As Filipino American History Month comes to a close, we would like to address the issue of the Philippine Diaspora – a historical issue that continues to be prevalent in the contemporary setting.
The word “Diaspora” means the spread of any people from their original homeland. This phenomenon shows that the population in the Philippines is significantly declining each year because workers are migrating to other countries to seek better jobs, and higher wages. Filipino migration can be traced back to the 19th century with the unique relationship between the Philippines and the United States. However, we can regard 1972 as the date for the start of the specific Philippine Diaspora. On September 21st, 1972; President Ferdinand E. Marcos proclaimed martial law that preceded the abolition of the democratic government and yielded Marcos absolute power. This act of political oppression led to severe economic depression in the Philippines. Despite the end of Marcos’ regime in 1981, there was a continued legacy of massive institutionalized corruption, crony capitalism, and weak leadership that prevented an economic takeoff. As a result, there was a lack of job opportunities in the country and citizens turned to opportunities to support their families in other countries. This notion of leaving the Philippines to pursue better opportunities to provide for their families at home has been very much romanticized, especially with regard to overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in the United States. The United States is perceived as a land of opportunity, though its realities of OFWs in the country is very different than what is believed. Due to this developed dependency on overseas job opportunities, these OFWs are willing to accept low wages for jobs where they are mistreated and exploited. Moreover, uprooting oneself to a different country results in an absence within families that often leads to conflicts due to the disparity of experiences. The Philippine Diaspora is still an issue to this day, and it is important to think of the implications as it continues. The result of this diaspora will likely result in the “brain drain” of the Philippines, which is the consequence of highly skilled labor migrating to more favorable geographic and economic environments. This leaves the Philippines deprived of a labor pool of its greatest talents. As an ongoing concern, the country has lost an estimated 12% of its population, including many of their highly qualified professionals. In addition, remittances account for 13.5% of the country’s GDP. The country’s economy is highly dependent on migration, and will be unsustainable in the long run and in times of financial crisis. The issue of the mistreatment of OFWs began in history but is still a contemporary issue to this day as the number of OFWs continue to increase and policies regarding their rights have yet to be established. This was a topic that we had chosen to bring light to as a good illustration of how an event in history continues to unfold, and thus continues to be written. As we are approaching the end of Filipino American History month, it is important to remember ourselves as part of the fabric of history, and we have the power to raise conversations and discussions on topics that matter. Your Dream Team, Annie and Neary
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1944. Although she was admitted under the administrators’ mistake of her gender, they decided not to turn her away due to her strong records. She also attended at the University of Chicago and completed her master’s degree in bacteriology at the Boston University School of Medicine before returning to the Philippines. Mundo had many more achievements after Harvard which include being the first woman named National Scientist of the Philippines in 1980 and founding the first pediatric hospital in the Philippines. To fund her hospital, Fe sold her home and almost everything she owned. The Children’s Medical Center in Quezon City, the first pediatric hospital in the Philippines, opened in 1957. The following year, she conferred her ownership of the hospital to a board of trustees.
While Dr. del Mundo continued to practice pediatrics at The Children’s Medical Center, she also continued her research into infectious diseases. Undaunted by the lack of modern laboratory facilities in the Philippines, she often shipped samples abroad for analysis. In her lifetime she published over a hundred articles, reviews, and reports in medical journals. Her research into dengue fever especially contributed to a greater understanding of how the disease works and affects children. Fe also wrote the “Textbook of Pediatrics”, which was used in medical schools in the Philippines for many years. Throughout her career she was active in promoting public health, with an emphasis on rural mothers and their children. Her work also helped to facilitate and improve the coordination between hospitals, doctors, and midwives. Since she sold her home to fund the opening of The Children’s Medical Center in 1957, Fe took up residence on the second floor of the hospital. She lived in the hospital for the rest of her life and was still making rounds to check on patients when she was wheelchair-bound at the age of 99. She passed away from a heart attack just a few months before her 100th birthday in 2011. It is important to remember that there are Filipino-Americans like Fe Del Mundo who proved that nothing is impossible in life if you believe in your dreams. She also proved that even minorities can make a large impact in society. Saludo po kami Dr. Fe Del Mundo! Lubos na nagmamahal, Your PCs: Guin & Lenard Like many other minority groups, Filipino Americans have not been able to escape acts of discrimination throughout US history. This post will take you through some of the violent acts that arose in California in the late 1920s and early 1930s. Today it is important to reflect on moments when these acts of discrimination occurred in order to move forward in a manner that prevents more of the same. In the 1920s and 1930s, Filipino men were seen as a threat by white American men in several regions of California. Coming from an American Territory, Filipinos were excluded from the Immigration Act of 1924, which was passed in an effort to limit Asians from entering the United States. To the dismay of American men, Filipino laborers were more desirable to hire due to the fact that they accepted much lower wages by farmers, and they began to date white women. This tension grew and grew until several riots and acts of violence erupted throughout California, leaving Filipinos severely injured or dead, and discriminated against in the workplace. The following are some of the acts of discrimination that occurred.
