Filipino American

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Filipino American
Total population	2,807,731 1.0% of the US population [1]
Regions with significant populations	California, Hawai'i, Washington, Chicago, Northeast, West Coast, Southern U.S.
Language	American English, Ilocano, Tagalog, Visayan languages, others
Religion	Predominantly Catholic, Protestantism, Islam, Nonreligious
Related ethnic groups	Filipino people, Overseas Filipinos, Southeast Asian Americans, Asian Americans

The Filipino American (Fil-Am for short) community is the second largest Asian American group in the United States, following the Chinese American community. They are the largest Southeast Asian American group. Fil-Ams are Americans who trace their ancestry back to the Philippines, an archipelagic nation found in Southeast Asia south of Taiwan and east of the South China Sea, and are now residents or citizens of the United States. ^[2]

In the year 2000, the United States Census counted 2,364,815 Americans identified their ancestry as full and/or part Filipino, making the Filipino American community account for 22% of the Asian American population. In 2005, the number increased to 2,807,731. ^[1] The State Department claims that there are more than 3 million Filipino Americans as of 2006.^[3] Filipino Americans are also a subgroup of the Overseas Filipinos.

More than half of the Filipino American community is of American citizenship and the rest are either Filipino nationals and/or are dual citizens of the United States and the Philippines. According to independent estimates by various Philippine civic organizations based in the United States, the Fil-Am population is speculated to be currently at 4.5 million, considering those who live in United States territories, as well as the large number of Filipinos who overstayed their visas residing as illegal aliens.

Most Filipino Americans reside in California, Washington, Chicago Metropolitan Area, New York City Metropolitan Area, Hawai'i and Guam . In addition to California and Washington, Filipinos form the largest group of Asians in Alaska, Guam, Maine, Montana, Nevada, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Virginia, and Wyoming. And in addition to Hawaii, they are the second largest group of Asians in Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Illinois, Maine, Mississippi, New Jersey, New Mexico, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia, and West Virginia.

Congress has established two months in celebration of Filipino American culture in the United States. Asian Pacific American Heritage Month is celebrated in May. Upon becoming the largest Asian American group in California, Filipino American History Month was established, celebrated in October, commemorating the first landing of Filipinos on October 18, 1587 in Morro Bay, California. Filipino American History Month is widely celebrated by Fil-Ams in the United States. ^{[4] [5]}

Contents 1 Cultural profile 1.1 Language 1.2 The arts 1.3 Education 1.4 Economics 1.5 Religion 1.6 Settlement and Little Manilas 2 21st Century Challenges 2.1 Diversity 2.2 "The Invisible Minority" 2.3 Dual citizenship 2.4 Post 9/11 immigration and issues 2.4.1 Filipinos on holiday 2.5 Discrimination 2.6 World War II veteran benefits 3 Holidays and Celebrations 4 History 5 Notable Filipino Americans 6 Further reading 7 See also 8 References 9 External links

[edit] Cultural profile

Despite race relations problems of the late 19th and early 20th centuries in the American Northwest, some Filipino Americans today tend to integrate with American society without serious hardships. Filipino nationals have been living in an American-molded society since the early 1900s. Culturally, the Philippines is the most Westernized country in Asia, a legacy of over three centuries of Spanish and American colonial rule. From the Spanish, Filipino culture has taken a small but distinct Latin/Catholic flavor, and most Filipinos are distinguishable from other Asians by having a Hispanic-sounding name and/or surname, by practicing the Catholic religion, and that they speak English.

Since the early 1900s the country has been heavily influenced by American culture. After the Spanish American War and during the course of the Philippine-American War, the Philippines was made into a United States territory and later a commonwealth from 12 December 1898 to 4 July 1946. Even after the Republic of the Philippines was established, the flow of popular American culture into the country continued unabated - from major league baseball and professional basketball to Coca-Cola, from MTV to Big Macs. English language instruction is required in most schools beginning at the elementary level, and the Philippines has one of the highest rates of English-speakers in the world, despite being a Third World country^[6]

Philippines sports pages headline MLB and NBA sports scores as well as showbiz news from the mainland United States everyday. While elements of Americana have been embraced (or imposed) in Filipino society, there have been periods of anti-American sentiment in the Philippines. Nevertheless, there is very minimal culture shock when Filipino nationals migrate to the United States.

