PinoyBuilt — Stories of Filipino America

Philippines • June 2026. Maharlika, Pacific Islander, or Asian? The Decolonization of Filipino Identity. maharlika meaning, filipino pacific islander, filipino identity, ferdinand marcos maharlika, mount pinatubo anniversary, austronesian filipino, decolonization philippines. IDENTITY • PHILIPPINES • JUNE 2026 Maharlika, Pacific Islander, or Asian? The Decolonization of Filipino Identity Thirty-five years ago today, Mount Pinatubo reshaped the islands. Today, two debates — Asian or Pacific Islander, Philippines or Maharlika — are reshaping the global Filipino identity. The truth is harder, and more beautiful, than either side admits. Thirty-five years ago today, on June 15, 1991, Mount Pinatubo released the second-largest volcanic eruption of the twentieth century. The blast injected so much sulfur dioxide into the stratosphere that it cooled the global climate by roughly half a degree Celsius for two years. It...

President Obama delivers his final address to the UN General Assembly. Obama warns against 'walls' in final speech to United Nations General Assembly  President Obama delivered an unapologetic defense of global integration at the United Nations Tuesday, arguing that the world is more peaceful and prosperous than it's ever been. "Today, a nation ringed by walls would only imprison itself." - President Obama Watch President Obama's full speech (WhiteHouse.gov) Read Barack Obama’s Final Speech to the United Nations as President Mr. President; Mr. Secretary General; fellow delegates; ladies and gentlemen: As I address this hall as President for the final time, let me recount the progress that we’ve made these last eight years. From the depths of the greatest financial crisis of our time, we coordinated our response to avoid further catastrophe and return the global economy to growth. We’ve taken away terrorist safe havens, strengthened th...

Filipino-American Diaspora • August 2026. Colonial Mentality Has a Score: The Filipino-American Scholars Who Turned Our Shame Into Evidence. colonial mentality, colonial mentality scale, EJR David, Leny Mendoza Strobel, Kevin Nadal, Yen Le Espiritu, Patricia Espiritu Halagao, Allyson Tintiangco-Cubales, decolonization, Filipino American psychology, kapwa, loob, ethnic studies, AB 101, heritage language loss, Pinayism, Pinoy Teach, Filipino American identity. Decolonization • August 2026 Colonial Mentality Has a Score: The Filipino-American Scholars Who Turned Our Shame Into Evidence Six researchers built the field that explains why a Fil-Am kid stops speaking Tagalog, why the skin-whitening aisle keeps growing, and why a bookcase in Marikina may have been the best decolonizing curriculum I ever had. Filipino-American decolonization has an academic literature — and most of us were never handed the syllabus. (Illustration: PinoyBuilt) In S...