2021-2022 Officers and Board of Directors
Rose Galanto
President
Rose Chavez Galanto is President of the Filipino Chamber of Commerce of Hawaii (FCCH) from July 1, 2021, to June 30, 2022.
She served as the President-Elect last year, served as Vice President of FCCH for two years, and FCCH chair of the Reaffirmation of Officers and Board of Directors in February 2021.
She is FCCH chair of the Filipino Entrepreneur and Scholarship Awardees in 2019.
She is the past president of the Hawaii Association of the Filipino Travel Agents (HAFTA). A successful businesswoman.
She graduated from University of Phoenix with Bachelor Science in Business Management. Rose is owner of Aloha Tours and Travel Inc. CEO of Hills Solid Gold, Inc., a retail jewelry store, and Real Estate Agent Associates at Granventure Realty since 1980.
This awardee of the 2017 entrepreneur of the United Filipino Council of Hawaii is also a devoted member of Saint Paul’s Church.
Rocky Anguay
President-Elect
Rocky Anguay is the assistant vice president and Pearl City Branch manager.
Rocky is responsible for branch operations and manages a team of bankers to create customized financial solutions for both consumer and business clientele.
With over 40 years of financial services experience, he previously held positions as service manager, Training Department manager and personal banking officer before becoming branch manager at the Bank’s Waianae and Kapolei Branches.
Eddie Agas
Vice-President
Eddie Agas is the President and CEO of Cal-Hawaii LLC.
He has worked with the City and County of Honolulu, Department of Design and Construction within the Construction Management Branch.
Eddie has been the Chair for the FCCH Foundation Scholarship Golf Tournament for the past 5 years.
Zhoydell Magaoay
Secretary
Zhoydell Cortez Magaoay is a visionary, hands-on, and community-minded leader who has demonstrated the ability to lead diverse teams of professionals to new levels of success in a variety of tasks.
He is currently employed at the University of Hawaii Center on Disability Studies Postsecondary Supports Project as an Educational Coach.
He is currently a Senior Representative with Primerica as well.
Zhoydell is involved and held leadership positions in various Filipino community organizations for many years.
Zhoydell is currently the Secretary of the United Filipino Council of Hawaii, the Immediate Past President of the United Bacarreneos of Hawaii and a Past President of the Hawaii Filipino Junior Chamber.
Zhoydell has served as a Secretary for the Filipino Chamber of Commerce of Hawaii in several previous administrations.
He is also a member of the FCCH Foundation Scholarship Committee.
Looking back at where he came from is an integral part of his philosophy, which he truly lives by in his actions.
His achievements in his personal and professional career makes him a true leader not only at home, or in the community, but most importantly within the FCCH community that he represents.
Lynne Gutierrez
Assistant Secretary
Lynne Gutierrez is a retired Special Education Teacher of 35 years, where she dedicated her time advocating with various committees such as the Leeward District Board of Directors, Faculty Rep, Political Action, Charter, Bylaws and Resolutions,, and was an elected delegate to state and national teacher's conventions.
Lynne has also served as a member of the National Education Association and the Hawaii State Teachers Association.
Dedicated to serving her community, Lynne has also served as the Past President of the United Filipino Council of Hawaii, Oahu Filipino Community Council, and the Magsingal Association of Hawaii.
She has also served in various committees for the Filipino Women's Civic Club and the Filipino Businesswomen Association.
A long-time member of the Filipino Chamber of Commerce, Lynne has also served our organization for over 20 years, where she served as secretary, director, and has been a chair/co-chair for 5 past FCCH Presidents.
Lynne currently serves on a number of our committees such as, but not limited to, the Annual Golf Tournament, Taste of Kalihi, Legislative Breakfast, Membership, and more.
Paul Takayesu
Treasurer
Paul Takayesu is a retired banking executive of 34-years from Bank of Hawaii and American Savings where he was Director Enterprise Risk & Regulatory Relations, Retail Lending Senior Credit Manager, Credit Review Manager, Dealer Indirect Lending Manager, Commercial Collections Manager, Business Loan Approval Manager, Documentation & Booking Manager, East Market Manager (Chairman's Circle), Guam Commercial Banking, Special Assets, Platform Manager and Vendor Manager.
