Malou gets creative for July 27 fashion show

Malou Cordery with her models

by Susan Palmes-Dennis

Charlotte, North Carolina--Chicken feathers sourced from Villanueva town in Misamis Oriental, northern Mindanao in the Philippines was used to create a headpiece for male models  in a fashion show to be held at the  Lemeridien Hotel here on Saturday, July 27.

The headpiece is designed by Malou Tabada Cordery, originally from Villanueva, town and now a sought after avant garde fashion designer here in Charlotte. 

Malou was asked to create an outfit by Fashion D’ Lux for their editorial photoshoot titled the “New Male Warrior.” .She then made her own interpretation of a modern male warrior and submitted it to Fashion D’Lux as requested. 

Fashion D” Lux's fashion show entitled “The Modern Masculinity/ The New Male Warrior” will benefit the “Lily Pad Haven,Inc” founded by Carla Tweddale which supports victims of human trafficking. 

Prior to the show, Malou was asked to submit a picture of her creations.
“The next thing I knew the organization  set an editorial photoshoot session for their social media news, flyers, and cards.” Malou said.

She made two garments for the two male models and worked on it for two hours every night for two weeks. 

“The material I used are really my comfort zone materials---“recyclable materials. I used burlap, disposable hospital lab gown and painted them gold.” It was easy for her to find a hospital lab gown since she worked at a local hospital. 

Online buzz builds for fashion show

Malou used old used black yarn in creating tassels along with gold party plastic cups and beads to create jewelry. 

And the  chicken feathers and broken window blinds were used to create a headpiece. 

The chicken feathers came from her hometown of Villanueva where she was born and raised until she migrated to the Carolinas 25 years ago. 

“I have those feathers for the last 20 years and I don’t know why I brought those feathers,” Malou said. She recycled the feathers and used them for different projects all of which brought joy to her heart.

Malou came from the Tabada and Tadeo families in Villanueva and Tagoloan towns of Misamis Oriental and she got married to Richard Cordery 26 years ago. Their union is blessed by two lovely and charming daughters named Genevieve and Alyson. 

She has no particular designer that influenced her and she said she loves all up o  beautiful dresses that are displayed in stores and malls. Malou is a self-taught designer, reading up on the latest fashion trends to hone her craft.  She recalled that fashion designing is not new to her.

“As a young girl growing up in the Philippines, I was always cutting paper or shaping banana leaves to create doll dresses. I designed my first dress when I was in college. I joined the Achievers Club in my hometown of Villanueva.” Malou said. 

The Achievers Club is a group of ladies, mothers, sisters and friends who gather every Saturday morning for an arts and craft class. 

Right now, Malou is preparing for her new project in Charlotte in September and is busy helping online her younger cousin Ericka Paulin on how to win the Miss Cagayan de Oro 2018 pageant.

Baguio beauty wins Miss Talent in Charlotte pageant

Elvie Bramich with her costume and 'banga' 

By Susan Palmes-Dennis

Charlotte, North Carolina--When it comes to achieving one's dreams, one has to believe in it enough to motivate oneself into making it a reality. 

This is the truism that Elvie Bramich lives by and she proved it by winning Miss Talent and landing in the top 5 of the Kalayaan at Kagandahan ng Pilipinas pageant held at the Tintin Restaurant in Charlotte, North Carolina last July 7.

The event spearheaded by the Filipino-American Community of the Carolinas, Inc,(FACC) is held to commemorate the annual Filipino-American Friendship Day.

For her winning performance, Elvie realized her dream of dancing the “banga”, a popular folk dance in Baguio City which she represented in the pageant.

Elvie, a bank employee who likes computer technology since she was young, got her inspiration on dancing the banga from seeing women in Benguet province where she was born.

Despite moving to Cebu later on, Elvie didn't stop dreaming about performing the “Sayaw sa Banga” or “Dance of the Jar.” In Benguet, banga is a round pot or jar made of clay used for fetching water.

The challenge lay in balancing the pot or jar on her head and she practiced for two weeks with her mentor and coach Maria Corazon Ducusin, who had been dancing the banga in many major Filipino-American events in Charlotte.

For two painful weeks, Elvie practiced the banga and she had a stiff neck and back pain though she didn't show it. She was thankful to Ducusin for training her and providing her the costume and equipment for her dance.

The event only showed her determination to do things well. She graduated with a Computer Science degree at the Divine Mercy Computer College in the Philippines  and later earned an Information Technology degree at ITT Tech North Carolina. 

She studied for two years and was the class salutatorian. Elvie wanted to be active in fund raisers and ministries. 

