By, Ruel Nolledo | Freelance Writer
October 6, 2025
“What we have yet to grasp is that identity is not something to which we can go back; that it is what we have become, what we are at the moment. Identity is not a being but a becoming, a process.” -Nick Joaquin, Filipino author, Culture and Identity
Among the Filipino farm workers, they were called the manongs, a Tagalog term of endearment that means elder brothers. Larry Itliong, Philip Vera Cruz and Peter Gines Velasco — three men who had spent the better part of their lives as laborers. They went wherever the work was — a box factory in Washington, a salmon cannery in Alaska, farm fields and railroad tracks all across America. And in the vineyards of Delano, California, where, on a hot day in September 1965, the manongs led more than 1,500 striking farm workers out of the fields and became part of American history.
This October, First 5 LA joins Los Angeles County in observing Filipino American History Month. A time to amplify the stories of ancestors and historical milestones, highlight the contributions immigrant Filipino leaders have made to American industries and society, and reflect not only on the challenges that have defined the American journey for Filipino and other Asian Americans but also on the power of solidarity to change the course for marginalized groups.
The theme, “From Quotas to Communities: Filipino American Migration and Movement,” as noted by the Filipino American National Historical Society (FANHS), marks the 90th anniversary of the Filipino Repatriation Act, elevates the context of today’s immigration injustices, and makes evident that through collaboration communities can reshape national policy and expand opportunities for future generations. Just 30 years before the Delano Grape Strike, the Filipino Repatriation Act was signed into law as a means of pressuring Filipinos to leave the U.S. by offering free passage back to the Philippines.
“It is because of the community organizing of the Manong/Manang generation — particularly in educating others about how the Act was a tool to exclude and deport Filipino Americans living in the U.S. — that the 1935 Repatriation Act failed,” adds FANHS. “While migration has always involved movement across borders, it also involves movement toward justice, dignity, and belonging.”
The contributions Filipino immigrants have made to American society throughout history are foundational. Itliong, Cruz and Velasco, for instance, changed the lives of more than a million farmworkers when they started the Delano Grape Strike — a protest that was later joined by Cesar Chavez and the National Farm Workers Association. The resulting collaboration led to the longest strike in the history of the farmworker movement, as the isolated labor dispute in Delano quickly grew into a movement for civil rights for farmworkers throughout the nation. Their determination and grit helped usher in the 1975 California Agricultural Labor Relations Act, which gave agricultural workers greater bargaining rights and protections. For their work, Itliong, Cruz and Velasco were inducted into the Department of Labor’s Hall of Honor in October 2024.
Through their work, the three manongs also carved out a new identity, a new kind of becoming for the more than 4.4 million Filipino Americans who live in the U.S. today. They work in health care, finance, service and sales, and other industries. Some, like Bruno Mars and Olivia Rodrigo, are top marquee names in music. Still others star in Marvel movies, win Tony Awards, and even take center stage in their own PBS Kids show.
First 5 LA is proud to join Los Angeles County in observing Filipino American History Month in October. If you live in Los Angeles, we encourage you and your family to join one of the celebrations taking place in Historic Filipinotown, Eagle Rock, Long Beach, Carson and other neighborhoods. Check out some of the resources listed below.
- Friday, Oct. 10, 4:30-5 p.m., Rachell Abalos reads and discusses her book Our Nipa Hut, a story in the Philippines. https://glendaleca.libnet.info/event/14276254
- Friday, Oct. 10, 5-5:45 p.m., Design a Mini Bahay Kubo. https://glendaleca.libnet.info/event/14277536
- Filipino American Fiesta (Fil-Am Fiesta), Saturday, Oct. 18, 11 a.m.– 4 p.m. Art workshops and displays, DJ, cultural speakers, generational panel discussion, traditional Filipino dance performances. https://visit.lacountylibrary.org/event/14630081
- Kayamanan Ng Lahi Philippine Folk Arts, Friday, Oct. 24, 5-5:45 p.m. https://www.eglendalelac.org/filipino-american-1
- Halina sa Aming Bayan (Come To Our Town!), in honor of Filipino-American History Month, Saturday, Nov. 8, 3-9 p.m., Santa Clarita Newhall Community Center, for the whole family to explore the beauty and rich culture of the Philippines. For free and priced tickets: 2025 Cultura Festival – Celebrating Filipino-American History Month | Fil-Am of SCV