[edit] Language

Filipinos speak Tagalog, Bikol, Visayan languages, Ilokano, Kapampangan and other Philippine languages at home. However, an overwhelming majority of Filipinos are fluent in English.

Tagalog is the sixth most-spoken language in the United States, with about 2 million speakers. ^[7] The standardized version of this language is officially known as Filipino. Many Filipino American civic organizations and Philippine consulates offer Filipino language courses. California's public educational system offers the language as a foreign language course, meanwhile many colleges and universities in the Golden State have begun teaching it to coincide with the growing Filipino community. ^{[citation needed]}

Fluency in Tagalog and in other languages of the Philippines tend to be lost among second- and third-generation Filipino Americans since many immigrants already come to the U.S with a knowledge of English. This has sometimes created a language barrier between old and new generations.

[edit] The arts

The inclusion of Jasmine Trias and Camile Velasco in the 3rd season of American Idol gave Filipino talent recognition among its viewers. Apl.de.ap of the Black Eyed Peas is another well-known Filipino American musician. Lalaine, a proud Filipino-American, can be seen from Broadway musicals to the Disney Channel's Lizzie McGuire. She has also been a spokesperson for a renowned Filipino channel, been hailed as a role-model by Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, and has been a promoter for the Philippine tourism. With this, Filipinos can be seen all over the arts and entertainment world. Music popular among Filpino-Americans today include hip hop, R&B, jazz, classical, soul, rock, and pop.

Other famous Filipino Americans in the entertainment industry include Country music singer, Neal McCoy, of mixed Filipino heritage; pop singer Enrique Iglesias, his half-Filipina mother and Spanish-mestiza socialite Isabel Preysler, actress and occasional singer Tia Carrere, dance recording artist Jocelyn Enriquez; Vanessa Anne Hudgens of Disney's recent made-for-television movie High School Musical; and comedian SNL alumnus Rob Schneider, who has appeared in such films as The Hot Chick and The Benchwarmers. Nicole Scherzinger, lead-vocalist of the Pussycat Dolls and also an actress, is said to be a proud Filipino American. Chad Hugo from the rock band N.E.R.D is a Filipino American. Cassie, half Filipina, is the singer of the hit single "Me & U". Vincent Ramos, a Filipino American from Long Beach, CA and professionally known as DJ Glaze, is highly recognized in the Filipino Community as a rap/hip-hop music producer for the group Foesum. WWE Superstar Batista is a proud Filipino American, has tattooed the Filipino flag, along with the Greek flag as well on his upper left arm. The list also includes the lead role of the motion picture the Crying Freeman and Iron Chef America host, Mark Dacascos.

Kirk Hammett of Metallica is of Filipino-American descent. Joey Santiago, the guitarist for the Pixies and The Martinis, was born in Manila, and spent his early childhood there. Dan Inosanto, Ernie Reyes Sr. and Ernie Reyes Jr. martial arts experts. Michael Copon of One Tree Hill is Fil-Am, also. The former Miss Teen USA Vanessa Minnillo's mom is Filipina. Famous broadway actress Miss Saigon as Kim, Lea Salonga. Shannyn Sossamon of A Knight's Tale, not too famous but Fil-Am actress. Also, actor Paolo Montalban. Jerome Fontamillas of the band Switchfoot plays guitar. The band popularized the song "Dare You To Move". Another guy who stars in a sitcom, Alec Mapa, is also Fil-Am.

[edit] Education

Filipino Americans tend to be highly educated. ^{[8] [9]} Nursing education in the Philippines is highly regarded worldwide therefore Filipino nurses are preferred by many American hospitals. ^[10] It is relatively easy for Filipino nationals to enter the American healthcare workforce, inspiring them to settle and seek United States citizenship upon arrival. With the shortage of American nurses beginning in the 1980s, clinics and hospitals in the United States have been hiring directly from the Philippines offering substantial salaries. According to the United States Census Bureau, 60,000 Filipino nationals migrated to the United States every year in the 1990s to take advantage of such professional opportunities. Other Filipino nationals come to the United States for a college or university education, return to the Philippines and end up migrating to the United States to settle.

