Happy Birthday, Tony Palisoc!
Happy Birthday, Tony Palisoc 🎉
From Springstowne Jr. High to the Brooklyn Bridge — forty-plus years of brotherhood, adventure, and Pinoy pride with my best friend.
Today we celebrate the birthday of my best friend since 7th grade French class at Springstowne Jr. High in Vallejo — Tony Palisoc. Through the years, Tony has been more than a friend; he's been a brother.
From our basketball days since 7th grade, to that unforgettable night in 10th grade when we found ourselves at Mercy High School's Senior Prom in San Francisco on a blind double date, Tony has always been down for adventure. By senior year, we were working side by side at Princess Garden Chinese Restaurant — juggling school, sports, and life, but always with plenty of laughs.
The Filipino concept of barkada goes deeper than any English translation. It is not simply a "friend group" — it is a web of mutual loyalty forged over years of shared struggle, celebration, and memory. For Fil-Am families in Vallejo, barkada was often the first community children found outside their homes — a second family that shaped who they became.
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Kaibigan — (ka-i-BI-gan)
Friend. Derived from ibig, meaning "to desire" or "to love." A kaibigan is not someone you merely know — it is someone you have chosen to keep. Tony is kaibigan at siya ay katoto — friend and companion, in every sense of both words.
A Friendship That Traveled Far
Our friendship traveled far beyond Vallejo. We explored Kauai and Oahu in 1996, braved the energy of New York City in May 1997, and took in the beauty of Seattle in August 1997. Tony stood by me as my best man at my wedding and became Ninong to my eldest child.
The photo above is one of my favorites: Tony walking across the Brooklyn Bridge, a moment I captured as we crossed from Brooklyn to Manhattan. I was behind him — camera in hand, as everyone who knows me would expect. Just like that bridge, Tony has always been a steady connection — linking the past, the present, and the promise of lifelong friendship.
Happy Birthday, Tony. Joyeux anniversaire, Antoine! Grateful for every memory, every laugh, and every journey we've shared. Here's to many more ahead. Cheers, bro! 🍻 I've gotta locate your 29th birthday pix — so come back again.
Sources & Further Reading
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Founder & Editor
J.F.R. Perseveranda
J.F. (Jonjo) left the Philippines at age nine, spending a lifetime bridging the gap between his Marikina roots and his Chicago/Vallejo upbringing. A proud Hogan Spartan from East Vallejo and resident of LA/SF, he founded PinoyBuilt not just as a digital archive, but as a cultural compass for his three children to navigate their heritage, language, and identity with Pinoy Pride.
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