| Carmencita "Ging" R. Hernandez Toronto, Ontario, Canada Community Leader and Champion of Worthy Causes |
For Carmencita R. Hernandez, 1997 is another rewarding year.
The Kababayan Community Centre of which she is a founding
board member and its current chairperson is celebrating its 20th
year of community service. Integral to Kababayan are its staff,
board members and volunteers. At least three committees -
seniors, youth and women - are part of the solid foundation of this
community organization.
Carmencita came to Canadian 1975 after her studies and
practical training in Minneapolis. With a Masters of Science
Degree in Finance from the University of Minnesota, Carmencita
worked for Pillsbury Company as a corporate auditor. She works
for the Ministry of the Attorney General (MAG). She was the
accountant of the Ontario Court and is now Manager of Client
Services, Family Support Plan. The break in service court with
MAG was between 1992-1993 when she joined Jobs Ontario as
Senior Financial Coordinator.
The Kababayan Community Centre of which she is a founding
board member and its current chairperson is celebrating its 20th
year of community service. Integral to Kababayan are its staff,
board members and volunteers. At least three committees -
seniors, youth and women - are part of the solid foundation of this
community organization.
Carmencita came to Canadian 1975 after her studies and
practical training in Minneapolis. With a Masters of Science
Degree in Finance from the University of Minnesota, Carmencita
worked for Pillsbury Company as a corporate auditor. She works
for the Ministry of the Attorney General (MAG). She was the
accountant of the Ontario Court and is now Manager of Client
Services, Family Support Plan. The break in service court with
MAG was between 1992-1993 when she joined Jobs Ontario as
Senior Financial Coordinator.
The beginnings of her community involvement could be traced when she joined a human rights and anti-
dictatorship group known as the Coalition Against the Marcos Dictatorship. She continues her commitment to
the Filipino people through her participation with the Philippines Canada Human Resources Development
Program and the Philippine Development Assistance Program. She is a member of the Philippines-Canada
Development Forum and Philippine Historical Society.
Recognizing the need to reach out and work with other communities, Carmencita began working with the
immigrant and visible minority women community in addressing racism and sexism in 1981. A founding
member of the Coalition of Visible Minority Women, Carmencita was part of the core that designed and
implemented programs to enable immigrant women to practice their profession in Canada. The well known
and publicized program focused on foreign trained nurses. For its initiatives, the Coalition was given an
Employment Equity Award by the Ontario Women’s Directorate. She also served as board member of
Intercede, an advocacy group for domestic workers. Carmencita was elected as Regional Vice President of
the National Organization of Immigrant and Visible Minority Women in 1986. In 1987, Carmencita received
the City of Toronto Constance Hamilton Award and The Toronto Star Woman of the Year 1989 award. She
also received the prestigious YWCA Women of Distinction Award in 1990. She participated in international
conferences in Nairobi and the Philippines.
Carmencita represented Kababayan in a conference on violence against women sponsored by the YWCA in
1987. The year after, Kababayan and the Network of Filipino Canadian Women conducted a series of
workshops with members of the Filipino community on violence against women. In addition, a report on mail
order bride was also undertaken. In 1992, as Regional Vice President of the National Organization of Filipino
Canadians Greater Toronto Area, Carmencita with a group of women organized the First Filipino-Canadian
National Conference on Wife Assault held in Montreal.
The community work of Carmencita did not go unnoticed in the Philippines. In December 1993, she received
the BANAAG Award from President Fidel V. Ramos. The only Filipino in Canada to receive an award that year,
she was asked to speak on behalf of all awardees from all over the world.
Her community and volunteer activities served as rich materials in doing development education work. She
was a co-script writer of the first Filipino-Canadian dramatic play “Carding - the plight of an immigrant."
Produced by the Filipino-Canadian Cultural Workshop (now known as the Carlos Bulosan Cultural
Workshop), it was first presented in 1984 and again in 1985. Recognizing the power of theater and arts in
addressing social issues, Pinoy Sa Canada and Teatro Pinoy produced “My Grandmother and I,” an original
theater production on AIDS, discrimination and family conflict. Written by Lani Montreal, “My Grandmother
and I” was presented twice in Toronto (Dec. 1994 and July 1995) and once in Montreal (Sept. 1995). The
group was also invited to present excerpts of the play at the Vancouver Playhouse during the XI International
Conference on AIDS in July 1996. Carmencita was the Executive Producer.
