Thank You very much Lito for the kind introduction.
This is indeed an extraordinary honor and a humbling one to be PAFCOM Grand Marshall for this year
and I am looking forward to it greatly.
I thank you all for being here and I am just grateful to see us all gathered despite the situation of what is
going on with the corona virus.
PAFCOM celebration of Philippine Friendship Day is an incredible event to celebrate our Filipino
heritage, culture, and history. It is to solidify our bedrock principles of family, faith, and tradition that we
have as Filipinos. We are strong and proud Filipinos that we continue to be leaders both in the public
and private sectors. It is our generation that must continue to play forward and help our children
become our future leaders. The immigration of Filipinos over here from the very beginning and all the
extraordinarily things that have been accomplished by so many makes us all proud of what we have
accomplished. It’s a celebration quite frankly when we think about of all the people that came before us
of which we can think back of people from our families, extended families and friends that came here
during different times in many ways more difficult times. We stand on the shoulders of those who came
before us and as they have created the situation in the circumstance that we now can sit here and take
pride about what it is we become. This is something that we can remind of ourselves as we think about
the celebration of Philippine Friendship Day and everything that goes around it.
PAFCOM Philippine Friendship Day parade is also a celebration of unity a celebration of community, and
of the Filipino community. It is the coming together, working together representing who we really are
and a major force in the history of the United States. It is an ongoing major force of what it is we have
made from it and we do the best when we work together as a community and when we understand the
interdependence of that this celebration is for everybody. It is a celebration of tribal and opportunity to
stand up and say we are proud of what we are and who we are and say we are proud of it. I look
forward to working with you all for the next couple of months. I want to know more people and be
engaged in all of the events and projects of PAFCOM.
On behalf of my family and myself I am humbled and thank you. It’s an honor and privileged to be your
2022 Grand Marshall. Let us all stay focus and work together as one community and make it a great day,
a great year and a fantastic future.
Thank You and let’s all Stay Safe!!!
JOYCE CASTILLO
PAFCOM 2022 GRAND MARSHAL