Elvie was also thankful to Marjorie Ray for “polishing her steps” and Muffy Therrien, whose birthday celebration theme of “Ms Around The World” that motivated her to join the July 7 pageant.

Lastly, she was thankful to friends, her church Grace Point International Church (GPI) and her family for cheering her on and to the FACC for sponsoring the event.

“The pageant taught me a lot of things....how to be patient and manage my time and be respectful to others by being punctual and maintaining a good attitude towards others at all times,” she said.

Elvie said all the candidates were gorgeous and supportive of each other. “There's no jealousy and cat fights. We just did our thing and had fun the entire time. We supported each other,” she said.

“I definitely gained lots of friends, good, lovely friends. I'll say that the whole experience made me a better person- inside and out,” Elvie said.

Other winners in the show were Bb. Pilipinas Carolinas Eillen de Guzman, Bb. Pilipinas Earth Ashley Faye Perez, Cecilia Tolbert who won Ms Congeniality and Lindsay Carter. 

Other candidates who joined the pageant were Diannah Rose Sumile, Karen Dalton,Marilou Connie Vitug,Nikki and Mellow Shindler.Those who served as judges were Dwayne Asay,Mae Armstead and Muffy Therrien.

The event was choregraphed and produced by Tonette Asay,a trained member of the Philippine Theater Association and a theater scripwriter. 

Amie Ervay and Rob Gorlach provided the entertainment. Gorlach sand two classics ”What a Wonderful World” and “Fly Me to the Moon” while Ervay performed the song “It’s Never Enough.”  

FACC youth treasurer is Bb, Pilipinas Earth winner

by Susan Palmes-Dennis

Charlotte, North Carolina---The treasurer of the Filipino-American Community of the Carolinas Inc. (FACC) youth group won the Bb. Pilipinas Earth title of the FACC's Kalayaan at Kagandahan ng Pilipinas pageant last July 7.

Ashley Faye Perez was crowned by Amie Ervay in a standing room capacity at the TinTin theater. She also grabbed the best in gown award with her outfit that she designed herself. 

“I designed this dress to represent my hometown of San Juan, Batangas which is known for its pristine beaches and beautiful coral reefs,” she said. 

Her skirt is made of a fishing net that she said represents her town's fishing industry while her headdress is made of chicken feathers that illustrates the “sabong (cockfight) culture” of San Juanenos. Her necklace illustrates the town's corral reefs.

Ashley, who has a good singing voice, performed the “Tala” song of popular Filipino singer Sarah Geronimo. She used to sing the anthems in last year's FACC events. 

Ashley also received $250 cash, sash and a feature story at the FACC souvenir program on its gala event. 

The Kalayaan at Kagandahan ng Pilipinas ng Pilipinas pageant was spearheaded by the FACC under the leadership of its current president Jyoti Friedland. 

Ashley wants to join the US Navy and a take pre-medical course in college which she said would enable her to achieve professional advancement and give back to the Filipino-American community.

“My winning the title is very significant to me as a youth because I want to be a good example to every young Filipina. I want to show them that even at a young age, I am confident to show the world what I am capable of,” she said.

Ashley described her pageant stint as fun. “It was awesome to meet the other candidates who are interesting women, beautiful, kind and talented,” she said

Ashley recently graduated from Rocky River High School here at North Carolina and while in High School at Joseph Marello Institute in Batangas,Philippines,  she was active in her school theater club and varsity table tennis team.She also joined dance competitions. 

During the interview portion Ashley was asked about selfies and she said there is nothing wrong with people taking selfies.  

“I’m surrounded with people who love to take selfies. My mom loves selfies. She It is one way of showing the likeness of our own physical beauty because no one would love us the way we love ourselves. It is also a way to gain more confidence to show the world that we are beautiful,” she said, drawing appreciative laughter from the crowd.

She added that she will compliment those who take selfies “if it helps them to be more comfortable of their appearance.”

When asked what she intends to do after the pageant she said she would be more active in the community. 

“I will use my platform to encourage my fellow Filipino youths and others to be more aware of their community and also of their background,” Ashley said.

Ashley thanked incumbent FACC incumbent secretary Mary Anne dela Peña for the sponsorship and also thanked her family, relatives and friends for their 100 percent support to her joining the pageant.

Other winners in the pageant were Bb. Pilipinas Carolinas Eillen de Guzman, Elvie Bramich who won Ms. Talent, Cecilia Tolbert who won Ms. Congeniality and Lindsay Carter. 

Other candidates who joined the pageant were Diannah Rose Sumile, Karen Dalton, Marilou Connie Vitug, Nikki and Mellow Shindler. Those who served as judges in the FACC pageant were Dwayne Asay, Mael Armstead and Muffy Therrien. 