A contributing editor of Balita, Carmencita is also the Associate Publisher of Pinoy Sa Canada. A Pinoy-Sa-
Canada web page is in the process of being designed and is expected to be operational by the summer. In
addition, Carmencita advocated for the licensing of a multicultural radio station CHKT 1430 AM and a Filipino
radio program - Flipside. Produced by Carmen Cusipag, it started broadcasting March 3, 1997, Monday to
Friday, 10 pm to 12 midnight.
Perhaps her current community involvement may help lead to the building of a multi-purpose facility for more
than 70,000 strong Filipino-Canadian artists. AMOR - Arts Music on Reflections - paves the way for greater
participation of visual artists, writers, composers, musicians, and playwrights. #
dictatorship group known as the Coalition Against the Marcos Dictatorship. She continues her commitment to
the Filipino people through her participation with the Philippines Canada Human Resources Development
Program and the Philippine Development Assistance Program. She is a member of the Philippines-Canada
Development Forum and Philippine Historical Society.
Recognizing the need to reach out and work with other communities, Carmencita began working with the
immigrant and visible minority women community in addressing racism and sexism in 1981. A founding
member of the Coalition of Visible Minority Women, Carmencita was part of the core that designed and
implemented programs to enable immigrant women to practice their profession in Canada. The well known
and publicized program focused on foreign trained nurses. For its initiatives, the Coalition was given an
Employment Equity Award by the Ontario Women’s Directorate. She also served as board member of
Intercede, an advocacy group for domestic workers. Carmencita was elected as Regional Vice President of
the National Organization of Immigrant and Visible Minority Women in 1986. In 1987, Carmencita received
the City of Toronto Constance Hamilton Award and The Toronto Star Woman of the Year 1989 award. She
also received the prestigious YWCA Women of Distinction Award in 1990. She participated in international
conferences in Nairobi and the Philippines.
Carmencita represented Kababayan in a conference on violence against women sponsored by the YWCA in
1987. The year after, Kababayan and the Network of Filipino Canadian Women conducted a series of
workshops with members of the Filipino community on violence against women. In addition, a report on mail
order bride was also undertaken. In 1992, as Regional Vice President of the National Organization of Filipino
Canadians Greater Toronto Area, Carmencita with a group of women organized the First Filipino-Canadian
National Conference on Wife Assault held in Montreal.
The community work of Carmencita did not go unnoticed in the Philippines. In December 1993, she received
the BANAAG Award from President Fidel V. Ramos. The only Filipino in Canada to receive an award that year,
she was asked to speak on behalf of all awardees from all over the world.
Her community and volunteer activities served as rich materials in doing development education work. She
was a co-script writer of the first Filipino-Canadian dramatic play “Carding - the plight of an immigrant."
Produced by the Filipino-Canadian Cultural Workshop (now known as the Carlos Bulosan Cultural
Workshop), it was first presented in 1984 and again in 1985. Recognizing the power of theater and arts in
addressing social issues, Pinoy Sa Canada and Teatro Pinoy produced “My Grandmother and I,” an original
theater production on AIDS, discrimination and family conflict. Written by Lani Montreal, “My Grandmother
and I” was presented twice in Toronto (Dec. 1994 and July 1995) and once in Montreal (Sept. 1995). The
group was also invited to present excerpts of the play at the Vancouver Playhouse during the XI International
Conference on AIDS in July 1996. Carmencita was the Executive Producer.
A contributing editor of Balita, Carmencita is also the Associate Publisher of Pinoy Sa Canada. A Pinoy-Sa-
Canada web page is in the process of being designed and is expected to be operational by the summer. In
addition, Carmencita advocated for the licensing of a multicultural radio station CHKT 1430 AM and a Filipino
radio program - Flipside. Produced by Carmen Cusipag, it started broadcasting March 3, 1997, Monday to
Friday, 10 pm to 12 midnight.
Perhaps her current community involvement may help lead to the building of a multi-purpose facility for more
than 70,000 strong Filipino-Canadian artists. AMOR - Arts Music on Reflections - paves the way for greater
participation of visual artists, writers, composers, musicians, and playwrights. #
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