Our Filipino-American story

October is Filipino-American History Month, and nowhere does that observance seem more meaningful than in California, where generations of Filipinos have built communities, raised families, pursued the American dream and contributed to their adopted country.

The celebration is already in full swing here in Southern California.

My Philippine Global Media Group colleague Ellen Rodriguez-Swing captured the spirit of opening day after she attended PinoyPalooza and Ube FAHM 2026, describing a full day of “celebrating our culture, serving our community” and showing that Filipino pride remains alive and strong.

In Cerritos, UbeFest and the Filipino American Chamber of Commerce of Cerritos demonstrate how heritage, entrepreneurship and community service can come together.

That, in many ways, is what Filipino American History Month should represent: pride rooted in history, expressed through community.

Its historical significance traces to 18 October 1587, when the first recorded Filipinos arrived in what is now Morro Bay, California. More than four centuries later, that presence has become a remarkable story of migration, sacrifice, achievement and service.

From Historic Filipinotown and Los Angeles to Carson, Cerritos, Long Beach, Anaheim, Orange County and San Diego, Filipino Americans are nurses and doctors, teachers and engineers, entrepreneurs and executives, journalists and artists, military personnel and public servants.

But the story extends across America.

San Francisco and the Bay Area have one of the country’s oldest Filipino communities. Seattle and the Pacific Northwest recall the manongs who labored on farms and in Alaska’s canneries.

Among our great pioneers was Larry Itliong, who helped launch the 1965 Delano grape strike before Filipino workers joined forces with Cesar Chavez and Latino farmworkers in an important chapter of American labor history.

Chicago has a thriving Filipino community, while New York and New Jersey are major centers of Filipino American professional and civic life. Woodside’s Little Manila in Queens is among the most recognizable Filipino neighborhoods on the East Coast.

In Hawaii, generations trace their history to the sakadas who arrived to work on sugar plantations in the early 20th century.

These are all different places, but remarkably similar stories of sacrifice and overcoming challenges.

The nurse working long hospital shifts so relatives back home could attend school. The immigrant holding down two jobs while studying at night.

Parents temporarily leaving children back in the Philippines while establishing themselves in America. Families faithfully sending remittances and balikbayan boxes home.

For me, this Filipino-American story is deeply personal.

Two of our eldest children have built their lives and careers in California as nurses. Our eldest, Angel, serves as a quality director at Kaiser, while our son Andrew works at UCI. His wife, April, is also a registered nurse.

Their journeys have deepened my appreciation for the contribution Filipino nurses make to American health care. Behind the scrubs and professional titles is something distinctly Filipino: the instinct to care, serve and make life better for others.

Our family is only one among thousands. Across America, Filipino health care professionals have become integral to hospitals, clinics and communities. Their contribution is measured not only by professional success but by lives touched through service.

Success here is rarely achieved overnight. Behind the comfortable homes, professional titles and thriving businesses are decades of struggle, adjustment and perseverance.

That is why these journeys must be documented.

It is also the inspiration behind Filipinos in California: Journeys, Dreams, Achievements and Legacies, the coffee-table book project of Media Touchstone Ventures Inc. and the Philippine Global Media Group.

The project seeks to capture pioneers, professionals, entrepreneurs, institutions, community builders and families whose stories collectively define Filipino California.

As a historian and chronicler of events all these years, I have come to realize that memories fade when they are not recorded, and so do photographs. It’s the pioneers who pass on, and unless succeeding generations preserve these stories, part of our history disappears with them.

Filipino American History Month, therefore, must be more than festivals and nostalgia. It should inspire remembrance, gratitude and civic renewal.

Our pioneers opened doors. Our parents and grandparents endured hardship, discrimination and separation to create opportunities for succeeding generations. It is now our responsibility to continue and preserve their legacy.

Civic sense means turning success into service and presence into participation. It means knowing the issues affecting our communities, voting, participating in public life, supporting Filipino institutions, mentoring our youth and encouraging qualified Filipino Americans to serve their communities.

Our numbers should be matched by civic engagement. Economic success should strengthen institutions. Professional achievement should inspire mentorship. Heritage should connect younger generations to the sacrifices behind their opportunities.

This brings us back to what Ellen saw on FAHM’s opening day: celebrating culture while serving the community.

That should be the challenge for Fil-Ams beyond October.

Celebrate being Filipino, certainly, yes. But we must participate, serve, mentor, give back, preserve our stories, build institutions and prepare those who will come after us.

Filipino-American history is no longer simply about Filipinos coming to America.

It is about Filipinos helping build America — turning presence into participation, achievement into service and success into legacy.