Bert Caoili worked as an engineer for the Boeing Company for
27 years. Upon his retirement, he focused much of his time on his local Filipino
community. The desire of Bert, and wife, Ciony, to promote Filipino culture and
heritage in Seattle made them ideal for the positions of president and first
lady of the Filipino Community of Seattle (FCS), which they held from 1997 to
2000. In the fall of 2002, Bert ran again and was re-elected president of the
FCS. Bert has chaired or acted as president for many Filipino committees and
organizations, including the Association of Filipino American Engineers of
Washington, and Tahanan, a Filipino multi-service agency. As chair of Pista’s Media and Community Relations Committee, Bert disseminates information about Pista activities to the print, radio and TV media. Bert’s involvement with Pista began when he attended the first Pista. Seeing Rainier Playfield transformed into a Philippine Village inspired him to work on the Entertainment Committee the following year, and he eventually became Master-of-Ceremonies with co-host Bebot de Guzman. Working with the Pista organizing committee is an honor for Bert, who commends the leadership exemplified by each of the other chairs.