FILIPINO AMERICANS

Published: October 2009

Did you know that the earliest documented proof of Filipino presence in the continental United States was on October 18, 1587, when the first “Luzones Indios” set foot in Morro Bay, California?

On September 9, 2009, the California State Assembly voted to “designate the month of October 2009, and every October thereafter, as Filipino American History Month.”  The bill was introduced by Senator Leland Yee with Senators Carol Liu, Pat Wiggins and Lois Wolk as co-authors.

There are now about four million Filipino Americans in the United States, approximately 1.5% of the country’s population. They speak a wide array of Philippine languages — Tagalog, Binisaya, Ilokano, Kapampangan, etc.

It is common to see Filipino doctors, nurses and other healthcare workers in hospitals and other health institutions across the United States. Many immigrants or their descendants hold jobs in government or private industry or operate their own businesses.

Continue reading “Filipino-American History Month in California Law”

Fil-Am or FilAm is short for Filipino-American. A slang word used by some is Flip. Most Filipino-Americans have a fondness for the words Pinoy and Pinay, meaning Filipino and Filipina, respectively.

Fil-Americans are the second largest subgroup among Asian-Americans, after the Chinese. Filipinos began emigrating in significant numbers to the United States in 1898 after the Spanish-American War.

There are now about four million Filipino Americans in the United States, approximately 1.5% of the country’s population. They speak a wide array of Philippine languages — Tagalog, Ilokano, Kapampangan, Bikolano, etc.

Continue reading “Filipino-American Population”