A Filipino-American has been appointed as the new Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs) outreach director of the campaign for Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.

Former White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders deputy director Jason Tengco takes over the office vacated by Lisa Changadveja the previous week after being assigned at the Democratic Party in Colorado.

Tengco’s parents are from the Philippines.

He started at the Initiative in May 2012, first serving as its liaison in the White House Office of Public Engagement, then as a Senior Advisor directing the Initiative’s community engagement. In this capacity, he managed the first White House Summit on AAPIs, launched the Initiative’s E3 Ambassadors Program for young leaders, and solicited input from the community on ways to increase participation in federal programs.

Previously, Tengco, whose area of expertise included AAPI affairs, homeland security, and immigration, was an Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies (APAICS) Fellow in the Office of California Congressman Mike Honda.

He also served as the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC) taskforce staff lead on immigration and appropriations.

Prior to his fellowship in Congress, Tengco worked for the Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance (APALA).

In July, 2014, he was honored to be one of 10 delegates to the Philippine Embassy’s Filipino American Youth Leadership Program (FYLPro), a weeklong immersion in the Philippines.

Born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, Tengco graduated from University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) with honors with a B.A. in Political Science.

In a statement issued on Thursday, (Friday Manila time), the campaign for Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton described Tengco as a person who is “passionate about engaging AAPIs in the political process, building a pipeline for youth empowerment, and ensuring that the AAPI community’s diverse issues are heard and addressed.”

AAPIs are considered as the fastest growing racial group in the United States, increasing over four times as rapidly as the total US population and expected to double to more than 47 million by 2060.

Source:
courtesy of MANILA BULLETIN

by Roy Mabasa

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