Amie Ervay and Rob Gorlach provided the entertainment. Gorlach sang two classics “What A Wonderful World” and “Fly Me to the Moon” while Amie performed the song “It's Never Enough.”

The event was choregraphed and produced by Tonette Asay, a trained member of the Philippine Theater Association and a theater scriptwriter.  

Legal Studies student wins FACC's Bb Pilipinas Carolinas pageant

Eileen de Guzman wants to promote Fil-American community presence

by Susan Palmes-Dennis

Charlotte, North Carolina--A 26-year-old student taking up Legal Studies got crowned as the winner of the Bb. Pilipinas Carolinas pageant held by the Filipino-American Community of the Carolinas Inc. (FACC) held at the TinTin Restaurant in downtown Charlotte, North Carolina last Saturday, July 7.

Eileen de Guzman of Mooresville, North Carolina wore a “banig (straw mat)” style dress made of dried palm leaves as she was crowned Bb. Pilipinas Carolinas by Dhi Donato, first vice president of FACC.

De Guzman bested other candidates in becoming the first Filipino-American beauty  to hold the title sponsored by FACC. Aside from the crown, she received a US $500 and a featured story  in the FACC Gala Souvenir Program.

De Guzman chose the dress made by her sister artist Edelweiss de Guzman since she is an environment advocate. The material was supposed to be disposed by a friend and instead was used to make a dress which drew the attention of the Fil-American community. 

Unknown to the crowd of more than 250 at TinTin restaurant at downtown Charlotte, de Guzman was teary-eyed when asked what was the most important thing taught by her mother during the question and answer portion. 

She said her mother taught her to care for others since “caring is hardest thing to do.”  She said it is human nature to care for yourself before caring for others.

“If I did not have that trait I do not think I will be who I am today. I have cared for so many people in my life that I have put them first before me,” de Guzman said.

Eileen's gown is inspired by the Filipino straw mat called banig

As pageant winner de Guzman is excited in her new role. “I want to encourage the Filipino-American Student Union (FASU) to get involved with FACC and the community,” she said.

In addition, she wants the Eskuwelahang Munti (Little School) Charlotte to be publicized so anyone who wants to learn Tagalog can do so along with the culture of the Philippines.

“I want our Filipino-American children not to forget their roots of their motherland. I want to promote Filipino culture, language and history in social media and raise awareness of what is happening in the Philippines, so we can help our kababayans (fellow Filipinos) in need,” de Guzman said.

As  ambassador of the FACC, de Guzman said she would like to ensure that FACC's legacy will be passed down to next year's winner so she can look back and see her successor work even harder to promote awareness of the Filipinos in the Carolinas. She said she was also impressed with the other candidates.

“I was impressed even though we belong to different age groups but we managed to work with one another and remain humble. When I arrived, I was taken aback by how nice and helpful the co-candidates were with preparing with make-up, and they were encouraging one another when the talent portion is up,” de Guzman said.

She admitted she is not good in doing make up but fellow-candidate Connie Marilou Rodis Vitug helped her out. A little background info: Eileen de Guzman was born in the Philippines on September 21,1992 and her family moved to the US when she was eight. 

After high school she went to Mars Hill in her first year of college then she transferred to UNC-Charlotte where she graduated with a Sociology degree with a minor in Women and Gender Studies. 

She will graduate with a Masters degree in Legal Studies (MLS) at Washington University School of Laws. This is her first time to compete in a beauty pageant and she is happy and excited about it.

“During the pageant I realized everything is not just physical beauty but how you represent your beauty from within as well. Beauty comes from within and it will shine when it is your moment. I want to leave a legacy and to make sure the next Bb. Pilipinas Carolina will take this seriously so that we can empower the Filipinos that we are here for one another and that they are not alone,” de Guzman said.

Other winners in the pageant were Bb.Pilipinas  Earth Ashley Faye Perez who also won the Best in gown and Elvie Bramich who won Ms. Talent. 

Rounding out the top 5 were Cecelia Tolbert who won Ms. Congeniality and  Lindsay Carter. 

Other candidates who participated were Diannah Rose Sumile Capunay (Forest City), Karen Dalton, Marilou Connie Vitug, Nikki Shindler and Mellow Shindler. 

The judges in the FACC led pageant were Dwayne Asay, Mae Nonato Armstead and Muffy Therrien. Tonette Asay produced and choreographed the event. 

Asay is a trained member of the Philippine Theater Association and is a scriptwriter on theater. The entertainment was provided by Amie Ervay and Rob Gorlach while Joy Moore emceed the event.  

