| Fe Martinez Caliolio Jersey City, New Jersey A Lady With A Touch Of Class Super Successful Business and Community Leader |
Whenever the Filipino-American community in the New York and
vicinity area needs a leader to spearhead a major project, one of
those who are called upon to take the helm of leadership is a
young, energetic, dynamic and determined Filipina: Fe Martinez
Caliolio of Jersey City in New Jersey.
Married to Danny Caliolio, one of the most prominent
businessmen and a super national Filipino-American community
leader, one of the awardees in the first annual Twenty
Outstanding Filipino-Americans in the United States and Guam,
Fe’s leadership is recognized by the Filipino community for the
past decades. Somehow, she is always involved whenever there
is a big event in the community. Not too long ago, articles
appeared in various newspapers in the Eastern Seaboard region
when she actively and militantly participated in boycotts against
the popular disc jockey Howard Stern whose radio talk show is
heard in Jersey City in New Jersey and on New York’s WXRK for
making negative comments on Filipinos in his popular radio
program. “I can’t allow anybody blatantly claiming that Filipinos eat
babies, and raise their children to be prostitutes! It’s absurd, and
it is a lie,” angrily declared Fe.
vicinity area needs a leader to spearhead a major project, one of
those who are called upon to take the helm of leadership is a
young, energetic, dynamic and determined Filipina: Fe Martinez
Caliolio of Jersey City in New Jersey.
Married to Danny Caliolio, one of the most prominent
businessmen and a super national Filipino-American community
leader, one of the awardees in the first annual Twenty
Outstanding Filipino-Americans in the United States and Guam,
Fe’s leadership is recognized by the Filipino community for the
past decades. Somehow, she is always involved whenever there
is a big event in the community. Not too long ago, articles
appeared in various newspapers in the Eastern Seaboard region
when she actively and militantly participated in boycotts against
the popular disc jockey Howard Stern whose radio talk show is
heard in Jersey City in New Jersey and on New York’s WXRK for
making negative comments on Filipinos in his popular radio
program. “I can’t allow anybody blatantly claiming that Filipinos eat
babies, and raise their children to be prostitutes! It’s absurd, and
it is a lie,” angrily declared Fe.
Last year, in the same issues of Filipino newspapers in the region where Fe was projected as a Filipino
activist who led the Filipinos in street demonstrations, appearing in the same publications were the
announcements of Fe being chosen as a Grand Marshall by the Philippine Day Organizing Council for their
sixth annual Philippine Day parade celebration in Passaic, New Jersey.
The contrasting published dual personalities of Fe typefies the extent of her active participation as a
community leader. “Fe is an accomplished great lady. She’s active in all aspects of the community’s
activities: social, political, cultural, religious, economic and civic activities,” noted Dr. Alice Francisco,
President of the Bergen Phil-Am Lions Club International whose first successful fund raising event in
February last year at the Hilton Meadowlands in Secaucus, New Jersey, was chaired by Fe Caliolio. “She is
indeed a valuable asset to the community.”
PDOC OVERALL CHAIRPERSON
The Philippine Day Organizing Council, the same group that elected Fe as Grand Marshall last year, chose
Fe this year (1994) as its Overall Chairman for their seventh annual Philippine Day celebration in Passaic,
New Jersey. “We need Fe’s caliber of leadership to ensure the success for this most important event of the
Filipinos residing in Passaic, New Jersey,” explained one of the Filipino old-timers in Passaic, a fashionable
residential suburb by the Hudson River just less than fifty miles from the buzzing New York’s Manhattan area.
“This year’s event is expected to draw thousands of Filipino-Americans from New York, New Jersey and
Connecticut region.”
A “Jill of all trade,” Fe is known to be an astute businesswoman who is very knowledgeable in the jewelry
business. In order to be an expert in the studies of precious stones and minerals, Fe took the initiative to
obtain her certificate as bonafide gemologist.
“Spending a day with this lady can easily exhaust an ordinary person,” commented an observer. “In one
instance, she’s giving an instruction to an assistant in her jewelry store; the next time you see her, she’s
dashing to her car on her way to Manhattan to confer with business associates; and inside her luxurious
automobile, she was on her cellular telephone conferring with one of her committee chairpersons on final
preparations of one of the local functions where she was elected as overall top honcho.”
