The National Federation of Filipino American Associations (NaFFAA) joined the Organization of Chinese Americans, Korean American Association and other Asian American groups in mourning the loss of innocent lives. They also joined the nationwide April 20 commemoration of that tragic event.

The Filipino American community offered a Holy Mass and Prayers for those killed and wounded in VA Tech Campus community and families and friends of the students April 21 at St. Bernadette Catholic Church, 7600 Old Keene Mill Road in Springfield, Virginia. Sponsored by ‘Bukas Loaob Sa Diyos,’ the celebrant was: Fr. Jaime Noel Deslate and the choir by the Filipino Ministry of St. Bernadette.

In Manila, Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo joined US President George W. Bush and other world leaders in condoling with the victims of the senseless kllings. “We offer prayers and sympathies to the grieving families, students, staff and faculty of Virginia Tech University, and to the people of the United States during this difficult time,” Arroyo said.

President Bush described the massacre as a terrible tragedy.

Kenneth Fadul, student at Virginia Tech, leads other Filipino American students at the Mass in memory of the VA Tech victims at St Bernadette Catholic Church, Springfield, Virginia April 21. Also displayed were 33 maroon and orange roses.

“Schools should be places of safety and sanctuary and learning. When that sanctuary is violated, the impact is felt in every American classroom and every American community," he said in a statement issued by the White House.

The South Korean government condoled with the victims and expressed hope the incident “would not stir up racial prejudice and confrontation.”

Alma Q. Kern, national chair of NaFFAA, expressed “our profound sadness and grief for the victims of the shootings on the campus of Virginia Tech University  We also pray for the healing of the university community in Blacksburg and everyone who suffered in this senseless tragedy."

The statement by Mrs. Kern said “Va Tech is home to more than a hundred Filipino American students - comprising half of the Asian Americans who go there. Many of their families sought comfort and solace from our community on that fateful Monday morning when they heard the shocking news. We can’t fully know what these families went through, but the agony of waiting for word about their loved ones was no doubt wrenching. But as parents ourselves, we know how helpless  they - and the families of the 26,000 students - must have felt, wanting to protect their own children who are hundreds or thousands of miles away. We are constantly thinking of their well being, knowing how vulnerable they are growing up in a world that’s increasingly fraught with violence and danger. They may have been beyond our reach, but they are never far away from our hearts.”

NaFFAA said it was prepared to do anything to ensure that the campus remains safe and nurturing. “We are ready, as well, to work with appropriate organizations who have the resources to assist students and their families deal with their grief and pain so that they will become whole again and regain the normalcy of academic life that they rightly deserve. Let us reflect on our collective responsibility as a community and as a nation and seriously address the issues that led to this senseless tragedy.

Cho had lived legally in the United States with his parents for 14 years.

The incident happened at a time when Asian Americans were gathering in Washington D.C. to lobby against a proposed immigration bill In San Francisco, the Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA) said that “like the rest of the nation, we are stunned at the news of today’s shooting at Virginia Tech. Our thoughts are with the victims and their families and friends as they cope with this horrific incident.

Two Filipino American students described the situation in the Va Tech campus on that day. Jennel Baltazar, a Filipino American civil engineering senior, said she was attending a class at 9 a.m. at a building adjacent to Norris Hall when she heard ambulance and police sirens and saw heavily armed police running across the campus.

 “One of the officers kept shouting to his men ‘run faster, hustle, hustle, hurry up,’" she said. She said a dean came to the class and ordered everyone -about 15 to 20 of them -to quickly move to another room.

It was then she said when she knew it was serious, so she called her parents -dad Joe is from Cagayan and mom Marinet is from Cavite -and told them she was safe. “I didn’t want them to worry in case they heard the news on TV," she said.

She said from the window she saw two people bleeding being led away to safety. But it was only after she returned home to her apartment when the gravity of the situation hit her.

Adrian Santo Domingo, 20, a junior taking up computer engineering, said when he got to his 10 a.m. class three buildings away from Norris Hall he thought it strange that there were only about 20 students present when more than 100 normally attended the lecture.

He said as he left the building to get to his car he heard the emergency PA system announcing a lockdown.

Baltazar and Santo Domingo said the shooting at Virginia Tech was all the more chilling because in their years at Blacksburg they always felt safe.

VTech, as the school is more commonly known, has a student population of about 26,000 and is set in a 2,600-acre  campus. It is a highly rated business and engineering school with more than 100 buildings.

OCA, a national Asian Pacific American organization dedicated to ensuring social justice for Asian Pacific Americans, expressed its support for Virginia Tech students, faculty, staff, friends, and family members in the wake of the tragedy.

“The events at Virginia Tech were horrible and devastating, and OCA extends its support and sympathies to the entire grieving community," said *Ginny Gong, OCA National President*. “We hope that the healing process is swift and complete for all those affected."

The Korean American Coalition extended “their most heartfelt sympathies to the victims of the Virginia Tech tragedy. The catastrophe that has befallen the victims and their families is tragic and terrible,” said Gie Kim, president of the KAC-DC chapter. The KAC, the Korean American Students Conference, the Mirae

Foundation, and the Southern California Korean College Student Association have joined to create the “Virginia Tech Memorial Fund” to support those who have been affected by the recent tragedy.