Fifty Years of Business and Community Growth with the Filipino American Chamber of San Francisco
By: Esther Misa Chavez
“We will at all times encourage a continuing dialogue between Filipinos and Americans in the interest of mutually fruitful and progressive commercial relations for our two countries.” And with this motto – the San Francisco Filipino American Chamber of Commerce was formed.
This primordial idea was coined in 1973 by a group of business desirous of making a difference
in a changing world. Just a year earlier, Martial Law was declared in the Philippines and all business entities from both countries paused to better assess their actions moving forward. By then, San Francisco had become a popular destination for Filipino immigrants: professionals, nurses, accountants, entrepreneurs and yes, displaced asylum seekers, and were growing by the year.
The “Chamber” offered a solution to the growing apprehension of doing business with the Philippines and vise-versa. The group opened its doors to small to medium-sized Philippine-affiliated businesses comprising of banks, exporters, shipping firms, manufacturing and trading companies in a collegial organization where entrepreneurs, business executives, and government officials within the San Francisco Bay Area and abroad can discuss policies and business norms to promote economic growth in both countries.
Group photo circa 1981 of SFFACC leadership: From Left, Left to Right: Consul General of SF Romeo Arguelles; FACC Director P. J. Rhodes (P.J. Rhodes & Co.); Director Kathy Hoffman (Citibank); Director Larry David (President, Tondena USA); President Bert Galang (Purchasing Manager, AG&P Company of Manila, Inc.); Director Maria Luisa Gallego; Vice President and Director Juan Collas (Baker & McKenzie Law Offices); Director Mariano Aspillera (J. A. Marketing); Director Jose San Gabriel (Banque National di Paris); and Director Frank Podesta (Maersk
Partnerships and collaborations were formed to strengthen and ease business within the community, outside of it and/or across the seas. Filipino and American business owners and representatives thought it wise to consolidate their interests and standing, and thus formed the second oldest Filipino American Chamber of Commerce in mainland USA. The first being the Philippine Chamber of Commerce in New York, formed in 1920.
Much of the rich history of the early beginnings of the Chamber seems to have been lost through the years, but through research, interviews, oral history, photographs and newspaper clippings shared by former members and presidents, namely Norberto Galang, Angelina Mejia Lopez, Ambassador (Ret.) Romeo Arguelles, Mrs. Azucena Arguelles, Lupita Kashiwahara, Aida Barrios, Jose A. Pajes, co-founder of SFFACC, and community leaders, this writer was able to piece together the exciting times of the years past.
Founders were Demetrio Jayme, Peter J. Rhodes, Jose Pajes, Jesse Esteva, a Mr. Marquez of a travel agency, Atty. Juan Collas, Ernest Go, and possibly a few more but unknown to this writer. The Philippine Consuls General in San Francisco automatically became an Honorary member.
The first one to collaborate was the Hon. Trinidad Alconcel (1973) , followed by Hon. Romeo Arguelles ( 1974-1986).
Here are the names of the past presidents since 1973 and the incoming president of 2023, and highlights of past activities (the full history can be found in the Souvenir Booklet to be released on Oct. 7.)
1973-1975 – Demetrio S. Jayme, US Representative of North America Maritime Agency (Compania Maritima) was the Chamber’s first president.
1976-1977 – Andrew E. Akamian, President, Andrew Akamian Advertising
1977-1978 – James S. Caputo, Vice President for Americas, Philippine Airlines. PAL is the oldest
corporate member of the Chamber.
1978-1979 – Demetrio Jayme, Owner’s Representative of North American Maritime Agencies.
At this time, high ranking Filipino government were invited to forums to discuss trade and commerce with the Philippines and updates on regulations of the bureau of customs for the information of its members who were exporters to the Philippines. And likewise, Filipino businessmen who wanted to break into the US market could go to the Chamber for assistance.
Aside from engaging members in different business mixers and updates on commercial tariff and others; Trade missions to the Philippines were held on a regular basis to promote trade and explore areas of joint venture investments. Some of those trade missions were attended and headed by California Secretary of State, March Fong Eu, US Senator for California, Samuel I. Hayakawa, California State Senator Milton Marks, and San Francisco Mayor Dianne Feinstein.
1979-1980 – Frank Podesta of Maersk Line Agency
1986 Trade Mission members
By 1981, the Chamber had 80 corporate members comprising of various industries doing business in the Philippines.
1981-1985 – Norberto (Bert) Galang, US Purchasing Manager of Atlantic Gulf and Pacific Company of Manila. Mr. Galang is an original member of the Chamber circa 1973, one of the youngest then. Half a century later, he is one of two longest living members. The other member is Jose A. Pajes, a co-founder.