Many of the newer generations of Filipino Americans born in the United States gravitate towards business and the professions, such as architecture, business administration, economics, education, engineering, medicine and nursing. Most attend well-known universities and colleges, while a small number prefer community colleges and vocational schools.

[edit] Economics

As a result of their level of education, many Filipino Americans are now in the upper middle class, and the community enjoys substantial economic well-being. ^{[11] [12] [13]} This is especially true for those working in nursing, where the United States suffers shortages. Filipino Americans are also considered to have one of the highest average per household incomes in the nation, and the highest average income among the Asians.

Filipino Americans are also the highest remitters of US dollars to the Philippines. In 2005, the Filipino American collective dollar remittances reached a record-high of almost $6.5 billion dollars. The period of January-August of 2006, Filipino Americans have already remitted more than $4.4 billion, a 3% increase from the same period in the year 2005. ^[14]

Filipino-Americans are also known to be business-owners. Many are in the restaurant business, while others in the medical, dental, and optical fields have their own offices. They are also known as retailers and store owners. The buying power of the Filipino American community is at $52 billion dollars. ^[15]

Filipino-owned businesses amount to over 125,000, according to the 2002 US Economic Census. These firms employ more than 132,000 people and generate an almost $14.2 billion in revenue. Of these businesses, 38.6% are health care and social assistance oriented and produces 39.3% of the collective Filipino-owned business revenue. California had the most number of Filipino-owned businesses followed by Hawaii, New York, Illinois, New Jersey, Florida, and Texas. ^[16]

Many Filipino Americans are homeowners. At the point of retirement, many Filipino Americans tend to head back to the Philippines, since the value of the dollar remains significant in the Philippine economy.

Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo has encouraged the Filipino-American community business entrepreneurs to invest back home that would boost job-creation in the Philippines.

[edit] Religion

Filipino Americans largely share mainstream American religious beliefs and values, often to a greater extent than currently popular in American culture. This is in part due to the Philippines being one of only two Catholic-majority countries in Asia (the other being East Timor). The Philippines is Asia's largest Catholic nation and the world's third largest both in geography and population, surpassed only by Brazil and Mexico, respectively. The introduction, and subsequent adoption, of Roman Catholicism and Christian values in the Philippines were the direct result of over 300 years of Spanish colonial rule in the archipelago. Filipino-Americans are known to attend church services every Sunday, read the Bible and reciting the rosary, sending their children to parochial schools, and donating to Catholic charities. There are other religious faiths with smaller numbers of Filipino American adherents, with various Protestant denominations having the most members.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints reports that Tagalog is the fourth most-spoken language among members worldwide, and other Filipino languages are among the ten most-spoken in the Church, with so many of those members in American congregations that they hold separate services in Tagalog.

New York now hosts the first-ever Church for Filipinos named after the national saint of the Philippines, San Lorenzo Ruiz. The San Lorenzo Ruiz Church was officially designated as the Church for Filipinos in July 2005, first in the United States, and second in the world, the first being in Rome.

A sizable group of Filipino Americans are followers of Islam, and a growing number have begun adhering to atheism or agnosticism.

[edit] Settlement and Little Manilas

The story of Filipino Americans began, according to some historians, in 1787 when the first permanent Filipino settlements were established in North America near Barataria Bay in southern Louisiana. Under three centuries of Spanish rule in the Philippines and the half century of American rule to follow, Filipinos have been under a great amount of Euro-American influence and emigrants who live overseas tend to encounter experiences not alien to them and therefore adapt more readily to their adopted country.

First- and second-generation Americans originating from Asian countries have a tendency to form close-knit communities of their own in the United States, similar to those groups which preceded them. This has been historically true for the Chinese American and Vietnamese American communities. Filipino Americans, however, have a tendency to settle in a more dispersed fashion, living in communities across the country without the need for establishing close ties with other Filipino Americans in the area. Based on several sociological field studies and surveys, there are more instances of Filipino American families finding themselves in areas without other Filipino Americans than experienced by other Asian group, many of them find themselves in communities with a highly diversed population. The vast majority of Filipino Americans live in the suburbs or in master planned communities.

