FIL AM · FILIPINO

✊This July 4, as Americans celebrate independence, thousands have joined the #NoKings protests across the U.S.—calling out authoritarianism, corporate greed, and systemic inequality. For us Filipino Americans, these calls echo something deeper, older, and personal. Before 1776, before George Washington and the Boston Tea Party, Lapulapu of Mactan was already saying “No” to empire. Published on: Friday, July 4, 2025 In 1521, Spanish colonizer Ferdinand Magellan landed on our shores with a flag and a cross, expecting submission. But Datu Lapulapu—tattooed, fearless, and free—stood tall and resisted. In the Battle of Mactan , Lapulapu and his warriors, with little more than blades and bravery, defeated Magellan and sent a message that still rings through time: No kings. No colonizers. No compromise. “Before America had its revolution, we were already resisting. Before independence was a holiday, it was our reality. We have been saying NO to kings since 1521.” 🇵🇭 ...

While July 4 marks American independence, it’s also the date the Philippines gained its own sovereignty in 1946. 🇺🇸🇵🇭 For Filipino-Americans, this day carries a powerful dual meaning: freedom and friendship across the Pacific. While July 4 is widely known as Independence Day in the United States, it also holds profound meaning for Filipinos—especially those of us living in America. On July 4, 1946, the United States officially recognized the independence of the Republic of the Philippines—marking the end of nearly 50 years of American colonial rule. For decades, this date was observed in the Philippines as Independence Day, and later as Philippine-American Friendship Day . Today, while Filipinos commemorate our June 12 independence from Spain, July 4 remains significant—especially among Filipino-Americans. It symbolizes a shared legacy of freedom, resilience, and transpacific ties. It’s a day that reminds us how far we've come—and how far we can go...

June 12 is not just a date. It is the echo of 300 years of resistance, a cry for identity, and a quiet warning: that independence, once earned, can still be lost — unless we continually prove ourselves worthy of it. By Pinoybuilt In the 19th century, while revolution brewed in the hearts of Filipinos, Dr. Jose Rizal — the intellectual force behind our national awakening — offered a different kind of challenge to his people. One not delivered with the musket, but with the pen. One not aimed at the colonizer, but inward. “Our liberty will not be secured at the sword's point... We must secure it by making ourselves worthy of it. And when the people reaches that height, God will provide a weapon, the idols will be shattered, tyranny will crumble like a house of cards, and liberty will shine out like the first dawn.” — Jose Rizal Rizal believed in a revolution of the spirit before the revolution of the sword. He envisioned a Philippines where freedom was not grante...

Happy Birthday, America 🇺🇸  Fourth of July On July 4, 1776, the Second Continental Congress unanimously adopted the Declaration of Independence to announce the colonies' separation from the Kingdom of Great Britain.   Happy Fourth of July, America! pic.twitter.com/U4QuzXwbhG — The White House (@WhiteHouse) July 4, 2024

Who Was Dr Jose Rizal, the National Hero of the Philippines? José Protasio Rizal Mercado y Alonso Realonda (June 19, 1861 – December 30, 1896) was a Filipino nationalist , writer and polymath active at the end of the Spanish colonial period of the Philippines. He is considered the national hero ( pambansang bayani ) of the Philippines. An ophthalmologist by profession, Rizal became a writer and a key member of the Filipino Propaganda Movement, which advocated political reforms for the colony under Spain. He was executed by the Spanish colonial government for the crime of rebellion after the Philippine Revolution broke out; it was inspired by his writings. Though he was not actively involved in its planning or conduct, he ultimately approved of its goals which eventually resulted in Philippine independence . History Animated: Jose Rizal FIL-AM. FILIPINO/FILIPINA-AMERICAN.  Click on any photo above to enlarge, Use left/right arrows to navigate. Please drop us a comment below....

President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. led the nationwide commemoration of the 125th Anniversary of Philippine Independence and Nationhood in a flag raising and wreath-laying ceremony at the Rizal Park Monument in the City of Manila. This year’s Independence Day commemoration centers on the theme, ‘Kalayaan. Kinabukasan. Kasaysayan.’  According to the NHCP, it ‘gives focus on the freedom that our forebearers struggled for towards the future that they dreamed for the country and the history that we seek to remember and honor them with.’ In a written statement, President Marcos Jr. conveyed that today’s occasion stands as a solid testament of the Filipino people’s constant display of solidarity in fighting for the nation’s freedom that transcends generations. “This historic day confirmed what our forebears have religiously kept in their hearts: that we are the inheritors of the glorious heroism and nobility that our ancestors have demonstrated throughout our long and storied history,” he ...

Lunch in the Mission District San Francisco, CA. June 11, 2023. We ate at Senor Sisig yesterday Sunday when it was already June 12 in the Philippines. It was both our first time at the Mission District restaurant on Valencia St. We had dropped off Nica & Jian at their cousin's apartment in Presidio for their road trip to Arizona (via Los Angeles). When I asked Chesca where she wanted to it. she chose Senor Sisig in the Mission. I had eaten at the Ferry Building location, but never here, so fine by me. The tables were in an outdoor patio in the middle. Chesca and I both loved the ambience. The painted art on the walls were so cool and colorful. We'll both be back here I'm sure. Chesca & her father . The Proclamation on June 12 Independence was proclaimed on June 12, 1898 , between four and five in the afternoon in Cavite at the ancestral home of General Emilio Aguinaldo some 30 kilometres (19 mi) south of Manila. The event saw the unfurling of the flag of the ...

The Philippine-American War started on February 4, 1899 and lasted until July 2, 1902 A s part of my daily morning routine, I check out Google News for the latest.  I then searched " Filipino-American ."  The first item that came up was  The Jim Crow Army in the Philippine-American War . Some African American soldiers of the conflict thought fighting against fellow people of color was unjust. I'm a stickler for dates and anniversaries.  I just wanted to note that the Philippine-American War started 121 years ago, ten years before my paternal grandfather would be born. I had read up on my Philippines history before I migrated to the USA as a 9-year old.  My first library was the bookcase at my grandmother's house (down the street from my parents') full of my uncles' & aunts' school textbooks.  I even "borrowed" two of them to bring with me to Chicago. I hope my kids, from time to time, watch documentaries on YouTube to learn about th...

The Flag of the United States of America is lowered while the Flag of the Philippines is raised during the Independence Day ceremonies on July 4, 1946.