He served on various boards including Ronald McDonald House Charities of Hawaii (Treasurer, Finance Chair), Waikiki Community Association (Finance) and Retail Merchants of Hawaii, and graduated from Consumer Bankers Association Graduate School of Retail Bank Management (Honors).
Mila Handel
Assistant Treasurer
Milagros "Mila" Handel holds a BSBA in Finance and an MBA in Accounting.
She is the Director of Finance and Administration at Hawaii Job Corps, Waimanalo.
With over 20 years of experience, she has broad knowledge of Accounting and Finance.
Mila has worked as Accounting and Finance Manager at Parker Ranch, and a Director of Administration and Finance at Argosy University.
She also worked at the City and County of Honolulu at the Real Property Tax Division, and Operations Supervisor at First Hawaiian Bank.
Mila served as Secretary for the Filipino Women's Civic Club, and the Filipino Entrepreneur of the Year. She also served as a Director for the Association of Government Accountants for a number of years, and as Event Coordinator for the Hawaii College and Career Fair for Kailua Kona. Mila is passionate in serving the Filipino Chamber of Commerce and is looking forward to serve the Filipino Community.
Grace Guilambo Rous
Auditor
Grace Guilambo Rous originated from Galimuyod-Candon. She graduated from St. Louis Univ. in the Philippines in 1987 with a B.S. Commerce in Accounting. At the young age of 27, her husband died in a car accident in 1994 and left her 3 children of 3, 2, and 11 mos. old. She strives by herself and continue to run her own business in Candon. A year after her husband died, Candon Supermarket was burned on December 1995 and her 2 stalls turned into ashes. She came to Hawaii in 2004 with her 3 kids.
Coming to Hawaii is a challenge because it is the first time that Grace works as an employee. She first works in her brothers’ warehouse; she works also in Golden Coin restaurant for one day and works in Sheraton Hotel for 3 months. She didn’t stop to look for opportunity to succeed, she applies and works at Kaiser Permanente in 2005 and go to school to refresh her accounting degree at the same time in Heald College Honolulu graduated in 2009 with the Highest Honor award. She got her licenses in real estate, life & health insurance, and a manager in Foreverliving Products until today.
Candice Fajardo
Executive Director
Candice Fajardo was born and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii and recently returned home from California last year after 15 years. She is the proud mother of Austin who is a chef at the Tanaka of Tokyo. Candice received her MBA at the University of Phoenix. Her previous role was the Director of Business Development for West Coast University. She is now the Director of the March of Dimes Hawaii Market and leads the fight for the health of mothers and babies. Candice loves spending time with her family and friends and enjoys traveling to different places. The Filipino Community is very important to her and values the beautiful culture.
Daniel Padilla
Legal Counsel
Daniel Padilla is Of Counsel in Carlsmith Ball, LLP's Honolulu office, whose practice focuses primarily on Banking & Finance. Daniel's other professional interests include Labor & Employment, as well as Real Estate Development.
Daniel received his J.D. from the University of Hawai`i, William S. Richardson School of Law, where, in addition to his studies, he conducted legal research and designed curriculum for the school's Legal Writing Program.
Prior to joining the firm, he served as an Extern for The Honorable Richard W. Pollack of the Hawai`i Supreme Court.
As a law student, Daniel developed the law curriculum for Hawai`i's Forensic Medical Examiners Certification Program, drafted legal memoranda for the Hawai`i State Board of Education, and examined legal issues related to the rights of Native Hawaiians and the administration of the Hawaiian Homelands for the U.S. Department of the Interior.
Before law school, Daniel enjoyed a long and successful career in the music industry. He performed as a member of the Honolulu Symphony for nearly a decade, served as Director of Orchestras at the University Laboratory School, and taught as a Lecturer at Chaminade University.
Jeoffrey Cudiamat
Immediate Past President
Jeoffrey Cudiamat is the Immediate Past President of the Filipino Chamber of Commerce of Hawaii (FCCH) and had recently completed his term as Past-President for the Structural Engineers Association of Hawaii.
Managing a couple of companies, he is currently the CEO of Structural Hawaii, Inc., a design and engineering consulting firm, and is currently President of Structural Builders Hawaii, Inc., a construction contracting company.
