“It doesn’t matter how many times you win an award, it is always very special.” –Zinedine Zidane
She is known among New York City Ilonggos as “the Mother of Dinagyang and Manggahan Festivals in the New York City Philippine Independence Day Parade.” A New Jersey-based nurse, originally from Victorias City, Joji Juele Jalandoni is responsible for bringing two of the most famous religious and cultural festivals from the Philippines to New York City and recently won this year’s The Outstanding Filipinos in America (TOFA) award for arts and culture.
She will formally receive the award during a ceremony on October 28 at Carnegie Hall.
Professionally, Jalandoni, who has a master’s degree through the Hospital Administration/Nurse Executive Program from the Teachers College at Columbia University, has gone above the regular duties of a nurse and currently holds the position of infection control and prevention associate director at her place of employment. She is also a community organizer and volunteer.
Jalandoni has served as president of the Philippine Independence Day Council, Inc. (PIDCI) and the Silliman University Alumni Association, where she has worked in a myriad of community activities. While with the former, she attracted over 200 Filipino and Filipino-American organizations, associations, clubs, and groups.
Jalandoni is also largely credited for accomplishing a feat no other Filipino-American leader has done, bringing Iloilo City’s Dinagyang Festival to the United States four times (2011, 2013, 2015, and 2018), along with the Manggahan Festival from Guimaras for this year’s festivities.
She said participation of the respective festivals “helped provide once-in-a-lifetime opportunities for kids from far-flung rural areas, and ‘street kids’ from Iloilo City on the part of Dinagyang Festival.”
Officials from both Iloilo City and Guimaras praised Jalandoni for personally visiting their locales to extend invitations and arrange their participation in the New York City Philippine Independence Day Parade.
Meanwhile, Jalandoni currently serves as Victoriahanon vice president and serves on its advisory council, Negrosanon vice president, PIDCI chairperson on special projects, and is a member of the Philippine Nurses Association of New York City, Inc./WDJ