Kalayaan at Kagandahan ng Pilipinas pageant on July 7

by Susan Palmes-Dennis

Charlotte, North Carolina--Eleven candidates will compete for the Kalayaan at Kagandahan ng Pilipinas pageant to be held at the New Tintin Restaurant in 10215 Park Road, Charlotte on Saturday, July 7.

The event is part of the comemoration of Philippine Independence Day here at Charlotte, NC  and is hosted by the Filipino-American Community of the Carolinas, Inc. (FACC).

Tonette Asay was appointed by FACC 2018 president Jyoti Friedland to organize and head the search.  

The 11 candidates are Conception Paylor, Diannah Rose Sumile Capunay, Lindsay Carter, Karen Dalton, Eilleen de Guzman, Connie Vitug, Nikki Shindler, Mellow Shindler, Cecelia Tolbert, Ashley Faye Perez and Elvie Bramich. 

Contestants will be judged based on their intelligence, sincerity, honesty, diction, beauty, poise, stage presence and overall appearance.

There would be a casual wear, formal wear and interview portions and they will be scored on their answers. 

Among the titles up for grabs are Bb.Pilipinas Carolina, Bb. Pilipinas Carolina Earth, Best in Gown, Ms. Talent and Ms. Congeniality. The board of judges consist of Rose Talley, Muffy Therrien and Dwayne Asay.

The candidates were asked to answer five questions: Indicate who they are, where they were from, when they were born, their early life, important figure/s in their lives, words of wisdom from their influencer, and how these words impact their lives. 

Among the candidates are:

Ashley Faye Perez 

Born in San Juan, Batangas, Philippines May 17, 2000, she spent some time in San Juan, Batangas with relatives. 

In high school she was active in her school choir and theater club, varsity table tennis and dance company. She also joined the Senakulo sponsored by the parish church in the town plaza. 

She graduated from Rocky River High School and is preparing to join the Navy. She considers actress Emma Watson as an influence for going back to school despite being in showbiz.

Her words to live by were “beauty is not physical but experience, of living a full life.”  “It will remind me about the importance of life and not always the material things,” she said.

Cecelia Tolbert.

Cecilia is 16 years old, born on April 22 and raised in Dallas, NC with two brothers, one older and one younger. She attended a private Catholic school for nine years.

She loves art and considers her mother Runa as a major influence for teaching her how to live and enjoy life. She wants to take up a Physical Therapy course. 

Concepcion Paylor.

Originally Elma Auman, Concepcion was born on September 15, 1970 in Placer town, Masbate province in the Philippines and lived in a farm with a family of nine.

With no electricity at home, Concepcion walked miles to go to school and this taught her to work hard for everything in her life. She said her mother, Filipina Auman, taught her to be strong and she now imparts that strength to her children.

She said her mother taught her to value education and to be humble and respectful towards other people. She graduated at the Southern Masbate Roosevelt College. If she wins, she plans to donate her winnings to a church or charity in the Philippines. 

Diannah Rose Sumile Capunay

Born in the Philippines on February 24, 1998, she and her sister were raised by her mother who met another man that became Diannah's stepfather. 

At 20 years of age, she said she experienced “many interesting and diverse people” during family gatherings and she considers her mother, who brought her and her sister to the US, as a major influence in her life. 

She said her mother inspired her to work hard and to care for other people. She plans to become a model or actress and a victory in the pageant is a good stepping stone for those goals. 

Elvira Bramich

Born in Benguet Baguio City, she grew up in Cebu. A single mother, she graduated with a Computer Science degree at the Divine Mercy Computer College and later earned an Information Technology degree at ITT Tech North Carolina.

Her words of wisdom are to “always put onerself in the other's shoes” to appreciate their status in life. If she wins, she wants to be active in fund raisers and ministries. 

Lindsay Klaire Bobares Carter. 

At 16 years old, Lindsay was born in Tacloban City, Leyte on May 17, 2002. She is in 10th grade at Cox Mill High School and is a member of the National Beta Club, Key Club International, HOSA club, and art club. 

She babysits for kids in her neighborhood every day after school and is an active volunteer in the children’s ministry of Concord International Church. I am also a member of the Couples for Christ (CFC) Youth for Christ.

She is in the top 100 in her class of 2020 and was chosen to be a part of the Cambridge International Program in 2015 and 2016. 

She graduated summa cum laude at Cabarrus Charter Academy and considers volleyball as her sport of choice, attending Davidson College Volleyball Camp and Carolina Juniors Volleyball camps.

She is passionate about science and loves to read and write in her spare time. She volunteers at local food banks, nursing homes, and many school events. 

