Philippines Independence Day (1898): June 12, 2023

On this day in history, June 12, 1898, Philippine independence was declared: 
During the Spanish-American War, Filipino rebels led by Emilio Aguinaldo declared the Philippines' independence after over 300 years of Spanish rule. By mid-August, Filipino forces and U.S. troops had expelled the Spanish. However, Aguinaldo’s hopes for full independence were crushed when the United States formally annexed the Philippines as part of its peace treaty with Spain. (Source: History.com)

Philippines (Source: The World Factbook, CIA):
The Philippine Islands became a Spanish colony in the 16th century and were ceded to the United States in 1898 following the Spanish-American War. In 1935, the Philippines became a self-governing commonwealth, with Manuel Quezon elected as president to prepare the country for independence after a 10-year transition. During World War II, the islands were occupied by Japan in 1942, and U.S. and Filipino forces fought together to reclaim control in 1944-45. The Republic of the Philippines gained full independence on July 4, 1946.

October is Filipinx American History Month  Filipinx Americans are the second-largest Asian American group in the U.S. and the third-largest ethnic group in California, following Latinas/os and African Americans. Filipinx American History Month, celebrated in October, marks the first recorded presence of Filipinos on the mainland United States. On October 18, 1587, "Luzones Indios" from the Spanish galleon Nuestra Señora de Esperanza landed at what is now Morro Bay, California. In 2009, the U.S. Congress officially recognized October as Filipinx American History Month. Since then, various states, counties, and cities have issued proclamations and resolutions to honor this observance. The late Dr. Fred Cordova, along with his wife, FANHS founder Dr. Dorothy Laigo Cordova, first introduced the idea of Filipinx American History Month in 1992 with a resolution from the FANHS National Board of Trustees. (Source: Filipinx American National History Society) Learn more about Filipinx American History from these links:

HISTORY OF FILIPINO AMERICANS

50 Years Since the First Young Filipino People’s Far West Convention

The year 2021 marks the 50th anniversary of the First Young Filipino People’s Far West Convention, a meeting that took place at Seattle University in 1971 and brought over 300 young Filipino American participants from the West Coast of the US. The convention is hailed as the beginning of the Filipino American Movement.

The first convention theme was “A Quest for Emergence” and was hosted primarily by the Filipino Youth Activities, Inc. (FYA) under the leadership of then-FYA Youth Director, Dorothy Laigo Cordova and convention chair, Anthony Ogilvie. This initial meeting would result in a series of conferences that would later become known as the Filipino (or Pilipino) People’s Far West Conventions (FWCs), which were held annually between 1971 and 1982, in places like Seattle, Los Angeles, Stockton, and Berkeley.

St. Malo, Louisiana - St. Malo was the first permanent Filipino settlement in the U.S. in 1763. In the first half of the 19th century, Filipino sailors established a village on the southern shore of Lake Borgne on a site previously settled by Native Americans and Maroons. By the mid-19th century, St. Malo was the largest fishing village on the lake and a symbol of the growing Filipino presence in Louisiana.

Remembering American's First Filipino Settlement Before It Vanishes Into the Sea (Huffington Post)

Composite of five wood engravings of drawings by Charles Graham after sketches by J.O. Davidson, from the 1883 Harper’s Weekly article by Lafcadio Hearn. (Library of Congress)

FILIPINO AMERICAN DEMOGRAPHIC DATA

BAY AREA FILIPINO ORGANIZATIONS

This Filipino American Life Podcast