The Bayanihan Spirit is Alive and Well in FilAm Arts #GivingTuesday

Looking back now, I should have known I’d end up at FilAm Arts, not just because these are literally?my people because we are Filipino but because it is a community of creatives with a heart to serve. When I moved from the East Coast to SoCal, I was delighted to see all the Asians around me and even more so, how deeply rooted Filipinos and Filipino culture were. You see, I came from a place where I was one of the very few Asians in town so that people didn’t quite know what to make of me. (WHAT are you? Where are you FROM really?) My first FilAm Arts experience was via FPAC (Isn’t that true for many of us?) in San Pedro. I took my young hapa family and we had so much fun — there was the food, the music, the puns on t-shirts and so much more. What struck me was how it wasn’t about a bunch of homesick Pinoys reminiscing about the Motherland over San Miguel Beers and lumpia and a karaoke machine. FPAC (Festival of Philippine Arts and Culture) was a legit, massive production that gathered together not just immigrant Filipinos but 2nd, 3rd generation FilAms too, it was multi-generational. It was certainly Filipino but also uniquely American in a way. It definitely had its own vibe.

Years would pass before I attended my next festival because well, life. My friend from Manila G Tongi (who was then Program Director and now Executive Director of FilAm Arts) invited me to FPAC in Echo Park because she was producing the show. I took my now tween-age son to check it out and we had so much fun. There was of course the star-studded all-day, all-night show, the art, the booths including the ubiquitous punny t-shirts, and of course, the food! My son who was starting to get curious about his Filipino-half enjoyed the tinikling and balisong demos the most.

Flash forward to 2020. Once again, G reached out and this time, she asked if I wanted to help out with the first-ever Filipina Fest. I said yes and we had that one and only meeting outside Philippine Expressions Bookshop in San Pedro (where I found a copy of one of the books that I had forgotten I contributed to, but that’s another story), where I met some really cool people. This was going to be awesome I thought but then we all know what happened next…

When everything started shutting down, we made the decision to carry on with the Filipina Fest but this time, virtually. I was one of the hosts along with badass Pinays including G Tongi, Mary Grant, and Kat Iniba, and guess what? It was a success. Remember, this was in the early-pandemic days when nothing was certain, and few people were doing live streaming or virtual anything. Stoked by the success of the event and the camaraderie I got from the group, I would eventually end up committing myself even more to FilAm Arts, by joining the Board of Directors.

All our meetings were virtual for almost a year and a half but we had dreams, we had plans and we had the grit to get stuff done starting with an epic star-studded 3-day?Virtual FPAC! I was just so happy to be part of something so big, to be part of a crew of super talented Filipinos, which included Emmy and Academy Award winners and young students eager to find their Filipino roots!

It would take almost an entire year before FilAm Arts and I would embark on a project like FPAC in scale. And this time, it was my baby, my passion project:?TikimFest, a month-long celebration of Filipino arts and culture through food that took place in October, Filipino-American History Month. After all, if there’s one thing that’s a big part of Philippine culture — it’s FOOD. I’ll have to write a separate piece about how that whole project came together and ended with a bang with Sunday at the Farm. There are so many people I have to thank and that’s why I’ll have to save that for another post.

But for now, I want to share with you this beautiful video that captures the essence of TikimFest and, on another level, the spirit of FilAm Arts and its passion and love for community. The bayanihan ethos is strong in this one.

So why am I writing this? Because we want to MAKE MORE EVENTS and PROGRAMS like this that bring our community together, that promote our Filipino arts and culture through a unique Filipino-American lens. But guess what — for this to happen, we need YOUR help. Today is Giving Tuesday, a global movement that reimagines a world built upon shared humanity and radical generosity. And so, I appeal to your radical generosity to support FilAm Arts. You can TEXT TO GIVE (310) 340–1125 or click on this link to donate:?https://www.flipcause.com/secure/cause_pdetails/MTM3NjU5