In areas with sparse Filipino populations, Filipinos often form loosely-knit social organizations aimed at maintaining a sense of "family" which is a key feature of Filipino culture. Such organizations generally arrange social events, especially of a charitable nature, and will keep members up-to-date on local events of interest to Filipinos. While events are well-attended, the associations are otherwise a small part of the Filipino American life.

However, there are instances where Filipino Americans form close-knit neighborhoods of their own, especially in California and Hawaii. A few townships in these parts of the country have established "Little Manilas", civic and business districts tailored for the Filipino American community.

The City of Los Angeles has even posted signs identifying the otherwise-unofficial Little Manila part of town and the hub of 150,000 Filipinos in the Los Angeles area. San Francisco also has a large Filipino American community, where an estimated 65,000 Filipinos live in the city.

Similarly, more Filipino-oriented neighborhoods have been forming in parts of New York, Texas, Florida, Illinois, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. A conglomeration of businesses that are Filipino-owned of various types have opened up to service the growing Filipino constituency.

New York City's bustling environment carries a proud collection of many different ethnicities, each with their own festivals and parades. It is known for the St. Patrick's Day Parade, Puerto Rican Day Parade, Columbus Day Parade, and many others that are celebrated annually, that bring hundreds of thousands of parade participants and spectators. The Filipino equivalent, the Philippine Independence Day Parade, is traditionally held on the first Sunday of June at Madison Avenue, turning it into the focal point of Filipino pride on that day. The celebration occupies nearly 27 city blocks which includes a 3.5-hour parade and an all-day long street fair and cultural performances. It gathers as many as 200,000 marchers, participants, and spectators and is filled with a variety of organization banners, bands, dances, and an abundance of Philippine flags. There are also talks of moving the parade into Fifth Avenue, which would make it the first and only Asian American parade that would be held on that strip of the Manhattan island.

[edit] 21st Century Challenges

[edit] Diversity

When people speak of Asian Americans, they tend to identify that label with Chinese American, Korean American or Japanese American, but seldom Filipino Americans. This is partly due to the lack, or invisibility in representation, of Filipino American role models in the wider community and media, despite actually being the second-largest Asian American group in the United States. Also, due to the extreme ethnic diversity that exists in the Philippines, with both native Filipino, Chinese (3% of Filipinos with Chinese ancestry) and Spanish (1% of Filipinos with Spanish ancestry) influences, having iconic role models is particularly difficult - one might just as well try to label all Americans who move to China as "American Chinese", even though ethnically they may be completely different from one another. The only positive factor out of this is that they're mostly free of ethnic stereotyping in the American media. On the contrary, Filipino Americans are still left with many negative stereotypes from earlier Philippine-US relations, such as the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair and during the Philippine-American war, today those negative stereotypes are rare in the US media.

Many Filipinos are ethnically closer to other Austronesian-speaking Pacific groups (this includes indigenous Taiwanese, Indonesian, and Malaysians) than to "mainland" Asians, but there is also significant mainland Asian influence, particularly Chinese, in the Philippines. Although the Philippines is far away from Latin America, they share a common history of Spanish influence. They are also sometimes grouped with Pacific Islanders, though ignorantly and incorrectly. However, many Filipino Americans identify with the Pacific Islanders because of historical reasons, mainly colonial and continued neocolonial rule by the United States. The intrusion of English against native languages, military bases, and American ideologies are examples of struggles which bind Filipinos with Pacific Islanders.

Intermarriage of Filipinos with other races puts them in a pattern of assimilation, a likelihood of an Asiatic cultural group mixed with Euro-American, Hispanic, African American and American Indian ancestry, and this was documented in California for a few decades. Among Asian immigrant groups in the United States, they have the largest number of interracial marriages^[17]. It is also noted that 21.8% of Filipino Americans are of mixed blood, which second among Asian Americans, but it's the fastest growing.^[18].

In June of 2002, Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and representatives of U.S. President George W. Bush presided over the grand opening and dedication of the Filipino Community Center in Waipahu, Hawai'i. It is the largest Filipino American institution in the United States, with the goal of preserving Filipino American history and culture.