He has recently been awarded the 2019 Filipino Entrepreneur of the Year by FCCH, and won the lifetime Excellence Award in the field of engineering and construction by Hawaii Filipino Chronicle.
Board of Directors
Gene Albano
Board of Director
Gene Corpuz Albano, is a Senior Vice President and Honolulu Property and Building Managing Director for the global engineering firm WSP.
He manages a multi-discipline engineering staff of + 30 strong in Honolulu and Manila; is a corporate liaison for the Asia Pacific and USA regions.
He is a licensed professional engineer in the States of Hawaii and California, the territory of Guam and the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas Islands; a LEED professional in energy and environmental design; and a certified International Code Council Electrical Plans Reviewer.
Previously he has volunteered as a catechist and buildings committee Board Member at St. Philomena Parish; youth coach and referee in lacrosse, volleyball, basketball and soccer; Board of Director for the Kaimuki High School STEM Program; Officer and Board of Director for the Filipino American League of Architects and Engineers; participated in a Philippines Rotary mission restoring a classroom building destroyed by Typhoon Haiyan; and being an active member of several professional engineering organizations locally and nationally.
His experience from both a small business and global Corporate perspective brings a technical, progressive, positive and forward-thinking mindset toward assembling a diverse group of Officers and Directors to achieve the Chamber’s mission, goals and platforms.
Jennifer Aquino
Board of Director
Jennifer Aquino first joined First Hawaiian Bank in 2020 as the Senior Personal Banker at the University Branch.
Prior to First Hawaiian Bank, she was the Assistant Sales Manager at HomeStreet Bank.
During her tenure at HomeStreet Bank, she helped the company acquire new business and personal accounts which resulted in an increase of the Hawaii Region clientele and its core deposits.
Jennifer has been involved in the banking industry for over 15 years now and continues to help her clients achieve their financial goals.
What she loves to do during her free time is serving her community and volunteering with non-profit organizations that serves and focuses on the areas that she is passionate about such as Nature Preservation, Helping Foster Children, Helping Women in Need and Empowering Filipinos to Road to Success.
Jennifer also enjoys singing, hiking, hanging out at the beach and spending time with her family.
Jennifer became a member of Filipino Chamber of Commerce of Hawaii in 2014 during Mr. Paul Alimbuyao’s administration. Since then, she has enjoyed serving the organization and believed in its advocacy.
Jennifer looks forward in serving the organization once again and hopes that she can be a tool in increasing our membership and helping Filipino Chamber of Commerce of Hawaii organize activities and events that generate funding for all of our programs.
John Baraquio
Board of Director
John Baraquio first entered the Hawaii Pest Control Industry in 1986 working for his parent’s company as a technician during high school summers.
He graduated from Maryknoll High School in 1988 and went on to get his Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications at University of Portland, OR in 1992.
John continued to work for his parents both in the field and office assisting with marketing and sales, where he later received his certification by the State of Hawaii Department of Agriculture in 1996 for Pesticides Branches 2 & 3.
In April of 2000, John started Able Pest Management, where he has achieved success and has been featured on the Rick Hamada Radio show numerous times during the “Ask the Expert” segments.
John later served as President on Business Network International chapters on Oahu, has been the featured speaker at events held by the National Association of Realtors and Property Managers (NARPM) and other Board of Director and Homeowner Association meetings regarding pest, termite and rodent control issues.
John has served on the Hawaii Pest Control Association for the past 5 years as Secretary, Treasurer, Vice President and currently holds the President seat.
He is also a member of the National Pest Management Association and his company, Able Pest is a Quality Pro certified company.
Able Pest Management has successfully serviced Commercial and Residential structures in Hawaii for over 18 years.
Currently, Able Pest Management holds: • A+ rating with BBB 5 star rating on Yelp • 5 star rating on Google • 5 star rating as Certified Home Advisor contractor
Susana Berardy
Board of Director
Susana Berardy is the President of DBI-Hawaii Inc, where she has been in business in Hawaii for over 28 years providing her customers with the highest quality Hawaiian Quilting, Kim Taylor Reece Statues, Lamps and fine line of gifts.
Susie’s entrepreneurial background comes from a strong work ethic realized at a very young age and by having the opportunity of working at the Polynesian Cultural Center on Oahu, while attending school at Brigham Young University Hawaii Campus, Laie Hawaii.