OFFICER OF VARIOUS ORGANIZATIONS
Fe’s leadership has always been in demand among the various organizations that she actively participates,
particularly the Garden State Filipino American Association where she is the Vice President. With the
Federation of Philippine Societies in New Jersey, Inc., the umbrella organization of all Filipino groups in the
State of New Jersey, Fe is a Board Member and is always called upon to assist the Federation. As Board
Member of the Bergen Phil-Am Lions Club, Fe effectively interacts with various non-Filipino members of other
chapters of the Lions Club. Her provincemates unanimously elected her as the Chairlady of Tarlac’s
Carinosa-USA., a nationwide organization of Filipino-Americans from the Province of Tarlac, home province
of the Filipino martyr, Ninoy Aquino.
HERMANO & HERMANA MAYOR SANTACRUSAN '94
Selected as the 1994 Hermano and Hermana Mayor of the sixteenth annual celebration on the Catholic Action
of Mary of St. Mary's Catholic Church located on 2nd and Erie Streets in Jersey City, NJ, with festivities starting
from April 17th until May 29th, Danny and Fe Caliolio are the first husband and wife team to have these
distinct honors. Normally, the "Hermano," is bestowed upon a male community leader and/or one who highly
regarded individual, while the "Hermana" is a female who holds the same regards as the "hermano" within
the Filipino-American community.
"The Selection Committee of the Catholic Action of St. Mary's Church unanimously named Fe and Danny for
the various positive deeds both husband and wife are accomplishing for the Filipino-Americans in New
Jersey," commented one of the organizers of this popular events among Fil-Ams residing in the tri-states
(New York, New Jersey and Connecticut). "Thousands of people participate in the various events starting with
sports tournaments, 9-day novenas, presentation ball, triduum masses, capped by a gala "Santakrusan '94
Day" solemn concelebrated mass followed by a procession, flower offering and a 'pabitin'. With three 'reyna
elenas' and a 'reyna de las flores' highlighting the event, the procession will be around the streets
encompassing Manila Avenue, the main thoroughfare of Manila Town in Jersey City. "
PRESIDENT OF BUSINESS VENTURES
In the competitive field of business, Fe is a successful entrepreneur of at least three profitable ventures. She
is the President of the Happy Valley Fragrances International, Inc., a flourishing wholesale distributor of
imported and US made fragrances and other beauty products to more than 1,000 boutiques across the nation
as well as overseas, with annual sales totaling in the millions of dollars. Its storefront occupies the entire
ground floor of a business building right in the corner of a main thoroughfare of Jersey City, New Jersey.
ONE OF THE FEW FIL-AM GEMOLOGISTS
The Happy Valley Jewelry, Inc. is another thriving business venture that Fe heads as President. One of the
very few Filipino-Americans in the United States known to be in this very competitive business where one
simple mistake could mean losing a substantial fortune, Fe is one of the few Filipino-Americans who have
attained formal education and certified as a gemologist. . Almost daily, Fe deals with the experts, importers
and exporters of diamonds and other precious stones at the exclusive New York Jewelry Mart, where
precious stones worth billions of US dollars are transacted on an hourly basis, from 9 to 3, Monday through
Friday. Public access to the Jewelry Mart is very limited to known legitimate precious stones buyers and
reputable precious stone dealers. Aside from personally buying-and-selling precious stones, Fe owns one
of the service stores inside the mart specializing in designing and setting precious stones according to one’
s taste and needs.
“When I decided to get into the precious stone venture, I fully equipped myself by seriously completing the
rigid requirements and studies of becoming a graduate Gemologist,” explained Fe in this exclusive interview.
“I spent not just months but years of academic studies and on-the-spot training with various institutions and
experts.” Fe is a recipient of several certificates of completion from prestigious institutions such as
Gemological Institute of America in New York City, a branch of the Academy of Graduate Gemogists of Santa
Monica, California; Studio Jewelry Learning Center, New York; and other prominent institutions in the
precious stones industry. She successfully and patiently completed the comprehensive and tedious
studies in all aspects of precious stones. Among the various Certificates of Completion plaques she displays
in her jewelry store are the “Diamonds and Diamond Grading” plaque from Gemological Institute of America;
“Colored Stones, Gem Identification and Colored Stones Grading,” and “Graduate Gemologist” plaques both
from the New york branch of the prestigious and exclusive Academy of Graduate Gemologists of Santa
Monica, Calif.