[edit] "The Invisible Minority"

Ease of integration and assimilation has gained the Filipino American the label of "Invisible Minority." Recent Filipino immigrants tend to assimilate rapidly, as most are fluent in English, the majority are Christians, are usually highly educated and economically well-off. Filipinos utilize their knowledge of English, close kinship with the United States, and education to work towards a better life in the United States and the attainment of the American Dream. The label of "Invisible Minority" also extends to the lack of political power and representation of, by and for Filipino Americans. In the mid-1990s, only 100 Filipino Americans held elected office, with all but one serving at the municipal or state level.

[edit] Dual citizenship

As a result of the passage of Philippines Republic Act No. 9225, also known as the Citizenship Retention and Re-Acquisition Act of 2003, Filipino Americans are eligible for dual citizenship in both the United States and the Philippines. However, dual citizens are barred from participating in homeland elections through the recently-passed absentee voting bill. Overseas suffrage was first employed in the May 2004 elections in which Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo was reelected to a second term.

In addition, the Philippine government actively encourages Filipino Americans to visit or return permanently to the Philippines via the "Balikbayan" program. To facilitate this process, and to encourage American business investment in the country, the Philippine government has established consulates in various areas of the United States. These are located in Chicago; Guam; Honolulu; Los Angeles; New York; Saipan; and San Francisco while honorary consulates are also available in Atlanta, Fort Lauderdale, Houston, Majuro, Miami and New Orleans.

In 2004, about 6,000 people became dual citizens of the Philippines and the United States. This act encourages many Filipino Americans to invest in the Philippines, buy land (only Filipino citizens are allowed to purchase land in the Philippines), vote in Philippine elections, retire in the Philippines, and participate in representing the Philippine flag, especially in the field of sports.

Due to this act, many Filipino Americans have been recruited to participate in international sports events such as the Olympic Games in Athens 2004, the recent 23rd Southeast Asian Games in Manila, the upcoming 15th Asian Games in 2006 and Olympic Games in Beijing 2008. These will bring hopes of reviving the spirit of Philippine sports and garnering the Philippines' first ever Olympic gold medal as well as a spot in other future events such as the FIFA World Cup and the World Baseball Classic, all of which remain elusive.

[edit] Post 9/11 immigration and issues

After the attacks on 11 September 2001, the United States government felt compelled to crackdown on foreign visitors and workers residing in the United States who failed to meet the requirements of their original visas, citing a threat to national security. Many Filipinos have entered the United States on temporary education and work visas but often choose to stay well past their visa expiration dates. The United States Bureau of Immigration and Naturalization Service was dissolved and replaced with the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services in hopes of more aggressive prevention of visa fraud. However, university study programs to the Philippines have been cut, cancelled, or postponed due to fears of terrorism while terrorism exists throughout the world.

To date, Filipinos remain the second-largest immigrant population in the United States, behind the Mexicans, with an average of 70,000 people migrating annually. About 75% consist of family sponsorship or immediate relatives of American citizens while the remainder is employment-oriented. A majority of this number prefer to live in California, followed by Hawaii, Illinois, New York, New Jersey, Washington, Florida, Louisiana, Texas, Nevada and Alaska.

Many visa petitions by Filipino Americans for their loved ones back in the Philippines are on hold and backlogged. It is said that as many 1.4 million petitions are affected, and results in the delay of the reunification of many Filipino families. Filipinos also suffer one of the longest waiting periods among immigrant groups. Petitions for immigrant visas that date all the way back to 1984 are just now being granted in 2006.^[19].

In 2005, 36,673 Filipinos became American citizens. ^[20] Filipinos were also the second largest migrant group to be naturalized during that year.

[edit] Filipinos on holiday

More than 400,000 Filipinos travel to the United States every year for business and pleasure. They are fifth only from their Asian counterparts, beginning with the Japanese (estimated at 4 million annually), Chinese (750,000), Korean (700,000), and Indian (430,000).

