LOS ANGELES – On Friday, the Los Angeles City Hall joined the Filipino community in LA in celebrating Philippine Independence Day.
The celebration was organized by the Los Angeles Filipino Association of City Employees (LAFACE), and was sponsored by the office of Councilmember Mitch O’Farrell. O’Farrell represents council district 13 (CD13), the area in LA where Historic Filipinotown (HiFi) is located.
A special cultural program and luncheon was held at the City Hall’s Historic Spring Street Steps. The program included a parade of colors (featuring historical flags of the Philippine revolution), and performances by Annie Nepomuceno, Miguel Vera and Filipino students of California State Polytechnic University, Pomona.
Prior to the program, at the City Council Chambers, Councilmember O’Farrell presented a resolution to Philippine Consul General Leo Herrera-Lim and LAFACE President Linda Granados, declaring the city’s commemoration of June 12th, 2014 as the 116th Anniversary of the Day of Independence of the Philippines.
The resolution was signed by all members of the LA City Council, and former CD 13 Councilmember and now LA City Mayor Eric Garcetti.
O’Farrell said that he’s “particularly proud” to be representing Historic Filipinotown, a neighborhood that has been home to Filipinos in high concentrations since the 1940s and has served as a gateway for many Filipino immigrants in Los Angeles for the past several decades.
“The city of Los Angeles is home to the largest number of Filipinos living outside of the Philippines, than anywhere else in the world,” O’Farrell said at the Council Chambers.
The councilmember praised Filipinos for enriching the communities of LA, wherever they live and work. He also lauded the contributions of Filipinos in American society.
“Since the Filipinos first arrived in in this country, they have made significant contributions to our country’s social, economic, political, educational, artistic, scientific, and entertainment communities. Filipinos helped build this country’s infrastructure, worked in our farms, plantations, fought valiantly in our nation’s armed services, served honorably in public office, and are now becoming staples in the entertainment and sports community,” O’Farrell said.
O’Farrell went on to cite remarkable Filipinos who have made significant contributions to America, including farmworker movement leaders Larry Itliong and Philip Vera Cruz, Filipino novelist and poet Carlos Bulosan, and former Los Angeles City Clerk June Lagmay.
Today, HiFi remains as the cultural heart for the Filipino American community in Los Angeles, with many Filipino community organizations, churches, and non-profits located within the neighborhood.
Aside from ConGen Herrera-Lim and LAFACE’s Granados, other Filipinos flocked in the dozens to the Council Chambers on Friday morning. Attendees included Philippine Dept. Of Tourism Deputy Director Manny Ilagan, ABS-CBN Foundation International’s Jo-Ann Kyle, among a host of other community leaders and organization representatives.
Filling almost half of the seats at the City Council Chambers, most the Filipino who attended the event were dressed in the national attire of Barong Tagalog and Baro’t Saya.
Speaking to the Asian Journal, O’Farrell said that the intends to continue the tradition of hosting the celebration of PH Independence Day in City Hall.
“As time advances, as we mark the 117th Annviersary next year, I think we can make this as big as the community wants to, as we raise the awareness for this important historical event, and Filipino issues in general,” O’Farrell said.
Cultural celebrations like the one held on Friday highlight these Filipino issues, he added.
With the relationship between the Filipino community and City Hall progressively becoming stronger over the years, O’Farrell said that the city has a “strong presence” of Filipino Americans in City Hall and in all neighborhoods.
O’Farrell said that he believes that it’s important for elected officials and community members to continue to strive to make sure that [the Filipino] community is represented in city government, the whole entire business community, and the entertainment industry, among other fields.
“It’s not about assimilation and letting the culture go, it’s about assimilation and celebrating the culture at the same time,” O’Farrell said.
He noted that this is a relatively new dynamic and approach to America’s multiculturalism. Being of Irish descent, O’Farrell himself has seen immigrant communities of different nationalities pursue assimilation with the intent of “never looking back,” resulting in the loss of connection to cultural heritage.
“I like that in this day and age, we recognize and celebrate our roots and where we came from, so that it enriches us and all of our cultures. I like that [it’s happening] today in modern-day America,” O’Farrell said.
Consul General Herrera-Lim said that the Filipinos’ growing significance in Los Angeles is a positive development, with elected officials becoming more attuned to the needs of the Fil-Am community. Herrera-Lim said that what the community needs to do now is to take the opportunity to voice out their concerns more to local and state government.
“That way, public officials will better understand our issues, and will thus be able to serve our community better,” Herrera-Lim said in Tagalog. He cited key issues that Filipinos need to be more proactive upon, including veteran’s affairs, immigration reform, and public policy formulation.
The consul general also said that he will look to encourage “like-minded” Filipinos to come out and be more proactive in civic engagement by participating and taking leadership roles.
(www.asianjournal.com)
(LA Weekend June 14-17, 2014 Sec A pg.1)
