Next Generation

If your parents are part of Mekong Circle International or you have an interest in the organization's mission and would like to get involved, please send us your information to help us in compiling a directory of the members of the "Next Generation."

Your time in filling out this form is greatly appreciated.

Please cut and paste the following questions and answer in an e-mail to us here.

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1) Name

2) Parents

3) Address

4) Phone/fax

5) e-mail address

6) Date of birth

7) Country of birth

8) Been to Laos? When?

9) Education

10) Profession

11) Family (spouse, children, names, ages, etc.)

Additional comments

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If you have any further questions or comments, please contact B.J. Reyes, Board of Directors member representing the Next Generation.

Contact Information

Mekong Circle International strives to keep an accurate, up-to-date directory of all members. If your contact information has changed recently, we ask that you provide the updated information.

Please cut and paste the following questions and into an e-mail message, answer them and send to us here.

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1) Name/nickname

2) Spouse name/nickname

3) Address

4) Phone number

5) Fax number

6) e-mail address

7) Please list your employer(s) in Laos, include group name, location and years from 19XX-XX

8) Please list your spouse's employer(s) in Laos, include group name, location and years from 19XX-XX

9) Children/grandchildren (names and ages) Additional comments

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Any questions or comments, please contact the Webmaster or Puring de Jesus either by e-mail or phone (513) 295-7866.

Photos

All photo submissions from members are gladly welcome. It is recommended that you upload your photos to a photosharing Web site (Picasa, Photobucket, Snapfish, etc.) and send us the link. We will post the photos in this section. Send your link to webmaster@mekongcircle.org

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Photo Essay
08-25-2001: A trip to Laos by Vitoy and Joji Naranjo

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Reunion Photos (submitted by members)

2008, Philippines/Laos
2006, Florida/Bahamas
2004, Chicago
2002, New York City
2000, San Francisco
1998, Los Angeles
1995, Los Angeles

Support our Mission

Mekong Circle International, Inc., is a tax-exempt organization as specified under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Service Code, federal ID No.: 91-2080538. Donations made to Mekong Circle are tax-deductible charitable contributions. In addition, gifts or bequests made to Mekong Circle are deductible in computing federal gift and estate taxes.

If you are interested in helping our mission, financial support is the most efficient way to assist. Donations should be made payable to "Mekong Circle International" and sent to the address of Dr. Pete Paluay listed below.

Important: If you would like your donation to go to a specific project (for example, the scholarships program or reunion planning committee) please indicate with a notation in the lower left corner of the check on the "memo" line. Donations to specific programs also may be sent directly to the Mekong Circle corporate officer or representative in charge of that program. Please consult the Organization section for a complete list of officers and their contact information.

Funding is critical for the continuation of efforts such as the "Iskolars ng Mekong Circle" scholarships program, reunions, media projects and future medical missions.

Committees manage our programs as unpaid volunteers. Current expenses are met by proceeds from reunion events and other items. Mekong Circle depends mainly on the generosity and expertise of its members. Its projects aim for lasting results that are sustainable by its recipients.

To send a donation or for more information contact:

Dr. Pete Paluay
Vice President, Fund Raising Committee
201 Oak Lane
Winthrop Harbor, IL 60096, USA
(847) 746-1693
EHPaluay@comcast.net

Newsletters

Newsletters are stored as .PDF files

2007: Jan | May | Aug | Dec
2006: Feb | May | Sep
2005: Mar | Jun | Sep | Dec
2004: Jan | Apr | Jun
2003: Aug | Nov

Member news

Mekong Circle International strives to keep an accurate, up-to-date directory of all members. If your contact information has changed recently, we ask that you provide the updated information: click here.