[edit] Discrimination

Like most immigrant groups Filipino Americans suffered heavy discrimination in the early days in American history. Especially in the early 20th Century, most Filipino Americans were barred from marrying White Americans, and to a lesser extent African Americans and Hispanic Americans. Many of them especially those in the West Coast were racially segregated into small towns or villages and were forbidden to travel to predominantely white or black towns. However after World War II attitudes towards Filipinos changed, as the US and the Philippines were fighting side by side against the Japanese, although it wasn't until the 1960s when racial discrimination against Filipinos and other minorites became illegal.

Filipino Americans are working against racial discrimination in the work force. Despite the level of education Filipino Americans have attained, the community continues to see discrepancies in the way salaries are apportioned among the different ethnicities represented at many firms.^{[citation needed]}

Recent race-based hate crimes against Filipino Americans have occurred, the most notable to date being the 1999 murder of Joseph Ileto by white supremacist Aryan Nations member Buford Furrow. There have also been cases of unreasonable deportation and visa rejection against Filipino Americans, and greater scrutiny when re-entering the United States from Mexico and Canada, even for native-born US citizens^[21]. Filipino Americans today are continuing to be active in the fight against racial discrimination against any race.

A more recent form of discrimination is due to Philippine Islamist group Abu Sayyaf recently being linked to Al-Qaeda - which was responsible for the September 11, 2001 attacks. As a result of this link, some Filipino Americans have been under suspicion, and have allegedly been mistreated based on the assumption that they are collaborators to Filipino Muslim extremism ^[22].

[edit] World War II veteran benefits

During World War II, over 200,000 Filipinos fought in defense of the United States against the Japanese in the Pacific theater of military operations, where more than half died. Filipinos in the Philippines were promised all the benefits afforded to those serving in the armed forces of the United States. In 1946, Congress passed the Rescission Act which stripped Filipinos of the benefits they were promised. Of the 66 countries allied with the United States during the war, only Filipinos were denied military benefits.

Since the passage of the Rescission Act, many Filipino veterans have traveled to the United States to lobby Congress for the benefits promised to them for their service and sacrifice. Over 30,000 of such veterans live in the United States today, with most being United States citizens. Sociologists introduced the phrase "Second Class Veterans" to describe the plight of these Filipino Americans. Since 1993, numerous bills were introduced in Congress to return the benefits taken away from these veterans. However, the bills died in committee. but the struggle continues today. The current "full equity" bills are S. 146 in the Senate, and H.R. 4574 in the House of Representatives.

[edit] Holidays and Celebrations

Extremely hospitable in nature, Filipino Americans are fond of celebrating with familes, extended families and friends. It is not unusual for a family to host as many as a dozen occasions each year (i.e., baptisms, birthdays, funerals, holidays, showers, weddings). Celebrations are highlighted by large buffets of traditional Filipino food including but not limited to adobo (savory soy sauce and vinegar stewed beef, pork or chicken), lumpia (egg rolls), pansit (fried noodles), litson (pronounced leh-chon, whole roasted pig), and fresh grilled fish. Ilocano food tends to be bitter in flavor including pinapaitan (beef stewed in bile broth) and bittermelon casseroles and omelets. Often such affairs can grow to become major neighborhood block parties as families haul out folding chairs and bales of paper plates. Filipino American fondness for festivities has most recently led to the establishment of larger community-wide festivals celebrating the Filipino culture. Most festivals occur in May during Asian Pacific American Heritage Month and Flores de Mayo, a Roman Catholic harvest feast in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Several celebrations around the United States in commemoration of the Philippine Declaration of Independence occur mostly in the month of June. This is also considered the most important event of the community as it gives many Filipino Americans a chance to rekindle their Filipino roots. Certain parts of the country celebrate in the form of fiestas, street fairs, and parades. An example of this is the Philippine Independence Day Parade in New York City, the largest Filipino celebration of any kind in the United States.

