Violence prevention group releases video, resource guide to stop abuse

Zendesk video editor Monica Yap has been volunteering  in church and community since she was a ‘tween. CONTRIBUTED

DALY CITY, California — Monica Yap was all of 12 years old when she marched at the 2005 Pistahan Parade in San Francisco.  She and her brother Justin walked briskly, their arms outstretched to wave posters blaring “Stop Domestic Violence.” They were the youngest of the Kumares & Kumpares, the Fil-Am volunteers of CORA, the lone San Mateo County service agency for survivors of intimate partner abuse and their loved ones.

Five years and a decade later, Yap has stepped up again for the cause her whole family has embraced,

Now 27 and a video editor at Zendesk in San Francisco, the daughter of Voltaire and Bettina Santos Yap, founding president of ALLICE Alliance for Community Empowerment, assembled “Love Letter from ALLICE,” the video message from the Fil-Am violence prevention team to assure survivors of intimate partner and family abuse that they are not alone.

“The A-List” names 65 community-based resource providers evaluated for their cultural and linguistic competence and sensitivity. CONTRIBUTED

The video will drop next week on www.allicekumares.com to offer hope and support to everyone experiencing abuse.  It provides context to “A-List 2020,” the third edition of the directory of community-based nonprofits compiled by the all-volunteer team’s Resource Provider Committee.  ALLICE founding ally Kaiser Permanente Filipino American Association (KPFA) sponsored printing of the complimentary paper copies, as it had with the first and second editions.

The resource guide is one of the few known produced and regularly updated by a Filipino American organization in the San Francisco Bay Area.  It has been cited as an asset in Daly City’s successful application for World Health Organization (WHO) certification as an Age-Friendly City.

Love Letter is ALLICE’s response to the escalation of relationship abuse since the outset of the Covi-19 pandemic that spurred an appeal April 6 from United Nations Secretary General António Guterres to governments to address the “horrifying global surge in domestic violence.”

Authorities confirm that survivors are facing compounded abuse during the pandemic.  California Partnership to End Domestic Violence state policy director Krista Niemczyk told SF Chronicle that hotline calls “are now indicating a much greater severity of violence, much more physical violence … strangulations.”

Perpetrators may withhold sanitizers, threaten to cancel the victims’ insurance or give them false information about the crisis to scare and control them, according to the National Domestic Violence Hotline.

Survivors and people of Asian heritage confront heightened risk because of the anti-Asian sentiment stoked by President Trump’s constant reference to the coronavirus as the “China virus.”

Child abuse cases have increased dramatically, reported Nan Santiago, a Marriage & Family therapist at Kaiser Child Psychiatry and ALLICE 2020 vice president.

Kaiser Permanente Filipino Association Core Team has been donating printing cost for each edition of the A-List, from left: Xenia Sicat, secretary Debbie Connor, president Ronda Mananquil, external VP Marilyn Beard, internal VP Arline Bocaling, treasurer Shellane Raymundo, executive coordinator Vicky Palomar, Board of Director members Marilu Ramirez and Malou Aclan; Sharlyn Guterres, Mary Jane Sagabaen, Virgie Bendebel, Eunice Balancio, and Angeles Cayabyab. CONTRIBUTED

ALLICE’s mission is to prevent abuse, by education at free and open to the public events through shared resources from allies.  Attendees learn the root causes and different forms of abuse, how to distinguish between healthy and abusive interaction and appropriate responses to disclosures.

The nonprofit invites concerned community members to invest in the movement with their presence and participation through whatever means they deem ideal.  Partners have provided venues, media and outreach support.  Donors have given food, funds, and raffle prizes.

Many share their professional knowledge and technical skills.

With her BA in Film Production & Creative Writing from UC Santa Cruz, Yap seamlessly segued into ALLICE’s Tech Committee headed her mother, a pastry chef and veteran  tech marketing manager. The millennial supplements the work of seasoned techie Chris Wong and his wife, Kumare Jen Jimenez Wong, coordinators of the team website.

“As a professional video editor within the tech industry, I am happy to contribute my skills to uplift the Filipino American community. Through this project, I’m glad to be raising awareness of rising domestic violence during this pandemic. I know this video will help a lot of people,” said Yap.

“Love Letter from ALLICE” is a video message of hope and support to people experiencing abuse. CONTRIBUTED

KPFA co-founder Malou Aclan, a registered nurse and longtime Kumare, reiterated her organization’s commitment.

“We appreciate the opportunity to help the community thrive, that’s why we wholeheartedly support the A-List,” said the KP care manager.

“We are grateful to Monica Yap and KPFA for broadening our cross-generational collaboration,” said executive director Cherie Querol Moreno, who founded ALLICE 17 years ago.  “We need to reach out to and engage the new generation in our movement to promote healthy relationships. Abuse has been occurring since time immemorial, and with prevention education on multiple platforms, we can help mitigate its effects on the diverse sectors of the community.”

Early this year, 2020 president Allen Capalla announced the cancellation of what would have been ALLICE’s 13th traditional spring and 17th fall education presentations and resource fairs, in compliance with the state shelter-in-place mandate.  In the interim, the team has been holding remote trainings to deepen understanding of abuse and its effects on families and communities.

Amid the crisis they welcomed Corin Ramos, a journalist-turned-real estate agent, as a new Kumare. They received a $500 companion gift with the lifetime achievement recognition of their executive director from FALEO Filipino American Law Enforcement Officers Association.  Key members participated in panel discussions and will headline Tanong ni Congen in October, Domestic Violence Awareness Month.