In The Neighborhood : FILIPINO-AMERICANS: Getting It Together, Raising Their Profile

Filipinos are the largest Asian-Pacific population group in Los Angeles and all of California and, since the Los Angeles riots, there is an urgency about the community’s search for greater visibility and political influence.

Asian-Americans are making their voices heard more forcefully in Southern California. But in many ways, Filipinos are among the least familiar, despite the community’s size. Its leaders blame low political participation and a highly dispersed population.

Filipinos claim a history in California back to the time of the conquistadors, but large waves of migration did not occur until the 1920s and ‘30s, when thousands of young single men were recruited as farm workers. At that time, Little Manila was essentially where L.A.’s Little Tokyo is now. After World War II, most immigrants were U.S. Navy personnel and their families. Since 1965, Filipino immigration has been dominated by professionals and family members of people already here.

The changing character of Filipino immigration and of Los Angles’ social and economic restructuring are reflected in the community’s widely varied concerns and dispersed settlement patterns.

Demographics

Population Concentrations of Filipinos in L.A. County, 1990:

Panorama City / Sun Valley / N. Hollywood

Glendale / Eagle Rock / Atwater

Greater Downtown L.A. / Filipino Town

Long Beach / Carson

W. Carson / Walnut / Pomona / Rowland Heights / Diamond Bar

Norwalk / Cerritos

Filipinos in Los Angeles

City:

1970: 18,625

1980: 43,713

1990: 88,889

County:

1970: 33,459

1980: 100,894

1990: 223,276

Percentage of L.A. County Filipinos who speak Tagalog at home: 69.9%

Source: U.S. Census data programming by Times analyst Maureen Lyons

Student

EDWIN HABACON

Psychology major, Cal State Long Beach.

Filipinos lack political representation, and they have an identity problem, in that the young don’t know their cultural history. It’s a painful process trying to find out who you are. When I was in high school, I tried to be black. I identified with them because of common ground of oppression, and because of black heroes and role models in sports and entertainment. Because the school system does not offer anything that is culturally relevant to Filipinos, I am having to find out for myself who I am.

Businessman

VAL RAMOS

Contractor and property manager

Filipinos are concerned about Filipino Town. They see Chinatown, Little Tokyo, and Koreatown and they ask, “What about us? Why don’t we have anything like those? Why don’t we have a senior citizens center like them?” In the last 10 years, political leadership in the community has been developing. The community is looking for candidates to support. They want to place the right people in City Hall, people who will support the economic development of the community. Of course, Filipinos are also worried about the political and economic situation in the Philippines. Many Filipinos, especially the newcomers, send as much as half of their salaries back home to their families.

Journalist

CECILE OCHOA

Editor, L.A. Filipino Bulletin.

Getting our act together in terms of investing in our neighborhood’s economic development to make us visible is a serious concern, although the community is divided on this. Some think this will bring respect, political power; others think it will perpetuate a ghetto mentality.

Another major issue among Filipinos is that of the glass ceiling. Filipinos are not promoted beyond middle management levels, and they are not included in management training programs. It seems that there is more racism against Asians from underdeveloped countries.

Community worker

ROY MORALES

Director, Pacific Asian Alcohol Program

We need to develop close harmony with all the different groups; be a part of the solution. Filipino businesses were burned and/or looted during the riots. Besides the damage to businesses, thousands of Filipinos residing on the northern fringes of Koreatown also suffered emotionally and psychologically. We must learn to live together and respect one another.