She lost her dad who passed away when she was about to turn four years old. She said she learned to process her grief and considers her mother to be her major influence.

Describing herself as “independent, well driven, and hardworking” she dreams of becoming a model and she is optimistic that she can achieve her goals in life in time. 

Connie Marilou Rodis Vitug.

Born December 8, 1961 in V-Luna Gen. Hospital in Quezon City she was the first born of 1st Lt. Generoso Vitug and Rosalinda Rodis Vitug. 

She wanted to become a doctor but due to the long years of study she took up dentistry instead, graduating in 1984 at Centro Escolar University College of Dentistry and passing the dental board exam. 

She worked in the Philippines and spent four years working in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia as a dental supervisor in Sigal Dental Center. 

She was a board member of the San Juan Dental Chapter of the Philippine Dental Association from 1995-1996 and became vice president from 1996-1997. She’s a single mom to her three daughters ages 34, 32 and 28.  

As of the moment she already has four grandkids from her two daughters back in the Philippines. Like any immigrant, she had the American dream when she moved to the US in 2007 with her youngest daughter Ivy.  

She worls as a nursing assistant in Novant Health Hospital and her faith in God sustains her life in the US. If she wins, she wants to join in dental outreach programs in the US. 

Eilleen de Guzman.

Born in the Philippines on Sept. 21, 1992  she moved to the US when she was eight years old and lived with her aunt at Davidson, NC and later moved to Mooresville. 

After high school she went to Mars Hill in her first year in college then transferred to UNC-Charlotte where she graduated with a Sociology degree with a minor in Women and Gender Studies. She will graduate with a Masters degree in Legal Studies (MLS) at Washington University School of Law. 

As a kid she loved to play outside until sundown. She said she knew what it was to grow up hungry in poor but it shouldn't stop people from finding their purpose in life.

She had many people whom she considers as an influence including her teacher Janet Kurtz who told her that education is key to moving ahead in life.

She said people like her should work hard to get what they want and to be themseves, to stay humble and remain optimistic. 

If she wins, she plans to donate half of her winnings to Hope House Foundation in Huntsville, NC. She plans to set up a business in the Philippines and work for providing shelter to the homeless.

Karen Dalton

Born in Bayawan City, Negros Oriental, Karen is a 32-year-old mother of three. She said she wants to share her knowledge and ideas to those around her and to help people and care for animals.

Her words of wisdom are to “live, love and to be patient, humble and kind to other people since life is too short to be lived in any other way.” 

Florami does God's work in New York

Florami (third from left) with some of the volunteers

By Susan Palmes-Dennis


Charlotte, North Caroina--From community builder to church mission trips, Florami Lao Cordero–Lee keeps busy these days by serving the Lord through Sunday School.


Lee recently helped in gathering the biggest Sunday School in Bronx, New York and offered to work for the Metro World Child group based in Brooklyn, New York.


The Metro World Child Group is an organization founded by Pastor Bill Wilson. Lee was invited by Lisa Sustar of Joy Church based in Matthwes, North Carolina. The New York mission trip was held from June 7- 10.


“We took youth groups aged 11 to 19 years old and 6 adults,” Lee said. The organization is a global faith-based humanitarian group dedicated to serving inner city children throughout New York City and urban centers around the world.

Sustar organized the trip and the volunteers meet for a few Sundays to learn about the mission trip and to get to know everyone.


“We had one final day to get together and spent dinner with the families before our departure. Most of the people that went were families too. When we got to work the first day, at the Metro World Child's warehouse, we have to put together 1,000 small boxes, then filled it up with goodies. I think we finished in less than three hours,” Lee said.

Lee was the president of the Filipino-American Community of the Carolinas, Inc (FACC) five years ago. 

For the mission trip, Lee said the volunteers were divided into groups of three and were accompanied by a preacher and interns for a sidewalk Sunday school.


“We went with a Korean lady from Japan, another lady from France and one from Canada.The preachers is from Russia. We went to three areas in the Bronx and helped with the singing, registration and witnessing to children,” Lee said.


On Saturday, Lee said the volunteers picked up the children from the inner cities in a school bus and brought them to a school auditorium for Sunday school.


“The boxes we made were given to these children as we brought them back home in the school bus again.There were almost 55 kids in the bus i was in, Some were siblings and the youngest was two years old,” Lee said.


“It was a very humbling experience to be able to volunteer and give hope to the children through Sunday School. This is all for God's glory. He gives me time, talent and resources. With the support of my family and friends and prayers. God willing, I will do it again,” Lee said.


This is Lee’s second mission trip after her trip to Nicaragua in October last year. As someone who personally witnessed her work up close, Lee truly exudes the spirit of volunteerism.