In 2001 DBI-Hawaii was awarded, by the Small Business Administration sponsored Filipino Chamber of Commerce, “Entrepreneur of The Year Award” and in 2003 Susie de Leon Berardy was awarded by the Governor of the State of Hawaii, the “Filipino Businesswoman of the Year” award, sponsored by the Filipino Business Woman Association of Hawaii.
Susana Berardy has previously served as the President of the Filipino Business Women's Association. She has also won Businesswoman of the Year in 2006.
Her past accolades and accomplishments also include
- Board of Directors FCCH, FBWA
- Commissioner Zoning Board of Appeals C&C Honolulu.
- Distinguished Alumni Award BYUH 2001 & 2006.
- Nominee Parents of the Year Philippine Cultural Foundation of Hawaii
- Executive Board of Directors Alumni Association of BYHU
- President’s Advisory Council BYUH
- 2nd Vice President OFCC
- Entrepreneur of the Year - United Filipino Council of Hawaii 2019
Bernadette Fajardo
Board of Director
Bernadette Fajardo is the Owner of B2B Enterprises, LLC (Printing, Graphics, Advertising & Promotions), and since 2006 retired as a Banker (Central Pacific Bank & Bank of Hawaii), Financial Professional (Prudential), and a retired Philippine Airlines Station Engineer.
Bernadette is a dedicated and relentless community service volunteer, whose collaborative style and undiluted focus on all embarked projects differentiates her from the others. She is always encouraged to do her best and reach higher goals.
In between her active work with the Filipino Chamber, she likewise, devotes her free time catering to the various Hawaii and Filipino civic, religious and community organizations.
2018 to Present - Board of Director - Filipino Community Center (FilCom Center)
2016-2017 President - Filipino Chamber of Commerce of Hawaii and FCCH Foundation
2012-2016 President - Filipino Women’s Civic Club & Founding President of FWCC Foundation-As of 3/15/2015 (Serves as Immediate Past President of FWCC)
2015 Coordinator-ILAING (Ilocano Language Acquisition & Immersion for New Generation);
2013 Chair–PCCCH (Philippine Celebrations Coordinating Committee of Hawaii) Philippine Consulate (Serves as Auditor of Heart of Bayanihan)
Bernadette played a pivotal role and was instrumental with establishing first Sister City relationship between Candon City, Ilocos Sur, Philippines and the City and County of Honolulu last May 2015 and another Friendship City with Kauai County of Hawaii in 2018.
She is best known for her collaborative style and for being a community organizer and volunteer, whose focus on accomplishing a goal distinguishes her from others.
Vanessa Kop
Board of Director
Vanessa Kop is the Past President (2018-2019) of Filipino Chamber of Commerce of Hawaii.
She is also the Executive VP of NAI/CBI and a sales, investment, and leasing specialist who has successfully represented landlord and tenants in closing transactions in a seamless and timely manner.
Vanessa has vast retail and sales experience from her early years working with her family’s hardware and lamination business. She negotiated sales contract at an early age and assisted in presentation of various business services.
With her multicultural background, she has strong public relations and customer service skills.
She was awarded NAI CBI 2012-2015 top Retail broker of the year consecutively and 2016-2018 overall Top producer.
She also has a background in the medical field working in the pharmacy and hospitals during her early years after graduation.
She speaks Mandarin Chinese, Fukienese, Tagalog & Taiwanese.
Vanessa led the fruitful 28th Goodwill and Trade mission together with the Honorable Lt Governor Doug Chin to Manila, Davao and Bohol and a President Elect when she was part of the Trade Mission planning and delegation with Honorable Governor David Ige and First lady Dawn Ige.
She was a previous Chair of the Filipino Entrepreneur of the Year, involved in the MabuHi Hawaii-Philippines sister city expo and the FCCH Golf Tournament.
Rose Manuel
Board of Director
Rosemary Etrata Manuel, born and raised in Hawaii, is a graduate of Pearl City High School and Hawaii Pacific University.
Rose is currently the Administrator of Preferred Home & Community Based Services, Inc. (PHCBS, Inc.) since 2003. At PHCBS, Inc. we provide services for individuals with special needs. With our services provided, it allows the individual to thrive and be a part of his/her community on a daily basis.
