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Negros 19: Massacre or Legitimate Encounter in Toboso?

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Negros Occidental • April 2026. Negros 19: Massacre or Legitimate Encounter in Toboso? negros 19 toboso, lyle prijoles filipino american, alyssa alano up diliman, rj ledesma altermidya, bayan usa, lfs sfsu, fil-am activist killed, philippine insurgency 2026, red-tagging, npa clash. Negros Occidental • April 2026 Negros 19: Massacre or Legitimate Encounter in Toboso? A 40-year-old Filipino American from California was among 19 people killed in a 12-hour firefight in Negros Occidental on April 19, 2026. The Armed Forces of the Philippines calls it a lawful encounter. BAYAN USA and rights groups call it a massacre. Here is what is verified, what is contested, and why this one should matter to every Fil-Am household. Northern Negros Occidental, where the 12-hour firefight in Sitio Sinugmawan, Barangay Salamanca, Toboso, left 19 people dead on April 19, 2026. The first shots were fired at 3:58 AM. By ...
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Marks of the Ancestors: Mel Orpilla and the Filipino Story of Vallejo

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Vallejo, California • March 2026. Mel Orpilla: Historian, Martial Artist, and Keeper of Vallejo's Filipino Memory. mel orpilla, vallejo filipino history, filipinos in vallejo, balintawak arnis, island warrior fighting sticks, manong generation, mare island naval shipyard, fil-am history, ifugao, ilocano heritage, pamana, filipino american history month. Vallejo, CA • Filipino American History Month 2026 Marks of the Ancestors: Mel Orpilla and the Filipino Story of Vallejo Historian, martial artist, and cultural keeper Mel Orpilla has spent decades ensuring that the Filipino presence in Vallejo—one of the oldest in Northern California—is documented, honored, and passed on. Mel Orpilla — historian, Balintawak Arnis master, and keeper of Vallejo's Filipino memory. đź“Ť Vallejo, California In the city of Vallejo, history lives in unexpected places. It lives in faded photographs tucked into family albums, in stor...
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San Diego State, A.B. Samahan, and Fall 2026: What Filipino-American Families Need to Know

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San Diego, California • April 2026. San Diego State, A.B. Samahan, and Fall 2026: What Filipino-American Families Need to Know. sdsu admissions 2026, ab samahan, filipino american college, san diego state university, california university admissions, fil-am students sdsu, socal, national city filipino community. EDUCATION • CALIFORNIA • APRIL 2026 San Diego State, A.B. Samahan, and Fall 2026: What Filipino-American Families Need to Know SDSU is not a backup. It is home to one of the oldest and largest Filipino-American student organizations in the country — and for many Fil-Am families, it is the right school for reasons the rankings will never capture. April 2018: Nica's senior year in high school. My kids Francesca, JianCarlo & Veronica pose in front of Hepner Hall with Diego, an SDSU student (and son of my next door neighbor in the Philippines). Every spring, Filipino-American families in Califor...
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The Growing Pains of Greatness: Alex Eala's 60-Minute Masterclass in Resilience at the Miami Open

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Miami, Florida • March 2026. Alex Eala Falls to KarolĂ­na Muchová in Miami Open Round of 16. alex eala, miami open 2026, karolina muchova, filipina tennis, wta tour, filipino athlete, czech curse, fil-am sports, pinoy pride tennis. MIAMI, FLORIDA • MARCH 2026 The Growing Pains of Greatness: Alex Eala's 60-Minute Masterclass in Resilience at the Miami Open The 20-year-old Filipina falls to KarolĂ­na Muchová 6-0, 6-2 in the Round of 16 — and the Czech Curse extends to 0-13 — but the scoreline tells less than half the story of a young woman learning to dismantle the best in the world. Alex Eala competes at the 2026 Miami Open, where she advanced to the Round of 16 before falling to KarolĂ­na Muchová. (PinoyBuilt graphic) There is a specific kind of sting that comes with a 6-0, 6-2 scoreline — especially when it falls on the shoulders of a nation's sporting standard-bearer. In the humid air of the Grandstand Court at Hard Rock Stadium ...
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Learn Tagalog: Exploring the Soul of Destiny with "Tadhana" by Up Dharma Down

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Learn Filipino • April 2026. Learn Tagalog: Exploring the Soul of Destiny with "Tadhana" by Up Dharma Down. tadhana, tagalog, opm, up dharma down, armi millare, destiny, filipino values, learn tagalog, grammar, linkers, markers, fil-am. Learn Filipino • April 2026 Learn Tagalog: Exploring the Soul of Destiny with "Tadhana" by Up Dharma Down From indie breakout to pambansang anthem: how one OPM song became the gateway for Filipino Americans rediscovering their roots—and what the word tadhana reveals about our deepest values. Now with three grammar lessons for Fil-Am kids and adults who never had formal Pilipino classes. Tadhana — the Filipino concept of destiny — captured in one of OPM's most enduring songs. I was driving on I-80 through Vallejo with my bunso when I first really heard it—not as background noise, but as a full reckoning. She was playing DJ from her iPhone, tapping through Spotify, which I love for h...
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White House Celebrates Filipino American History Month - 2015

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The White House Initiative on AAPIs and the White House Office of Public Engagement hosted the first-ever White House Celebration of Filipino American History Month Billy Dec, member of the President’s Advisory Commission on AAPIs, moderated a panel with Filipino American trailblazers, which included Cristeta Comerford, the first Filipino American White House Executive Chef; Apl.de.ap, Co-Founder of the Black Eyed Peas; Cassie, singer; Geena Rocero, model and founder of Gender Proud; Jo Koy, comedian; and Ronnie del Carmen, Co-Director of Pixar Animation Studios. The speakers highlighted how they have blazed the trail in their respective fields, and recognized the role that their families – especially their mothers – played throughout their experiences. From the White House blog : The Celebration kicked off with remarks by Jason Tengco, Deputy Director of the White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs), and Mel Orpilla, President of the Filipino Am...
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5 Years Later: Wrestling, Resilience, and a Fil-Am Journey

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Fremont, CA • January 31, 2026. Half a Decade of Growth: A Senior Year Reflection: Five years after the Mission San Jose Invitational, we reflect on the grit of the Fil-Am journey and building a future on Turtle Island. wrestling, benicia, high school, student-athlete, turtle island, fil-am, heritage, january 31 Fremont, CA • January 31, 2026 Half a Decade of Growth: A Senior Year Reflection Five years after the Mission San Jose Invitational: Building grit on the mat and a future on Turtle Island. Looking at this photo now, I don't just see a wrestling match; I see a pivotal moment in the journey from student-athlete to adulthood. In the Filipino-American experience, we often talk about "building"—building a life, building a legacy, and building a future on Turtle Island . "Wrestling is a metaphor for our collective experience. It’s about finding your footing, staying grounded, and facing ev...
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