Lathrop is playing host to the United Bacarreneos of America’s annual picnic and election of officers set for Sunday, July 16, at Manuel Valverde Park. The event will be held from 11:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. with several city officials expected to grace the occasion.
The highlight of the outdoor luncheon will be the election of those who will be at the helm the following year. The organization, which spearheaded the forging of a sister-city cultural relationship between the City of Lathrop and the town of Bacarra in the province of Ilocos Norte in the Philippines, is currently headed by Gerry Cid who was re-elected as president last year. Several of the incumbents are from the area. They include Emerson Castillo and his wife Lydia of Manteca who are currently serving as secretary and assistant secretary, respectively. Andrea Ballesteros of Lathrop is the UBA treasurer, with Manteca Unified employee Marcelina Tangonan Tacotaco, also of Lathrop, as assistant treasurer.
While United Bacarreneos of America members come from different places of the Golden State and a few from out of statee, the majority of the nonprofit service and social organization’s membership roster lives in Lathrop, San Joaquin County’s youngest fastest-growing incorporated city. For that practical reason, the city, for the last several years, has been unanimously chosen as the site of the joint picnic-election event, explained former president and Lathrop resident Nerie Acosta who is now one of the organization’s advisers.
The social get-together not only provides a venue for city officials to have a taste test of their sister city’s ethnic cuisine such as pancit, eggroll, adobo and other homemade Philippine delicacies. It also offers a perfect opportunity for the Filipinos in the area to get to know in person the city officials who represent them at City Hall and, conversely, for the elected leaders to meet those who put them in office by the power of their vote.
According to the latest Census, one out of every 10 residents in Lathrop is of Filipino extraction.
United Bacarreneos
founded 85 years ago
The United Bacarreneos of America was founded 85 years ago. It has remained true to its original mission of providing financial contributions for local student scholarships and educational assistance such as preschool classrooms in the members’ hometown of Bacarra, among other things.
Former Lathrop mayor Chaka Santos summed it all up in a comment he made during the celebration of UBA’s 80th anniversary in 2012: “The city of Lathrop is very proud to be associated with the United Bacarreneos of America. The Bacarreneos have done an outstanding job in representing Bacarra, our Sister City, throughout the Lathrop community. The support services, scholarships, volunteer time and community services your organization provides to the local Filipino community has to be commended.”
For more information about the picnic and election on Sunday, call UBA president Gerry Cid at 650.368.2802 or secretary Andrea Ballesteros at 209.612.9745.
Valverde Park is located in the center of Lathrop’s Historic Old Town at 15557 Fifth Street.