Major Celebrations in the United States

Date	Name	Region
April	Easter Salubong	Nationwide, USA
April	PhilFest	Tampa, FL
May	Asian Pacific American Heritage Month	Nationwide, USA
May	Filipino Festival	New Orleans, LA
May	Filipino Fiesta and Parade	Honolulu, HI
May	Flores de Mayo	Nationwide, USA
June (First Sunday)	Philippine Independence Day Parade	New York, NY
June (Second Sunday)	Philippine Day Parade	Passaic, NJ
June	Pista Sa Nayon	Vallejo, CA
June	New York Filipino Film Festival at The ImaginAsian Theatre	New York, NY
June	Empire State Building commemorates Philippine Independence [23]	New York, NY
June (Last Sunday)	Philippine-American Friendship Day Parade	Jersey City, NJ
June 12	Fiesta Filipina	San Francisco, CA
June 12	Philippine Independence Day	Nationwide, USA
June	Pagdiriwang	Seattle, WA
July	Fil-Am Friendship Day	Virginia Beach, VA
July	Pista sa Nayon	Seattle, WA
July	Philippine Weekend [24]	Delano, CA
August	Annual Philippine Fiesta [25]	Secaucus, NJ
September 27	Festival of San Lorenzo Luis	New Orleans, LA
September	Festival of Philippine Arts and Culture (FPAC)	Los Angeles, CA
October	Filipino American History Month	Nationwide, USA
December 16 to 24	Simbang Gabi Christmas Dawn Masses	Nationwide, USA
December 25	Pasko Christmas Feast	Nationwide, USA
December 30	Jose Rizal Day	Nationwide, USA

[edit] History

• 1587, first Filipinos in North America landed in Morro Bay near San Luis Obispo, California

• 1763, first permanent Filipino settlements established in North America near Barataria Bay in southern Louisiana

• 1781, Antonio Miranda Rodriguez chosen a member of the first group of settlers to establish the City of Los Angeles, California

• 1898, United States annexes the Philippines

• 1899, Philippine-American War begins

• 1903, first Pensionados, Filipinos invited to attend college in the United States on American government scholarships, arrive

• 1906, first Filipino laborers migrate to the United States to work on the Hawaiian sugarcane and pineapple plantations, California and Washington asparagus farms, Washington lumber, Alaska salmon canneries

• 1920s, Filipino labor leaders organize unions and strategic strikes to improve working and living conditions

• 1930s, first Filipino women and children migrate to the United States

• 1936, Philippines becomes self-governing. Commonwealth of the Philippines inaugurated

• 1939, Washington Supreme Court rules unconstitutional the Anti-Alien Land Law of 1937 which banned Filipino Americans from owning land

• 1946, Philippines becomes independent. Republic of the Philippines inaugurated; America Is in the Heart by Carlos Bulosan published

• 1955, Peter Aduja becomes first Filipino American elected to office becoming a member of the Hawai'i State House of Representatives

• 1965, Congress passes Immigration and Nationality Act to facilitate ease of entry for skilled Filipino laborers

• 1974, Benjamin Menor appointed first Filipino American in a state's highest judiciary office as Justice of the Hawaii State Supreme Court

• 1975, Governor John A. Burns (D-HI) convinces Benjamin J. Cayetano to run and win a seat in the Hawaii State Legislature, despite Cayetano's doubts about winning office in a white and Japanese American dominated district; Kauai's Eduardo E. Malapit elected first Filipino American mayor

• 1981. Silme Domingo and Gene Viernes were both assassinated on June 1, 1981 inside a Seattle downtown union hall. The late Philippine Dictator Ferdinand Marcos hired gunmen to murder both ILWU Local 37 officers to silence the growing movement in the United States opposing the dictatorship in the Philippines.

• 1987, Benjamin J. Cayetano becomes the first Filipino American and second Asian American elected Lt. Governor of a state of the Union

• 1990, David Mercado Valderrama becomes first Filipino American elected to a state legislature on the mainland United States serving Prince George's County in Maryland

• 1991, Seattle's Gene Canque Liddell becomes first Filipino American woman to be elected mayor serving the suburb of Lacey City

• 1992, Velma Viloria becomes first Filipino American and first Asian American elected to the Washington State Legislature

• 1993, Mario R. Ramil appointed Associate Justice to the Hawai'i Supreme Court, the second Filipino American to reach the court

• 1994, Benjamin J. Cayetano becomes the first Filipino American and second Asian American elected Governor of a state of the Union