A prolific volunteer, Rose has also volunteered with various Filipino Women's organizations and other organizations to assist in achieving the goals of their community events.
Rose is dedicated in assisting the organization, with a focus on enriching other individuals in our community with the Filipino Culture and showing them what our organization has to offer.
Randall Passion
Board of Director
Randall Pasion is a supervisor and legal clerk with the City & County of Honolulu Prosecutor’s Office for the past 22 years.
He received an Associate of Science Degree from the Paralegal Program at Kapiolani Community College in 1999 and a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Sociology from the University of Hawaii at Manoa in 1990.
He served as a volunteer deputy treasurer for a local Oahu Senator during her 2020 election campaign and presently during the 2022 election period. He has been a member of the Filipino Chamber of Commerce of Hawaii since 2017, supported its various community service functions and has joined its trade missions to the Philippines in 2016, 2017 and 2018.
In his spare time, he enjoys visiting different regions in the Philippines and collecting cultural artifacts including Santos and kulintang.
Rommel Raymundo
Board of Director
Rommel Raymundo currently operates Raymundo Digital, a website development and brand strategy studio that currently services local small businesses and nonprofit organizations in Hawaii.
With a strong background in Accounting, his prior experience includes his previous employment at Watanabe Ing LLP as the Accounts Receivables Clerk, where he managed all billing and collections for the company.
Prior to working at Watanabe Ing LLP, Rommel has worked as the Operations Assistant at The Coca-Cola Company manufacturing plant in Campbell Industrial Park, where he oversaw all vendors and servicing contractors, as well as managed the shipping and logistics of all inbound raw inventory and outbound finished product to the outer islands, Guam and the Pacific region.
Dedicated to the Filipino community, Rommel has served as the Filipino Junior Chamber’s President in 2018 and continued to serve as the Marketing Vice President from 2019 to 2020.
Currently, he is now serving as the JCI Hawaii Communications Vice President, where he oversees the six local chapters as their Marketing and Communications advisor.
Ned Rodriguez
Board of Director
Ned (Directo) Rodrigues is a Vice President with Bank of Hawai‘i and primarily manages the commercial real estate construction loan process.
Ned has over 30 years of experience in the commercial real estate lending.
She is graduate of Waipahu High School and attended Hawai‘i Pacific University.
Ned is currently a Director for the Filipino Chamber of Commerce of Hawai‘i and the Filipino Community (FilCom) Center.
She is also a Board Member and Treasurer for the Hawaii International Dyslexia of Hawaii. Dyslexia is very near and dear to her as her motto is we are not all the same.
Elvi Sutherland
Board of Director
Elvi Sutherland is a Civil Engineer from Saint Louis University, Baguio City, Philippines.
Currently she is the President of Amethyst Builders, LLC - a woman owned SBA certified construction company.
She was awarded Entrepreneur of the Year by FCCH in 2017.
She is a past president of FALEA (Filipino American League of Engineers and Architects), and has been an active participant in Fiipino organizations and activities. She co-chaired the FCCH Scholarship Golf Tournament in 2021.
Alex Vergara
Board of Director
The Reverend Dr. Alex Vergara is a commissioned chaplain of the Honolulu Police Department, State of Hawaii Sheriff Division, FBI and USSS, The first Filipino chaplain in all four law enforcement agencies.
He is a six-year veteran as a director of the Filipino Chamber of Commerce of Hawaii and served in various FCCH committees from Nominations & Elections to the Trade Mission to the Philippines.
His passion in photography comes from his background as a working photojournalist in Manila, Dallas and Honolulu.
He is a lifelong member of the National Geographic Expeditions.
He has travelled to some 118 countries so far and will resume his expeditions and personal travels after the pandemic is way over the ridge.
He served local churches as administrative Pastor in Honolulu, Kauai, Big Island, Waianae and Kapolei. He retired in active church ministry after 34 years of service but a priest will always be a priest, as the saying goes; so he continues to serve the poor and oppressed as a cook and server at IHS/Harris UMC and St. Elizabeth Church in Aiea.
He is currently the Chancellor of the Knights of Rizal-Hawaii Chapter.
He was a two-term president of the Oahu Filipino Council (OFCC) and served as an ex-officio member of the Filipino Community Center in Waipahu and the United Filipino Council of Hawaii.