ABOUT
About PinoyBuilt
A digital monument for the Filipino American experience — built by the diaspora, for the diaspora.
PinoyBuilt was created to do one thing: make sure our stories don't get lost.
From the historic Navy towns of California to the frontline hospitals of Houston; from the halls of the Rizal Center in Chicago to the stretches of the Filipino-American Highway in San Diego — we document the Fil-Am journey with honesty, context, and pride. We are independent, community-driven, and rooted in the belief that the Filipino story is still being written — and that every voice in the diaspora belongs in the archive.
"He who does not know how to look back at where he came from will never get to his destination." — JosΓ© Rizal
The Mission
Since our founding on March 28, 2011 — born from a conversation in Maui about Filipino apparel and the absence of a platform that truly centered us — our mission has remained unchanged: to provide a home where our history isn't a footnote in a textbook, but a living, breathing record of where we've been and where we're going.
The Work Behind the Build
PinoyBuilt is a founder-led labor of love that requires many hats to keep the archive alive and growing:
The Builder: From Marikina to the 707
My journey began in Marikina, surrounded by the stories of the Katipunan and the rhythms of SSS Village. As a father of three, I realized that if I didn't document where we came from — our routes, our roots, our sacrifices — our heritage might become a casualty of time. I bought this domain in 2011 to build a bridge for my children. And yours.
J.F. (Jonjo) left the Philippines at age nine, spending a lifetime bridging the gap between his Marikina roots and his Chicago and Vallejo upbringing. A proud Hogan Spartan from East Vallejo, he founded PinoyBuilt not just as a digital archive, but as a cultural compass for the next generation to navigate their heritage, language, and identity with Pinoy Pride.
- 1966 Born in Makati; raised in SSS Village, Marikina
- 1976 Arrived in Chicago — "I loved Chicago from point zero"
- 1979 First arrival in Vallejo — the 707, home ever since
- 1988 Glendale, CA — with three titas, Glendale College
- 1989 Return to Chicago — Wright College
- 1995 Back to the 707 — permanent return to Vallejo
- 2011 Founded PinoyBuilt — domain registered in Maui, March 28
Who We Serve
PinoyBuilt serves three audiences — in this order of priority:
Whether you're second-generation in Daly City, a nurse in Dubai, a teacher in Toronto, or a student in Manila — if you care about the Filipino story, this platform is for you.
What We Publish
PinoyBuilt runs a full editorial operation — daily news, weekly deep dives, ongoing photo essays, and a growing archive of community stories. Here are our content series:
What We Cover
USA · California · Chicago · Los Angeles · Hawaii · San Diego · Texas · Stockton · Vallejo · Washington · New York
Filipino Americans by the Numbers
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau ACS · Pew Research Center · Neilsberg (2023–2025 estimates)
California alone accounts for roughly 38% of all Filipino Americans in the United States — more than the next five states combined. Explore our full national overview in the USA pillar page.
The Los Angeles and San Francisco metro areas hold the highest concentrations in California. Daly City — long known as the "Pinoy Capital of the U.S." — remains one of the densest Filipino communities in the nation by percentage of population. San Diego is home to the Filipino-American Highway and the country's first Filipino American mayor of a city with over one million people.
Filipino immigration to Vallejo dates back to the early 1900s, driven by the Mare Island Naval Shipyard — one of the oldest and largest naval installations on the West Coast. Generations of Filipino sailors, laborers, and their families put down roots here, making Solano County not just a California story, but the most historically concentrated Filipino American county in the entire United States. The 707 isn't just a home base. It's ground zero for the Fil-Am diaspora in America. Read the full Vallejo pillar page →
Join Us
✍ Become a contributor
PinoyBuilt publishes first-person essays, community histories, photo essays, and diaspora perspectives from Filipino Americans nationwide and around the world. Whether you are 1st, 1.5, or 2nd generation — whether you are in Vallejo or Virginia or Dubai — your story belongs in this archive.
Share your story Meet the contributors㪠Join the conversation
Every post on PinoyBuilt has a comment section — and that's where the community comes alive. Share your memory, your reaction, your family's version of the story. Your voice makes this archive richer for everyone who comes after.
Browse posts & comment See recent commentsπ§ Contact the editor
For press inquiries, partnerships, corrections, or general questions — reach PinoyBuilt's editorial team directly.
Contact page info@pinoybuilt.comFollow PinoyBuilt
Stay connected and be part of the community across every platform.
PinoyBuilt exists to remind us: our stories matter — even when we weren't favored, expected, or counted in. Tayo ang nagsusulat ng ating sariling kasaysayan.
