SACRAMENTO – The Philippine Consulate General in San Francisco joined the Filipino American Community in celebrating House Resolution No. 112, declaring October 2024 as Filipino American History Month (FAHM) in the State of California, at a reception held at the State Capitol in Sacramento last August 12.
House Resolution No. 112, initiated by Assemblymember Alex Lee (D-CA-24) with the support of Bay Area-based Filipino American group LEAD Filipino, is the first FAHM resolution by the California legislature’s lower chamber since the COVID-19 pandemic.
The resolution was co-authored by Assemblymembers Stephanie Nguyen (D-CA-10), Phil Ting (D-CA-10), Ash Kalra (D-CA-25), Evan Low (D-CA-26), Jasmeet Bains (D-CA-35), Mike Fong (D-CA-49), and Al Muratsuchi (D-CA-66).
Speaking on behalf of Consul General Neil Ferrer, Consul Jed Llona expressed the Consulate’s gratitude to Assemblymember Lee for recognizing “the contributions and achievements of the estimated 1.5 million Filipinos and Filipino Americans in the State of California.”
Consul Llona then touted the important contributions of Filipino Americans in Philippine economy and society.
“We commend the Filipinos and Filipino Americans in Silicon Valley who are now active partners in Philippine development and nation-building, sharing their expertise and resources with up-and-coming Filipino startups and innovators,” Consul Lllona said.
“We take pride in the achievements of young Filipino Americans, including Sarina Bolden of Santa Clara, who made history at the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup as the Philippines’ first-ever World Cup goal scorer; and the athletes who competed under the Philippine flag at the 2024 Summer Olympics, including swimmer Jarod Hatch of Daly City, gymnast Emma Malabuyo of Mountain View and Milpitas, and gymnast Levi Jung-Ruivivar of Los Angeles,” he added.
Consul Llona also recognized the longstanding sister city relations between Philippine and Californian cities.
“We appreciate the efforts of Filipino American Communities to create direct people-to-people linkages through sister city cooperation, including San Francisco, sister city of our capital city Manila for the last 63 years; Palo Alto, sister city of Palo, Leyte for 61 years; Los Angeles, sister city of Makati for 32 years; and Daly City, sister city of Quezon City for 30 years,” Consul Llona said.
In his message, Assemblymember Lee said that his district has the largest concentration of Asian Americans in California at around 60 percent, of which one-third are of Filipino descent.
Assemblymember Lee also recognized the role of Filipino Americans, including labor leader Larry Itliong and the Delano grape strike manongs, in shaping both California and US history.
The reception at the State Capitol was moderated by Pinole, California’s first Fil-Am Vice Mayor, and LEAD Filipino Public Policy & Advocacy Coordinator Cameron Sasai.
Other speakers included: LEAD Filipino Executive Director Dr. Angelica Cortez; Filipino American National Historical Society (FANHS) Trustee Ann Reginio; Amado Khaya Foundation Founder Dr. Robyn Magalit Rodriguez; Pin@y Educational Partnerships Founder Dr. Allyson Tintiangco-Cubales; California Commission on Asian and Pacific Islander American Affairs Vice Chair Kirin Amiling Macapugay; and Hannah De Castro-Abinuman of the Pilipino Workers Center of Southern California.FAHM was initiated 31 years ago by the Seattle, Washington-based FANHS, led by Dr. Fred and Dr. Dorothy Cordova, to commemorate the arrival of the Luzones indios aboard the Manila-Acapulco galleon ship Nuestra Señora de Esperanza in Morro Bay, California on 18 October 1587. This is considered the first recorded presence of Filipinos in continental United States.
