The delegates to the Global Filipino Nation international conference, held at the University of Makati from May 8 to 11, were, expectedly, as idealistic as Don Quixote. The discussions and subsequent recommendations coming out of the social, economic, and political modules would have made a believer out of the worst cynics. They certainly confirmed my own insistence that we overseas Filipinos do not lack in love for the Motherland.

But when its principal organizer, San Francisco Bay Area resident and former Manila businessman Vic Barrios, first asked me to participate in the conference, I expressed some reservations. I had noted the sole focus on assistance to the Philippines and the absence of any discussions on helping and empowering those of us who are trying to survive and build our lives in foreign lands.

I said that an empowered global Filipino community would be in a better position to help the Philippines . The question was: how to empower them?

Even in the United States , where the Filipino community has already gained much ground in moving from prejudice to pride, we still speak wistfully about "empowerment." As an example, we still have to plead and cajole in order to get positive action on such an obviously fair legislative measure as equity for Filipino World War II veterans. Other Asian-American blocs simply wave their checkbooks and the politicians jump.

In this connection, I recommended and Vic agreed to a conference module on global Filipino media as the logical mechanism for empowerment.

I suggested a comprehensive discussion on the role of Filipino media in promoting and protecting the interests of overseas Filipinos, as intra-community communications channels and as the voice of the community in its dealings with the mainstream in the host countries.

While part of this role is already being played — that of intra-community channel — much remains to be done. Filipino media in Pinoy enclaves worldwide, including the US , hardly create a ripple in the mainstream. We rarely, if ever, get invited to White House briefings.

Indeed, the importance of media as a pillar of the Filipino global community and as the vital link among diverse communities and the Philippine homeland has been overlooked or, at least, under-appreciated, even by Filipino communities themselves.

This is not surprising. The content of Filipino newspapers and broadcast media are so Philippine-centric that there is little in them that would be of interest to mainstream politicians, businessmen, and civic leaders. Not even to second-generation hyphenated Filipinos whose familiarity with the land of their parents' birth is anecdotal, at best, and negative, at worst.

After all, you read one bad story about Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and the clowns in Congress and you've read them all.

The Global Filipino Conference was an excellent opportunity to address this situation and to explore the potentials of Filipino overseas media as the ultimate networking channel and as a key instrument to harness the power of the overseas Pinoy.

The objectives of the media module were to examine the roles that still need to be played by global Filipino media to make them effective tools for empowerment, and the mechanism that would ensure that these objectives would be pursued over time.

Going into the conference, we assumed that Filipino media in other countries were even less developed than in the US . Of course, we subsequently found out from Lolita Farmer, Esq., president of Global Filipinos Australia, that where she comes from, mainstream officials subscribe to Fil-Australian papers because of relevant content. But this was precisely the point of the discussion: to assess where Filipino media stand globally.

We had the good fortune of having, as co-convenors, two of the most respected journalists in the country: Gil Santos and Joe Pavia. The careers of Gil and Joe span the glory days of journalism when Pinoys were publishers and editors of choice in other Asian countries, as both were in Bangkok; managing international news services, as Gil did with AP Dow Jones and Joe did with the Philippine News Agency, and protecting the rights and lives of an oft "salvaged" press, as they are doing through the Philippine Press Institute.

We needed Gil and Joe to explain the foundation of media as purveyors of truth, and the ethical demands that came with this mandate. Going forward, we also need them to share their expertise in organizing and managing a worldwide media network anchored in Manila .

On the other hand, my role is to explore the possibilities of linking Filipino media in the US , Europe, Australia , Asia, and the Middle East and setting up the mechanism that would generate synergy and mutual benefits.

The results of our module should be of interest, not only to media practitioners but to those who need real-time information and insights on Filipino communities worldwide.

The consensus we arrived at is the formation of a Global Filipino Media Coalition with headquarters in Manila , hopefully at the University of Makati , which has already expressed its willingness to provide facilities.

Such a coalition would facilitate fraternal exchange and networking, news and information sharing, professional development, interaction with mainstream communities, and active links with the Philippines .

A key component of the plan is the establishment of a Global Filipino Media News and Information Service. Conceptually, it would be an aggregator of news from all the Filipino global outposts and an archive of information from these outposts.

The Manila hub would handle rewriting, editing, and feeding into the pool, which would be accessible in real time to coalition members and subscribers.

The expertise and wisdom of Gil and Joe, going back to their years with AP Dow Jones and PNA and publishers-editors of national dailies, guarantee a professional operation. My own marketing background and overseas contacts, especially across the US , will help. An inventory of media assets and resources is the first step.

Those interested in participating and cooperating in this experiment in global empowerment are encouraged to get in touch with Gil Santos and Joe Pavia in Manila or with me in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Our email addresses are: Gil Santos, gilsan99ph@yahoo.com; Joe Pavia, mabuhaynews25@yahoo.com; and Greg B. Macabenta, gregmacabenta@hotmail.com.