- Manila called "SaBAYAN" with San Juan Mayor Jinggoy Estrada. She now also has a daily public service AM radio show broadcasted nationwide on station DZXL called "Balita sa Umaga sa DZXL kasama si Buddy Oberas and Cristina Peczon". Cristina writes a regular column for the Philippine Post called "Crisp Views" which focuses on the concerns of women, the youth and the environment.This young journalist is already on her 9th year in media, and was a finalist in the "Metro Pacific Broadcast Journalist of the Year" awards.

E-mail: cristina@iconn.com.ph
Homepages: www.iconn.com.ph/cristina/ and www.geocities.com/TelevisionCity/Studio/5920/xyz.html

Works featured on BP site:
• Sexual Harassment: My Story, Pinay Ngayon highlight of April 1999.

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. Edessa Ramos
Edessa Ramos was born and raised in Manila, finished her masters degree in Chicago, and now lives with her family in a town near Zurich. She works as an independent writer, homemaker, marketing consultant, and English/Tagalog teacher. She is also a scuba-diver, arnis practitioner, and theater artist. Her articles may be found in Filipinas Magazine in San Francisco, among others, and theater performances include PETA (Manila) and PINTIG Theater Group. Her first book of short stories and poems, "Alone on the Road at Night", is being published in December(1998) by the Rex Foundation for Arts and Culture in Manila.Visit her homepage to learn more about her.

Works featured on BP site:
• Where the Sun Always Shines, Pinay Ngayon March 1999

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. Lizae Reyes
Lizae lives in the Bay Area, Northern California and is a teacher of young children. She is also a dancer and musician of Kulintang, southern Philippine percussion music.

Works featured on BP site:
• A Secret Place, a poem
• Romancing the Kulintang, Pinay Ngayon feature of November 1999

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. Elenita "Leny" Mendoza Strobel
Leny is currently teaching at Sonoma State University. The one burning desire of my life is for every Filipina to "find her mother's garden." If she could share this journey with other women, that would be her bliss!

E-mail : strobel@sonoma.edu

Works featured on BP site:
• Reimagining Filipino Identity, Pinay Ngayon Mar 1999, A journey of moving away from colonial mentalities.
• Book Review of Strobel's "Coming Full Circle", Nagbasa Ka na Ba(Book Section) January 2002

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. MaryAnn Szyskowski
Don't be mistaken by her last name --- MaryAnn is a Filipina. She studied at UCLA: a Women's Studies major and Asian American Studies minor.

She is in the process of writing an honors seniors thesis entitled the Degradation of the Asian Female on the Internet. In her thesis she I will be discussing issues about mail order brides, sex tours, and pornography and how the Internet has made it easier for individuals to access information on these industries and in addition made these industries much more lucrative. At the same time she is also applying to the UCLA Asian American Studies Graduate program where she intends to expand upon the aforementioned thesis.

MaryAnn belongs to an organization called Captive Daughters which deals with issues of sex tours and trafficking of women.

E-mail : szysk@ucla.edu

Works featured on BP site:
• Mail Order Brides, a research paper, Sigaw ng Mutya, Jan'99

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. Eileen Tabios
Eileen is an accomplished poet and is based in NYC. She has already published two poetry collections Beyond Life Sentences and Black Lightning (AAWW, 1998). She is currently editing Doveglion, a volume of selected works by Jose Garcia Villa (Kaya, 1999). Editor of The Asian Pacific American Journal, she has had her poetry, fiction and essays published internationally.

Works featured on BP site:
• The Naming of My Child, U.S.A., May 1999
• 5 Poems, from her book, Beyond Life Sentences

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. Sabrina Margarita Alcantara Tan
(aka Bamboo Girl)
In her 20s, Sabrina hits nerves with her outspoken zine called Bamboo Girl that for three years now has been actively taking on issues of racism, injustice and homophobia. Her latest issue has a print run of 1500 and her issues sell out within two weeks of publication. Sabrina is based in NYC. Visit her web site.

Works featured on BP site:
• Bamboo Girl, interview by Karen Kim of The Village Voice of New York City
• The Beauty Pageant Mentality/Obsession in Pinoy Culture, Asar Time feature of July 1998.
• Get issues of the Bamboo Girl the rad ethno-activist quarterly.

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. Mary Ann Ubaldo
mary ann ubaldo embodies the intricate sensibilities of the Filipino immigrant wave of the late 70's/early 80's now coming of age in America. Based in New York City, Mary Ann is a photographer, musician, and community activist.

She has formed her jewelry business called Urduja, named after the mythical Philippine princess whom she identifies as thefirst Filipina feminist. Mary Ann finds affirmation in her being Filipina by using the Ancient Philippine Script called Baybayin or Alibata. She frequently uses nature & indigenous motifs in her customized Baybayin jewelry.

Be sure to visit her Web site for the Baybayin Jewelry Collection. They take custom orders.

Works featured on BP site:
• Some pieces from the Baybayin Jewelry Collection, Art Hall at the Gallery

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