“Most of the wives of successful Filipino-Americans in the East Coast purchased their one-of-a-kind designed
jewelry directly from Fe ,” explained one of her account executives. “During the APPA Annual Conventions in
various locations around the United States, Fe rents an exhibitor booth to sell her jewelry collections and
designs to Filipino physicians and their family. Sales on those events usually are in hundreds of thousand
dollars.” Other business holdings of the Caliolios are in the homecare, real estate industry and travel agency
business.
Born and raised in Tarlac, Tarlac, Fe is the daughter of Arcadio Martinez of Porac, Pampanga and Lourdes
Cabigtig of Tarlac, Tarlac. She came to the United States in 1975, after graduating as a Registered Nurse in
the Philippines, to continue her nursing education at Manhattan’s New York University School of Nursing.
Upon completion of her advance studies in nursing, Fe, like most Filipino professionals who were lured to
come to the US with full scholarship grants for higher education in America, accepted an offer from Split
Rock Nursing Home in Bronx, NY as Patients Care Coordinator. In 1982, Fe met the dashing young
entrepreneur from Pampanga, Danny Caliolio, and two years later, they were married. The Caliolios have two
lovely daughters: Lauren, 8 years old and Krista, who is now two years old.#
activist who led the Filipinos in street demonstrations, appearing in the same publications were the
announcements of Fe being chosen as a Grand Marshall by the Philippine Day Organizing Council for their
sixth annual Philippine Day parade celebration in Passaic, New Jersey.
The contrasting published dual personalities of Fe typefies the extent of her active participation as a
community leader. “Fe is an accomplished great lady. She’s active in all aspects of the community’s
activities: social, political, cultural, religious, economic and civic activities,” noted Dr. Alice Francisco,
President of the Bergen Phil-Am Lions Club International whose first successful fund raising event in
February last year at the Hilton Meadowlands in Secaucus, New Jersey, was chaired by Fe Caliolio. “She is
indeed a valuable asset to the community.”
PDOC OVERALL CHAIRPERSON
The Philippine Day Organizing Council, the same group that elected Fe as Grand Marshall last year, chose
Fe this year (1994) as its Overall Chairman for their seventh annual Philippine Day celebration in Passaic,
New Jersey. “We need Fe’s caliber of leadership to ensure the success for this most important event of the
Filipinos residing in Passaic, New Jersey,” explained one of the Filipino old-timers in Passaic, a fashionable
residential suburb by the Hudson River just less than fifty miles from the buzzing New York’s Manhattan area.
“This year’s event is expected to draw thousands of Filipino-Americans from New York, New Jersey and
Connecticut region.”
A “Jill of all trade,” Fe is known to be an astute businesswoman who is very knowledgeable in the jewelry
business. In order to be an expert in the studies of precious stones and minerals, Fe took the initiative to
obtain her certificate as bonafide gemologist.
“Spending a day with this lady can easily exhaust an ordinary person,” commented an observer. “In one
instance, she’s giving an instruction to an assistant in her jewelry store; the next time you see her, she’s
dashing to her car on her way to Manhattan to confer with business associates; and inside her luxurious
automobile, she was on her cellular telephone conferring with one of her committee chairpersons on final
preparations of one of the local functions where she was elected as overall top honcho.”
OFFICER OF VARIOUS ORGANIZATIONS
Fe’s leadership has always been in demand among the various organizations that she actively participates,
particularly the Garden State Filipino American Association where she is the Vice President. With the
Federation of Philippine Societies in New Jersey, Inc., the umbrella organization of all Filipino groups in the
State of New Jersey, Fe is a Board Member and is always called upon to assist the Federation. As Board
Member of the Bergen Phil-Am Lions Club, Fe effectively interacts with various non-Filipino members of other
chapters of the Lions Club. Her provincemates unanimously elected her as the Chairlady of Tarlac’s
Carinosa-USA., a nationwide organization of Filipino-Americans from the Province of Tarlac, home province
of the Filipino martyr, Ninoy Aquino.
HERMANO & HERMANA MAYOR SANTACRUSAN '94
Selected as the 1994 Hermano and Hermana Mayor of the sixteenth annual celebration on the Catholic Action
of Mary of St. Mary's Catholic Church located on 2nd and Erie Streets in Jersey City, NJ, with festivities starting
from April 17th until May 29th, Danny and Fe Caliolio are the first husband and wife team to have these
distinct honors. Normally, the "Hermano," is bestowed upon a male community leader and/or one who highly
regarded individual, while the "Hermana" is a female who holds the same regards as the "hermano" within
the Filipino-American community.