1985-1986 – Atty. Juan (Johnny) Collas, Baker and McKenzie. The offices of Atty. Collas according to community old timers became the regular meeting place of the group, aside from the Consulate on Sutter Street.
1986-1989 were challenging times right after the 1986 Edsa People Power Revolution. Past presidents took turns in running the Chamber as well as founders and members such as Ernest Go, President, Bank of the Orient; Bob Colson, PMO Lines, and Peter Rhodes of PJ Rhodes Corporation.
1990-1991 – Allen Haile of the Development Corporation of San Francisco.
1992-1993 -Angelina (Chona) Mejia Lopez, Investment Broker at Prudential Security Corporation, who, as reported by Philippine News, was the first woman president of the Chamber.
1994–1995 – Atty. Johnny Collas
1983 Trade Mission: Left to right, Wahington Sycip, Mrs. Sycip, Secretary of State, March Fong Eu, 2 SFFACC members and Bert Galang.
1995-1996 Yolanda Ortega Stern, Director of the Berkeley Family Clinic. Dr. Stern founded the Federation of Filipino American Chambers of Commerce in 1996.
1996-1997- Sid Protacio, President of LBC Freight Forwarding. In 1998, Sid represented the Chamber during the Cultural and Trade Mission of San Francisco Manila Sister City (SFMSCC} to Manila with then Mayor Willie Lewis Brown, Jr. and Charlotte Maillard Schultz, SF Chief of Protocol.
1997-1999 Mario Panoringan, Owner/President, MCPanoringan Insurance and Financial Services. On Nov. 11, 1998, the Chamber celebrated its 25 th Anniversary at the Marriot Marquis Hotel on fourth Street and Mission.
At the turn of the Century, new and young Filipino businessmen and women have emerged to
lead the Chamber. While the American counterparts begone to dwindle. There was less collaboration needed now between local and American private businesses as stronger foreign enterprise had developed directly between the two countries.
At this time, most members were first and second generation Filipino Americans from small and medium size companies. Mostly assimilated and getting a foothold in the general San Francisco and California business landscape. Their network growing in many levels and layers of their adopted city, state and country, comfortable in widening their business, social and civic relations.
2000 – 2001 Milagros Mitos Santisteban of ABS-CBN who represented the budding TFC, The Filipino Channel.
Networking Mixer at the Sentro Filipino venue
2002 – 2004 – Carmen Colet, President, JRI, Inc. Ms. Colet signed a historic collaborative Memorandum of Understanding between Chamber and the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI), headed by Miguel B. Varella, PCCI Chairman. PCCI is the umbrella business organization for over 15,000 Philippine companies then.
2005 – 2007 Michael Acabado, Real Estate Developer.
2008-2010 – Victor Barrios, Senior Director of Finance at Equinix, a global internet storage company
2011-2014 Angie Louie, Owner, Hanazen Sushi and Yakitori Restaurant; Chair, San Francisco Cosmopolitan Lion’s Club.
2015-2020 Jose Pecho begun his tenure as president in 1010 and became Chairman in 2021. Mr. Pecho is responsible for getting the Chamber more involved with other FilAm Chambers and multi-cultural Chambers of Commerce locally, giving a voice and representation in state and city business discussions. He continuously support and recruit young leaders in the community.
2019 First Trailblazer Awardee: Señor Sisig and team with Jose Pecho.
In 2019, he created the Trailblazer Award as a symbol of Filipino American Entrepreneurial Spirit. Señor Sisig received this award. In 2022, after the pandemic, with the goal of building a better stage that will celebrate and elevate the Filipino food experience, four Filipino-owned food businesses were honored to showcase how their dreams and ideas manifested into innovative, inspiring examples of resilience. Awardees were: Restaurant Abacá, Delish Cravings by Michelle, Irma’s Pampanga Restaurant and The Sarap Shop.
2020-2021 – Esther Misa Chavez, formerly head of Inquirer.net US Bureau, was interim president as the Chamber and the whole world went into a recession due to the pandemic
2022 – CJ Abad, Babary Insurance, the start of youthful leadership and a peek to the future of business and community in the 21 st Century.
2023 – Aaron Orcino, Facebook Design Program Manager, its newly minted president.
The Chamber continues to build strong networks and database not only of Filipino American
business but other interested business groups. It stives to help promote and support economic
interests while uplifting the well-being of Filipino Americans and other minority communities.
For more information, please visit ww.FILAM50.com