In January of 1930, hundreds of armed white men stormed the streets of Watsonville to hunt Filipinos in what is known as the “Watsonville Riots.” Resentment towards Filipinos grew in light of the North Monterey Chamber of Commerce’s public call to businesses against hiring Filipinos because they were deemed as a “moral and sanitary threat to the white community.” Mobs targeted the taxi-dance hall that the Filipino workers had reserved and many white girls attended. On the last day of the riots, groups of whites fired shots into a bunkhouse at a San Juan Road ranch while Filipino workers were sleeping. At the age of 22, Fermin Tobera, was shot and killed. Tobera symbolized Filipinos desire for independence and Philippines honored his memory on February 2nd known as “humiliation day.” These events ultimately contributed to the passage of Tydings McDuffie Act in 1934, which granted the Philippines independence from the USA. The Philippines independence in some ways was simply granted in order to limit the influx of Filipinos into America because of the developing Anti-Filipino sentiment across the nation. Moments of Filipino American history cannot be lost in the history books-- or lack thereof. These acts of discrimination highlight the importance of raising awareness of such mistreatment to prevent it in the future. We have the opportunity to learn from the past and shape the years to come. - Your PRs,
Ray and Maya BIGGIE: Amira Roxas, Alumni ('19), Pharmacy
smalls #1: Terri Javaluyas, Alumni ('19), Behavioral Neuroscience smalls #2: Janna Santos, Alumni ('19), Nursing Family: Beast Farm -- Describe your relationship with your BIGGIE/smalls! A: My smallses/twins, Terri and Janna, and I all basically share the same soul and heart. We are super similar and can hangout for hours talking about anything on our minds. Me and Terri have the same personality type (ISFJ) and have known each other since our high school BCA days. I'm her biggest fan in everything she does, especially her dancing moments when all you can hear from me is "YASS DAS MY SMALLS!" Janna is an absolute sweetheart who I can always count on, especially for amazing Filipino home-cooked meals and baking sessions. We're both hopeless romantics and bond over Filipino dramas and YA novels. I love my smallses so so much and no doubt had some of the best college memories because of them. T: in one word: alpha. LOL but fr we say this all the time to each other, but Amira and I are literally family and we’re super comfortable with each other & talk about EVERYTHINGGG. This grandma loves BTS, kdrama, and laying in bed for hours so our relationship is me literally dragging her out for as long as I can before she returns to her lil cocoon. J: Honestly when I first got paired with Amira, I didn't even know how to pronounce her name so I just waited for someone else to say it. But I'd like to think we came a long way from that BIGGIEsmalls reveal. Our relationship consisted of watching Filipino teleseryes and then ranting about them afterwards. She also allowed me to meet Terri, my twinsie! And I can't thank her and Barkada enough for all of our memories together. They both definitely helped me get through college especially as just a freshman/sophomore! -- What's something you've learned from your BIGGIE/smalls? A: For Janna, she taught me how to be more loving and caring unconditionally. We're both from the Philippines, and she really upholds the values of family and community from the Filipino culture. Janna isn't the type to judge others, and instead is incredibly understanding and forgiving. I'll never forget how she rushed to give CPR to a stranger during our first BIGGIE/smalls hangout. For Terri, I see so much of myself in her and she always knows the right things to say. She helps me see the bigger picture in any situation and never fails to reassure me when I have doubts. Terri literally has 95% of the same thoughts as I do, everything from our worries to the things that make us happy. She's helped me out so many times when life's been a struggle and has stayed by my side through all my best AND worst moments. T: how to be fiercely smart, independent, generous, and loving all at the same time. she also teaches me about drugs all the time (gotta love having your own personal pharmacist!) J: I've learned from Amira to never stress too much about things that are worth it, like stupid drama or a bad test grade, even though her worst grade ever was probably an A-. She also taught me that pillow pets were a thing! Still have the one she gave me! -- What's one of your favorite moments with your BIGGIE/smalls? A: Favorite moment with both of my smallses is definitely reveal. It was actually the first time I met Janna and Terri wasn't exactly sure who was picking her up. I wound the strings through the ceiling lights and they were both really struggling, to the point where I threw scissors at Janna to cut the string. We were all super happy at the end though and