HISTORY
While the documentation of Filipinos in the State
of California dates back to 1587, mass migration of Filipinos to the U.S.
accelerated in the 1900s, after the Spanish-American War. The Philippines was ceded to the U.S.
by Spain in the 1898 Treaty of Paris, which made the country a U.S. Territory.
This made its population, U.S. Nationals, and enabled Filipinos to easily
immigrate to the U.S. The wave of immigration continued even after Philippine
independence was recognized by the U.S. in 1946.
During the time the Philippines was a U.S.
Territory, English was taught in the schools and used in Government and legal
affairs. As a result, Filipinos
became very familiar with American culture and lifestyles. When World War II occurred, Filipinos
and Americans joined forces and fought and died together against a common enemy
in a hard-fought conflict in the battle for the Pacific. This camaraderie cemented a bond that
lasts to this day.
By 2011, the U.S. State Department estimated the
size of the Filipino population in the U.S. was about four million, of which
more than half reside in California alone. This makes people of Filipino ancestry, one of the two
largest Asian sub-groups in the U.S. The Census bureau found that about 80% of
all Filipino-Americans (Fil-Ams) are U.S. citizens.
In 2005, leaders in the Filipino-American Democratic
Caucus (FADC), which is an official caucus of the California Democratic Party,
discussed ways in which to actively support candidates from their community to
public office. The former City of Milpitas Mayor, Henry Manayan, together with
Union City Councilman Jim Navarro, Alice Bulos, Robert Dawa, Monty Martinez,
Fel Amistad, and Amado Villanueva, organized a separate committee that led to
formation of the Friends of the Filipino American Community – Political Action
Committee (FFAC-PAC).