TO honor the Filipino American community leaders in Los Angeles and beyond, Search to Involve Pilipino Americans (SIPA) will hold the virtual Barangay Awards on Friday, November 5.
The Barangay Awards is an evolution of SIPA’s annual awards event, the non-profit’s biggest fundraiser of the year.
As “barangay” is the Filipino word for “village,” the Barangay Awards will honor the spirit of community, kinship and the courageous leaders who have contributed a great deal during some incredibly challenging times, particularly this past year.
“SIPA has been around for almost 50 years, serving the Filipino American community in Historic Filipinotown and throughout Southern California. We are very aware of how challenging it is for many people in our community to simply have their basic needs met and the work it takes to support individuals and families who face hardship,” Kimmy Maniquis, executive director of SIPA, told the Asian Journal in an email.
“The challenges of this past year felt almost insurmountable for many including youth, seniors, unhoused people, frontliners, small business owners, and those in severe crisis. We want to continue to honor members of our community who demonstrate commitment to others, who challenge the status quo and help to transform our society for the better,” she added.
This year, SIPA will honor the Philippine Nurses Association of Southern California (PNASC) for the Filipino American nurses who are rigorously saving lives daily while risking their own.
Over 80 registered nurses of Filipino descent have died from the coronavirus, making up 26.4% of total RN fatalities in the United States since the beginning of the pandemic, as previously reported by the Asian Journal.
The award will be presented by Michele Josue, the Emmy Award-winning director for “Matt Shepard is a Friend of Mine,” director of “Happy Jail,” and film currently in production “Nurse Unseen.”
SIPA will also present the Barangay award to The Park’s Finest, a Fil-Am owned and operated LA restaurant, which launched the “Feed the Frontliners” project, providing more than 100,000 meals to frontline workers throughout Southern California.
The award will be presented by Danny Trejo, actor, restaurateur and owner of Trejo’s Tacos and Trejo’s Cantina, as well as a collaborator with The Park’s Finest.
Internet star Bretman Rock and MTV Digital will likewise receive the Barangay Award for the “Following: Bretman Rock” series which uplifts the story and experience of Fil-Am and LGBTQIA+ influencer Bretman Rock.
Recently, Bretman made history as the first-ever openly gay man to grace the cover of Playboy magazine.
The award will be presented by Manila Luzon, International Drag Queen of RuPaul’s Drag Race.
According to Maniquis, the honorees were chosen for their contributions to the Filipino community during a year that saw a pandemic, as well as uprisings related to racial justice and a movement to respond to anti-Asian violence.
“It was important for us to honor community leaders who actively sought to address and challenge the current times. SIPA’s indigenous values are kawanggawa (compassionate action), damayan (engage) and pagtutulongan (help). We sought out individuals and groups of people who embodied those values especially in this past year,” she added.
The Barangay Awards will be hosted by actors Asia Jackson and Dion Basco.
In addition to the awards, SIPA will highlight its latest work HiFi Collective redevelopment project, home to the new SIPA headquarters and community center, and 62 units of affordable housing, set to open in 2022.
To continue its mission, SIPA will host a live fundraising during the awards show, in the hopes to meet or exceed its fundraising goal of $100,000. All funds raised the night of the Barangay Awards will be matched dollar for dollar, up to $10,000.
Anyone interested in participating in the live fundraising event on Nov. 5 can register at www.every.org. All proceeds support SIPA in fulfilling its mission of enriching and empowering generations of Filipino Americans.
For more information on sponsorship opportunities, tickets, and donations, visit sipacares.org.
