PinoyBuilt — Stories of Filipino America

I am a writer, and I have always been inclined to writing ever since I have learned grammar in school. For someone whose first language is English, it is not surprising to be a writer; but having published a book for children and to be asked the question in the U.S., "Did you write it in English or in your language?" surprises me. Most Filipino writers I know, write in English - and proficiently. Unless one had a further degree in Filipino language , then this is another unique story. Anyone who grew up in the Philippines and finished a degree through the country's educational system,  can totally relate to this blog.  The country, being so diverse in its culture has 8 major languages and over 170 dialects. Small archipelago as it is, the neighboring townspeople do not speak the same language as the other, nor their dialects/languages come similar as Portuguese would be to Spanish . So as an Ilocano , I spoke Ilocano in my daily life, except in formal instructi...

Join us Thursday, October 4th, at 7:00 p.m. in the Welker Room of James Laughlin Music Hall, on Chatham University’s Shadyside campus for Dialogues: Turning South. The Chatham University MFA in Creative Writing Program will host visiting authors Safia Elhillo and M. Evelina Galang as they read from their work and engage in conversations about the ways in which their being women of the Global South has affected their creative work. The event is free and open to the public. About Safia Elhillo: Sudanese by way of Washington, DC, is the author of The January Children (University of Nebraska Press, 2017). She received the the 2016 Sillerman First Book Prize for African Poets and is co-winner of the 2015 Brunel International African Poetry Prize. Safia is a Cave Canem fellow and holds an MFA in poetry from The New School. She is co-editor of the anthology Halal If You Hear Me (Haymarket Books, 2019). About M. Evelina Galang: M. Evelina has been named one of the 100 most influe...

Join the PinoyBuilt Team: College Interns Wanted! Whether you're a first-generation Filipino-American looking to build your skills, a college student exploring digital media, or simply passionate about Filipino culture and community, this opportunity is for you! What We're Looking For We are inviting motivated college interns to help us: Create engaging blog posts for PinoyBuilt.com Share and manage content on our Facebook Page and Instagram account Research Filipino-American history, culture, and community stories Collaborate on ideas to make our content more engaging for our 2nd-generation Filipino-American audience Why Intern With Us? Gain real-world experience in content creation, social media management, and digital publishing Learn to engage a community of Filipino-American readers online Build a portfolio of published work to enhance your resume Connect with other passionate Filipino-American creatives and storytellers Importan...

Wanting to Reconnect with your Culture? This Innovative Filipino Martial Arts Program Can Fill the Void. Written by Joseph Bautista: Did you grow up as a second or third generation Filipino-American in the United States? If so, have you experienced being embarrassed for not knowing how to speak Filipino or not being familiar with Filipino culture or history? You are not alone. In the San Francisco Bay Area , a new program is coming to Daly City to help you overcome that.  Eskabo Daan Filipino Martial Arts  has developed a program to help fellow Filipino-Americans learn about Filipino culture and have fun while doing so. Classes will teach participants how to translate: Weapons fighting to empty hand fighting English to Tagalog Tagalog to Baybayin The program is designed to expose all participants to self-defense techniques, fitness, history, culture, language, writing and more through Filipino Martial Arts . Filipino Martial Arts, more popularly known...

Don’t write to be liked. Don’t write to be right. Don’t write to be understood. Write to become emotionally literate, accepting of yourself, and free. Write to move a culture. Write a philosophical change. Write to revolutionize your pain. – Tanya Markul Reposted from my Facebook Memories. January 16, 2024.   Soul Over Matter Podcast: The Healing Power of Writing with Tanya Markul In this episode, I chat with writer and author, Tanya Markul, about the transformative and healing nature of writing. Michelle the Mystic

Global • July 2026. Two Empires, One Final: What a Filipino Sees That Spain and Argentina Can't. spain argentina world cup 2026, blanqueamiento, decolonize the mind, filipino american, football racism, spanish colonization philippines, enzo fernandez chant, vinicius junior, lahi, diaspora identity. WORLD CUP • DECOLONIZE THE MIND • JULY 2026 Two Empires, One Final: What a Filipino Sees That Spain and Argentina Can't Spain beat Argentina 1-0 to win the 2026 World Cup. But when the two teams that met in the final are a country that ruled the Philippines for 333 years and a country that erased its own Black and Indigenous people, the trophy is the least interesting thing on the field. On Sunday, July 19, 2026, at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, Spain beat Argentina 1-0 to win the FIFA World Cup. For ninety-eight minutes, nobody scored. Then, thirty-nine seconds into the second half of extra time, substitute...

When fear becomes policy, families pay the price. Published on January 7, 2026.  By J.F.R. Perseveranda This morning’s shooting in Minneapolis hit closer to home than most headlines do. An old college roommate of mine lives there now. He and his wife raised their two kids there. They chose a Minneapolis suburb deliberately. Her family is there. They wanted to raise their children near relatives, surrounded by a community that once promised safety, stability, and opportunity. Their family is interracial. Like many American families, they didn’t imagine that simply living their lives would one day feel politically charged. But here we are. ABC News has verified video of the moment an ICE agent opened fire, fatally shooting a woman behind the wheel of an SUV in Minneapolis. The Department of Homeland Security said the woman was allegedly "attempting to run over our law enforcement officers." The mayor of Minneapolis, however, said the agent's actions...

Vallejo, CA • January 31, 2026. The One Photo of My Son That People Keep Finding: five years after a wrestling tournament at Mission San Jose High in Fremont, a Benicia High senior season, and the Tagalog word for the kind of endurance that does not announce itself. wrestling, benicia high school, mission san jose, student-athlete, dumog, tiyaga, fil-am, filipino american, family archive, turtle island, 1/31. Vallejo, CA · January 31, 2026 The One Photo of My Son That People Keep Finding Five years on from a wrestling tournament at Mission San Jose High in Fremont — a Benicia High senior season, and the Tagalog word for the kind of endurance that never announces itself. Benicia High School wrestling at Mission San Jose High School, Fremont, California. Photo by J.F.R. Perseveranda / PinoyBuilt. I have taken thousands of photographs of my children. This is the one people keep finding. It goes up months ag...

Vallejo, California • August 2026. Your Mother's Tongue: A Letter to My Children, Who Understand More Than They Say. mother tongue Filipino American, kinagisnan meaning, kinagisnang wika, how to learn Filipino as a Fil-Am, second generation Filipino language loss, Tagalog vs Filipino difference, Bisaya Cebuano diaspora, Kapampangan language, Bikol Bicolano language, heritage language third generation, 1987 Constitution national language Filipino, regional languages Philippines, Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino, teaching kids Filipino in America, TFC The Filipino Channel, Taglish, OPM, raising bilingual Filipino kids, Vallejo Filipino community, Marikina, why Fil-Ams lose Tagalog. Learn Filipino • August 2026 Your Mother's Tongue: A Letter to My Children, Who Understand More Than They Say Learn Filipino so you can reach each other. Learn your mother's tongue so you can reach back. Here is the case for both — and the honest objection to the first....