"The Selection Committee of the Catholic Action of St. Mary's Church unanimously named Fe and Danny for
the various positive deeds both husband and wife are accomplishing for the Filipino-Americans in New
Jersey," commented one of the organizers of this popular events among Fil-Ams residing in the tri-states
(New York, New Jersey and Connecticut). "Thousands of people participate in the various events starting with
sports tournaments, 9-day novenas, presentation ball, triduum masses, capped by a gala "Santakrusan '94
Day" solemn concelebrated mass followed by a procession, flower offering and a 'pabitin'. With three 'reyna
elenas' and a 'reyna de las flores' highlighting the event, the procession will be around the streets
encompassing Manila Avenue, the main thoroughfare of Manila Town in Jersey City. "
PRESIDENT OF BUSINESS VENTURES
In the competitive field of business, Fe is a successful entrepreneur of at least three profitable ventures. She
is the President of the Happy Valley Fragrances International, Inc., a flourishing wholesale distributor of
imported and US made fragrances and other beauty products to more than 1,000 boutiques across the nation
as well as overseas, with annual sales totaling in the millions of dollars. Its storefront occupies the entire
ground floor of a business building right in the corner of a main thoroughfare of Jersey City, New Jersey.
ONE OF THE FEW FIL-AM GEMOLOGISTS
The Happy Valley Jewelry, Inc. is another thriving business venture that Fe heads as President. One of the
very few Filipino-Americans in the United States known to be in this very competitive business where one
simple mistake could mean losing a substantial fortune, Fe is one of the few Filipino-Americans who have
attained formal education and certified as a gemologist. . Almost daily, Fe deals with the experts, importers
and exporters of diamonds and other precious stones at the exclusive New York Jewelry Mart, where
precious stones worth billions of US dollars are transacted on an hourly basis, from 9 to 3, Monday through
Friday. Public access to the Jewelry Mart is very limited to known legitimate precious stones buyers and
reputable precious stone dealers. Aside from personally buying-and-selling precious stones, Fe owns one
of the service stores inside the mart specializing in designing and setting precious stones according to one’
s taste and needs.
“When I decided to get into the precious stone venture, I fully equipped myself by seriously completing the
rigid requirements and studies of becoming a graduate Gemologist,” explained Fe in this exclusive interview.
“I spent not just months but years of academic studies and on-the-spot training with various institutions and
experts.” Fe is a recipient of several certificates of completion from prestigious institutions such as
Gemological Institute of America in New York City, a branch of the Academy of Graduate Gemogists of Santa
Monica, California; Studio Jewelry Learning Center, New York; and other prominent institutions in the
precious stones industry. She successfully and patiently completed the comprehensive and tedious
studies in all aspects of precious stones. Among the various Certificates of Completion plaques she displays
in her jewelry store are the “Diamonds and Diamond Grading” plaque from Gemological Institute of America;
“Colored Stones, Gem Identification and Colored Stones Grading,” and “Graduate Gemologist” plaques both
from the New york branch of the prestigious and exclusive Academy of Graduate Gemologists of Santa
Monica, Calif.
“Most of the wives of successful Filipino-Americans in the East Coast purchased their one-of-a-kind designed
jewelry directly from Fe ,” explained one of her account executives. “During the APPA Annual Conventions in
various locations around the United States, Fe rents an exhibitor booth to sell her jewelry collections and
designs to Filipino physicians and their family. Sales on those events usually are in hundreds of thousand
dollars.” Other business holdings of the Caliolios are in the homecare, real estate industry and travel agency
business.
Born and raised in Tarlac, Tarlac, Fe is the daughter of Arcadio Martinez of Porac, Pampanga and Lourdes
Cabigtig of Tarlac, Tarlac. She came to the United States in 1975, after graduating as a Registered Nurse in
the Philippines, to continue her nursing education at Manhattan’s New York University School of Nursing.
Upon completion of her advance studies in nursing, Fe, like most Filipino professionals who were lured to
come to the US with full scholarship grants for higher education in America, accepted an offer from Split
Rock Nursing Home in Bronx, NY as Patients Care Coordinator. In 1982, Fe met the dashing young
entrepreneur from Pampanga, Danny Caliolio, and two years later, they were married. The Caliolios have two
lovely daughters: Lauren, 8 years old and Krista, who is now two years old.#
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Washington D.C. Since 1987
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