The San Diego Filipino

Due to historic events, millions of Filipinos have left the homeland and assimilated into foreign countries out of necessity and hope of better opportunity. We have worked ourselves into the mental slavery of being a worker and not an owner. Mega Malls have sprouted throughout the Philippines. We are addicted to brands we do not own. We have become consumers, and not investors. We own no world renowned brands. We make other countries richer. We own no banks in America, so we work 10 hours a day, and make monster mortgage payments to banks that do not invest in our local communities or homeland. We have countless regional Filipino Organizations with small visions and weak purposes which contribute to the dilution of the power of a United People.

However, let there be no doubt. The pride is there. Look around. The signs are everywhere, but we are indecisive. We rock Filipino T-Shirts to the point of gaudiness. The cream has already risen to the top. We are Doctors, We are Nurses, We are Scientists, We are Realtors, We are Artists, We are Engineers, We are Authors, and We are modern day indentured servants aboard ships we do not own. We intuitively come together to celebrate the victory of Manny Pacquiao over Antonio Margarito, but we must ask ourselves, “Which race is really leaving behind the legacy for the next generation?” We intuitively want to come together. We’ve United in the past, even if only for a moment. We try again and we continue to fail. We want to be heard. We want to be counted. We want to do something….but we don’t know yet what we want.

–Frederick Duque Aguinaldo

What Is Your Legacy?

Our Time Is Limited

Rick Warren, author of “A Purpose Driven Life”, brings to attention the mortality of our lives in a simple but powerful statement: “The average person only lives 25,550 days.” To put things in perspective, if I assume that I will live to be 70 years old, then that means I only have 13,205 days left. This leads me to ponder, “If my time here on earth is numbered and finite, shouldn’t I stop and think about my purpose in life, even if only for one day?”

I have four children. Their names are Emilio, Ramon, Marius, and last but not least, my youngest child, Labella. Their ages range from 6 to 12 years old. I remember one day listening to my daughter ask my mother, “Lola…where’s the SHOOgar”. I chuckled on the inside and realized that my daughter, a 3rd generation Filipino-American, has a Filipino accent…a gift from my mother resulting from the many days that my mother spent raising Labella. My mind flashes back to memories 25 years ago to the many conversations I had with my Lola. As a result, I am fortunate I can understand about 90% of Tagalog conversations. My mind shifts gears, and fast forwards to the very near future. The realization suddenly dawns upon me – If we continue down our path, then one or two generations from now; absolutely nothing will connect us to the Philippines other than our DNA and our physical features.

In addition to our limited time to act, connecting to the Philippines has an even more complex issue. Many Filipinos also marry into other cultures. This includes my family. More specifically, I have 1st cousins who are half Black, half Irish, half Mexican, and even half Persian. This is not an uncommon story living in the melting pot of America. My family’s story is the story of our nation. We ARE the Nation. We are Americans, but we are also Filipino. Our diversity means that we have to work twice as hard to learn multiple cultures. Although, there are those who think the idea of learning more is too much of a daunting task with today’s learning curve, I challenge the 2nd Generation Filipino-Americans to think back just two generations ago. It was not uncommon for our grandparents to speak many dialects (and even other languages).

My Legacy

A legacy is something that someone is remembered for in history. A more selfless description of a legacy is something that is handed down from one generation to another generation. During my eulogy, I hope my friends and family will remember me as a person who was instrumental in establishing a legacy. I hope they will remember me as a leader and organizer during “the tipping point”. To be more precise and definitive, the phrase “tipping point” meaning the exact time in history when the rare idea and vision of WeAreOneFilipino.com becomes the state of being for the majority of the Filipino race. I hope people remember me for my vision of an extensive, centralized, and transferrable Filipino database – A database which can be handed down, built upon, and updated from one generation to another. Passing the torch will be as easy as entrusting the password to the next database manager who has the same core values. I envision a Filipino Renaissance which will provide the Art and Literature, the means and reasoning in educating future generations on the identity, history, and what it means to truly be Filipino.

Plan of Action

Due to my role, I’ve been attacked by many simply because of my visibility. I have been accused of “Not being Filipino enough”. I have also been told that I do not have the right to claim or be part of the honorable deed of uniting One Filipino. I have even been told that I do not have the genetic “blueprint” to be considered Filipino. These are all statements from sideliners who just don’t “get it”. Furthermore, they do not have the global vision, or the leadership skills to accomplish the monumental task that stands before us.

For those of you that do “get it”, and more importantly have the passion, I encourage you…take the next step towards our unification and empowerment of one global Filipino. Enroll!

Phase One: Wake Up!, Organize!, and Unite!

www.WeAreOneFilipino.com/enroll