• 1999, US Postal worker Joseph Ileto murdered in a hate crime by Aryan Nations member Buford Furrow

• 2000, Robert Bunda elected Hawai'i Senate President and Simeon R. Acoba, Jr. appointed Hawai'i State Supreme Court Justice

• 2003, Philippine Republic Act No. 9225, also known as the Citizenship Retention and Re-Acquisition Act of 2003 enacted, allowing natural-born Filipinos naturalized in the United States and their unmarried minor children to reclaim Filipino nationality and hold dual citizenship

• 2006, Congress passes legislation that commemorates the 100 Years of Filipino Migration to the United States

[edit] Notable Filipino Americans

Further information: List of Filipino Americans

[edit] Further reading

Nonfiction

• Positively No Filipinos Allowed, edited by A. Tiongson, E. Gutierrez, R. Gutierrez, ISBN 1-59213-122-0
• The Filipino Americans from 1763 to the Present: Their History, Culture, and Traditions by Veltisezar Bautista, ISBN 0-931613-17-5
• Filipino Achievers in the U.S.A. & Canada: Profiles in Excellence]by Isabelo T. Crisostomo, ISBN 0-931613-11-6
• Filipino American Lives by Yen Le Espiritu, ISBN 1-56639-317-5
• Filipinos in Chicago (Images of America)] by Estrella Ravelo Alamar, Willi Red Buhay ISBN 0-7385-1880-8
• "Filipino Americans," by Carl L. Bankston III, in Pyong Gap Min (ed.), Asian Americans: Contemporary Trends and Issues ISBN 1-4129-0556-7
• "Filipino Population in U.S. rivals Chinese-Americans", Honolulu Advertiser, 18 November 1996, Gannett News Service

Fiction

• Starship Troopers by Robert Heinlein, ISBN 0-7857-8728-3

[edit] See also

• American Filipino
• Asian Americans
• Asian Pacific American Heritage Month
• Filipino American History Month
• Filipino diaspora
• Filipino people
• IMSCF Syndrome
• List of Filipino Americans
• List of U.S. cities with large Filipino American populations
• Little Manila
• Overseas Filipino
• Pinoy
• Philippine Independence Day Parade
• Southeast Asian American

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Filipino American Centennial Commemoration from Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Program
• Fil Am Arts
• City of Los Angeles declares Historic Filipinotown
• Did Philippine indios really land in Morro Bay? by Hector Santos
• Filipino Americans in Chicago
• Manilamen: The Filipino Roots in America
• Filipino Founding Father of Los Angeles
• The Manila Galleon Trade, 1565-1815 see also Manila Galleon trade^[1]
• Chronology of Filipinos in America Pre-1898
• Filipino Veterans of War of 1812 and American Civil War
• Filipino Wedding Traditions

v • d • e	Asian Americans
East Asian American: Chinese American | Japanese American | Korean American | Mongolian American | Taiwanese American Southeast Asian American: Burmese American | Cambodian American | Filipino American | Hmong American | Indonesian American | Laotian American | Thai American | Vietnamese American | Singaporean American | Malaysian American | Timorese American | Bruneian American South Asian American: Bangladeshi American | Bhutanese American | Indian American | Indo-Caribbean American | Maldivian American | Nepalese American | Pakistani American | Sri Lankan American | Tibetan American additionally: Asian-Latino Americans

Demographics of the United States

Demographics of the United States • Demographic history Economic - Social Educational attainment • Household income • Homeownership • Immigration • Income quintiles • Language • Middle classes • Personal income • Poverty • Religion • Social structure • Unemployment by state • Wealth Race - Ethnicity - Ancestry Race • Ethnicity on the US Census • Maps of American ancestries • 2000 Census • Race on the US Census • Racism Asian Americans • African Americans • Mexican Americans • Native Americans • Pacific Islander American White Americans • Caucasian Americans • European Americans • Middle Eastern Americans

The Filipino People | Ethnic Groups in the Philippines
Bicolano | Bisaya | Chinese | Ilocano | Kapampangan | Moro | Pangasinan | Spanish | Tagalog | Hill tribes | Minority groups | Overseas Filipinos