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General news
-Consul Raul Dado of Philippine Embassy, Vientiane, moving on

In memoriam
-Oscar Frias, hydrologist, field engineer
-Bert de los Reyes, our "kuya" in Australia
-Vitoy Naranjo, Pioneering OB leader
-Maximo Soliven, former publisher, Philippine Star
-Rodolfo Sanchez, Philippine Consul in Laos in 1960s
-Isagani Bautista, pioneering architect
-Rose Marie del Rio Ocampo, former Operation Brotherhood social worker
-Amor Valiente-Cook, former Operation Brotherhood nurse
-Celso Orense, founding member of Filipino Laos groups
-Mario Galman, former Philippine ambassador
-Sergio Lapitan, former Operation Brotherhood photographer
-Salvador "Sas" Sayong, former Operation Brotherhood accountant
-Bonifacio Gillego, former Operation Brotherhood executive director

Features
-Journey back to Laos
-Former OB agriculturist assists immigrant farmers in Hawaii
-Where have all our nurses gone?
-Search for doctor

Other news
-Collection of Peace-keeping Inspired Poetry, book by Connie Frias

The Story of Mekong Circle

Between 1957 and 1975, Filipinos came to work in another Asian country that is largely unknown today. The country is Laos. Bounded by its neighbors -- China and Myanmar (formerly Burma) in the north, Vietnam in the east, Thailand in the West and Cambodia in the south -- its landlocked geography is unique in Southeast Asia.

A river called Mekong, from its source in the Chinese highlands and gushing down to the Vietnamese delta, marks its border with Thailand. At 2,600 miles, it is one of the longest rivers in the world.
By 1965, there were close to 900 Filipinos working and living in Laos. They were doctors, nurses, social workers, nutritionists, agriculturists, dentists, engineers, accountants, and technicians of all sorts - from aircraft maintenance workers to artists, architects, teachers, and administrators.

In 1975 when a new government was installed in the country, they all had to leave. They dispersed across the globe, with most of them returning to the Philippines while others settled in the USA.

In the USA, they formed an association -- Mekong Circle -- that during its formative years organized reunions. Later, understanding that its multi-skilled membership can render services, it incorporated into a non-profit, nongovernmental organization based in California. Its focus turned once again to Laos as well as the Philippines, the birthplace of most of its members.

Both countries happen to be among the poorest in the world, with a third to more than half of their populations existing on poverty levels. Resources for food, education and health are scarce.

Mekong Circle has been granted federal tax-exempt status. As a charitable and educational organization, do nations to its programs are tax deductible by donors. If you are interested in helping, the most efficient way would be in sending cash donations. Please visit our Support page.

Committees manage our programs as unpaid volunteers. Current expenses are met by proceeds from reunion eve nts, and these are fast getting depleted. It depends mainly on the generosity and expertise of its members, who during their service in Laos, know first hand that charity by itself, cannot sustain. Our programs aim for lasting benefits.

We welcome you now to mekongcircle.org. For all of you Laos expats out there looking for a cyberspace to chat, seek comrades, post messages, relive memories, we offer you this site. We will try to update it as often as we can, offer more links and alert you to the latest news about Mekong people and events.

[Text by Pete Fuentecilla]

Filipinos in Laos

Released during our 5th reunion, the book is a history describing the non-combat service of more than 900 Filipinos in Laos during the Indochina war years of 1950s to the 1970s can now be ordered.

The 231-page, soft-cover volume has several parts to it -- the 1957-1960 beginnings of Operation Brotherhood in Laos; the events since then up to the termination of its operations in 1975; the exploits of Filipinos who served with Air America, USAID Laos, Bird & Sons, and Continental Air Services.

Also included are chronologies of major events during the 18-year stay (1957-1975) of the Filipinos in the Kingdom. A 12-page index lists all the names -- Filipino, Lao, Americans and Thai mentioned in the book. A selection of black and white photos of Filipinos at work is also in the book.

"Filipinos in Laos" is authored by a Filipino Jesuit, Fr. Miguel Bernad and J. "Pete" Fuentecilla who produced the Mekong Circle reunion newsletters. It is so far the only record in book form of our work in Laos that you can offer to your children, parents and associates who need a full understanding of what we did in our youth in a country they have never heard before.

"Filipinos In Laos" is $20 plus shipping and handling

To order, contact:

Long Dash Books

368 Stratford Road, Brooklyn, New York 11218

T: (718) 940-0450

F: (201) 621-4497

email: longdash@gmail.com

Our book is produced by a "print-on-demand" technology. The printer can turn out bound, softcover copies in any number of copies you want, including just one copy. Price is $20 (excluding shipping). Five dollars is set aside as donation to Mekong Circle.

For more information on the book, e-mail Pete Fuentecilla or call (718) 468-3038.

Members may also contact any member of the Mekong Circle Board of Directors for information on how to obtain your copy of this book.