SAN FRANCISCO – The Filipino American Arts Exposition (FAAE) will be holding the 28th annual Pistahan Virtual Parade and Festival to celebrate Filipino heritage and culture. There will be live online programming on Saturday, August 14, and Sunday, August 15, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. PDT each day.

Al Perez, president of FAAE, said: “Throughout the pandemic, the Filipino community stepped up not only for us but for the world around us. As a community, we were on the frontlines – from doctors to nurses to caregivers to teachers, firefighters, police officers, and more – as the coronavirus touched every part of our lives. The 2021 Pistahan Virtual Parade and Festival is a testament to, and manifestation of, that passion and commitment to the understanding that we will renew, recover, and rise – together.”

The entertainment lineup features: Samson Manalo, Danabelle Gutierrez, Kariktan Dance Company of Concord, Kawayan Folk Arts, Krystle, LIKHA Filipino Folk Ensemble, Little Manila Dance Collective, Parangal Dance Company, Ragamuffs, RAHITI, Russell Reyes

Steps, Styles, and Spotlights (Mabuhay Folkloric Society and Rhythm Monsters), Jeppy Paraiso a.k.a Tita Che, Rex Navarrete and Lea Salonga.

The two-day festival will also feature notable personalities and content from Pistahan’s eight (8) pavilions showcasing the talents, skills, expertise and history of Filipinos from across the globe.

The grand marshals for this year’s virtual parade are Dr. Michelle Tinitigan, Dr.Rochelle Tinitigan, and Philippine Consul General Neil Ferrer. Michelle and Rochelle are twin sisters who grew up in San Francisco. They went home to the Philippines where they both finished high school, college and medical school. In 2004, they moved back to California, where they have been practicing Family Medicine under the Kaiser Permanente San Francisco Adult and Family Medicine Department. Being nominated as the grand marshals for Pistahan 2021, they will be representing the medical and healthcare workers who have been on the frontlines to cater to the needs of the patients, especially those stricken with the COVID-19 virus.

Consul General Neil Ferrer took over as head of the Philippine Consulate General in San Francisco (PCGSF) in January of this year. The PCGSF has jurisdiction over areas such as Alaska, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Northern California, Northern Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington State, and Wyoming. ConGen Ferrer’s career as a diplomat in the foreign service includes working in Philippine Embassies in London, Ottawa and Beijing. From 2018 to 2021, he was the Assistant Secretary for Consular Affairs of the Department of Foreign Affairs in the Philippines.

Jose Pecho, this year’s Hermano Mayor, is a licensed commercial real estate broker since 1994. He brings extensive joint venture capital experience with expertise in cannabis property permitting, acquisitions, leasing, operations, dispositions, as well as debt placement for cannabis specific properties. He is the VP of Real Estate, as well as the VP of Community and Government Affairs for the Shyrne Group developing strategic relationships with community stakeholders. Jose is also cannabis public policy advisor to the California Asian Pacific Chamber of Commerce and to the California Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, advocating for social equity initiatives and programs in California. He currently serves as Chairman of the Board of the San Francisco Filipino American Chamber of Commerce, an organization that was founded in 1976.

This year’s Pistahan features different pavilions/sections, including the Art Pavilion, Heritage Pavilion, Sports Pavilion, Culinary Pavilion, Dance Pavilion, Entertainment Pavilion, Health Pavilion, Innovation Pavilion, Tavern Pavilion, and Sari-Sari Marketplace and Pop-Up Food Court.

For the second year in a row, the festival will be streamed on virtual platforms as the organizers hope to resume in-person festivities as early as 2022. Last year’s virtual Pistahan garnered over 85,000 live views and at least 605,000 engagements across all of its social media platforms across the globe. This year, it aims to reach even more viewers and have planned even more engagement with online viewers during the livestream.

As the world continues to emerge from the pandemic, this year’s festival theme is “Renew, Recover and Rise Together.”

Pistahan aims to acknowledge Filipino medical and healthcare frontliners who have been working tirelessly for more than a year to combat the deadly COVID-19 virus. Aside from hardships brought about by the pandemic, Filipinos and fellow Asians have been subject to discrimination and racism. With the theme and its Pistahands Challenge, organizers also encourage everyone to join its campaign to “rise together” to stop Asian hate.

The 2021 Pistahan Virtual Parade and Festival will be livestreamed on: