LAING Hawai‘i is partnering with the United Visayan Community of Hawai'i (UVCH), a 501(c)(3) non-profit, to offer the first ever joint Ilokano and Visayan Community Language program. In this joint venture, LAING Hawai‘i will begin to offer the first two Philippine languages of the diaspora in Hawai‘i, Ilokano and Cebuano Visayan. The Cebuano Visayan language instruction will be headed by Richard Ancog and Isobel Mahimer.
REGISTRATION OPENS IN FALL 2022
vLAING Teachers
RICHARD ANCOG
Richard Ancog retired from the US Army Military Intelligence after 36 years of
service. He then joined the Department of Public Safety, Hawaii as a Department
Notification Officer and background investigator.
At present he interprets Visayan for the courts and various private companies. He has been actively teaching Visayan at the United Visayan Community for more than 10 years.
He earned his Masters in Personal Identification and his Bachelor of Science in Criminology from the Philippine College of Criminology, Manila Law College. Intermediate and High School were completed in the Philippines.
RAFAEL VELASCO
Maestro Rafael “Pike” Velasco is currently a resource teacher and choir conductor at August Ahrens Elementary School, where he organized the award winning “The Dream Makers’ Center”. He is the Music Director of Coro Filipino as well as Director/ Conductor of Banda Kawayan, both with the Filipino Community Center of Hawaii. He continues to train students of all ages in Philippine folk dances. In the Philippines he danced with the prestigious Bayanihan Dance Troupe.
He earned his Master of Arts in Education at the Mariano Marcos State University, Philippines; where he also graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Education as a Mayor’s scholar. From classroom teacher he was promoted to principal at age 27.
ISOBEL MAHIMER
Isobel Mahimer has been working with the English Learners program at the Department of Education for more than 20 years, concurrently with the EL department at one state high school. She is a teaching faculty in the College of Business Management in a leading university. At the same time she interprets at the courts and in several government and private organizations. She has been teaching Visayan with the United Visayan Community for more than 10 years.
She earned her Masters in Personnel Management at the Troy State University and her Masters in Psychology at the Philippine Women’s University where she likewise earned her Bachelors in Psychology.