have stuck together through thick and thin almost 4 years later! Favorite moment with Janna was crying together when we thought Daniel Padilla died in the end of Pangako Sa'Yo because it just showed our type of personality so well. Favorite moment with Terri is dancing together for Allan and Alexa's couple dance in Fall 2017 because it really felt full circle since I met her for the first time in an IDT hip hop dance practice in high school. TBH all my moments with them are my favorite, I LOVE YOU SMALLSES! T: Not a specific moment, but I loved when we lived together in Ruby my sophomore year bc I always had someone to talk to when I got home, she baked brownies A LOT, and I got to hear & keep her lil secrets ;))))) J: My favorite moment was probably when it was my birthday and Amira brought back Filipino spaghetti and she and Terri had to get ground beef, but got cubed beef instead. It kind of worked! We watched the finale of Pangako Sayo together! But yeah, I think just hanging out in Coventry or the AAC and just talking about our lives. Or whenever me and Terri were together and would just say "Smallses!!" Jose Calugas was a Philippine native and a World War II hero for his efforts in the Battle of Bataan. He is recognized as the only Filipino to earn the Medal of Honor. Born in 1907, Calugas grew up and went to school in Barrio Tagsing, Leon, Iloilo, Philippines. In 1930, at the age of 23, Jose enlisted in the US Army and moved to Oklahoma for training. Calugas eventually returned to the Philippines and served positions in both the 24th Artillery Regiment as a Philippine Scout and as a mess sergeant in B Battery, 88th Field Artillery Regiment. In December of 1941, the team of Philippine Scouts was stationed in the Bataan Peninsula to defend against Japanese attacks. On January 16, 1942, the defense lines began to come under attack from Japanese fighter and artillery attacks. Calugas and a team of soldiers moved to cross 1,000 yards of uncovered space to get to the gun site. Once Calugas reached the site, he regained the Philippine defenses with the help of some of the injured gun site soldiers. His help and defenses were able to hold back the Japanese attack on the 88th Field Artillery and save some of the soldiers by giving them time to retreat. Calugas was awarded the Medal of Honor in 1945 for Heroic Action.
A quarter of a million Filipino-Americans are veterans of World War II and fought under the American flag under the promise that they would receive full American citizenship and veteran benefits for doing so. However, none of these Filipino-Americans received these benefits until 2009. Even today, Filipino-American activists are working to recognize these veterans with the Congressional Medal for their wartime service to the United States and the Philippines. It’s important to recognize these figures of Filipino-American history as a reminder of our strength and bravery, as individuals and as a Filipino-American community. Jose Calugas and the 250,000+ Filipino-American WWII veterans show us that our selfless acts, whether they are recognized or not, have the power to impact thousands of lives. From the battlefield to our workplaces and classrooms and always in our everyday lives, we hope to remind you this week to be strong and Filipino-proud, just like Jose Calugas and our Filipino-American veterans. Mabuhay! - Jaana Tabalon and James Duce Name: Amanda Escaba Hometown: Montgomery, NY Major: Computer Science & Interaction Design College: CCIS Year of Graduation: 2020 #old Hobbies: napping, making too many spotify playlists, my food instagram (follow me @amemedaeats) Favorite Filipino Food: bangus ,, or anything with philippine mangoes Current Favorite Song: fear by seventeen Favorite Thing About Barkada: the community - blessed to have met so many amazing people through bkd Other Extracurricular Activities: barkada, the aac's team 442, as asian american heritage month co-chair Fun Fact: my eyesight is bad in only one eye so i wear one contact lens Name: Michael Huang
Hometown: Hillsborough, New Jersey Major: Computer Science College: Khoury Year of Graduation: 2023 Hobbies: Basketball, Ping-pong, Ultimate Frisbee, and having wholesome fun with my friends :) <3 Favorite Filipino Food: I really don't have too much experience with Filipino food, but I would love to try some with you all ;) Current Favorite Song: Senior Skip Day by Mac Miller Favorite Thing About Barkada: I love that the people here are so friendly and caring. It's so easy to get along and meet new people, and there's so much love for everyone <3 Other Extracurricular Activities: I'm involved with AASIA, CSA, ASU, and all the PAAC events I have the time to go to. I also am a part of the club ultimate team. All in all I love the community here at Northeastern and I hope I see all of you around! Fun Fact: I'm from the same town as Matt, so we're like basically brothers. Shoutout the 908! |
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