PinoyBuilt — Stories of Filipino America

Vallejo, CA • August 2026. Maligayang Bati, Mama Helen! HBD. mama helen birthday, elenita baluyut garcia, tess perseveranda family, valencia bukidnon, st basil vallejo, filipino grandmother tribute Mama Helen's Birthday • August 2026 Maligayang Bati, Mama Helen! HBD A birthday letter to my mother-in-law, Elenita "Mama Helen" Baluyut Garcia — and a 2007 photograph from Vallejo I still smile at every time I find it. Vallejo, CA, November 2007 — after Mass at St. Basil. Left to right: Mama Helen, Tess carrying Chesca, Bebot and Rowena. Standing in front, all smiles: Jian and Nica. Maligayang Bati po, Mama Helen! Happy birthday. Somewhere in Valencia, Bukidnon today, I'm guessing the table is full — most of your apo are there, and I know my three musketeers, Nica, Chesca, and Jian, wouldn't have missed it for anything. I wish I could've made the trip too. Since I couldn't, I wanted to give you this instead: a pa...

... in the #Philippines! 🎉 #Makati pic captures one of my favorite moments: after I gave her the engagement ring. #TimeFlies but #memories are #forever ✨💕#InMemoryOfTess #ForeverInOurHearts #TimelessMoments #EngagementMemories #Family #Love #Blessed View on Instagram at https://instagr.am/p/DL7kI8Sx1JK/

With the tourists from Bukidnon March 19, 2025. Sacramento, CA. Nica & Chesca drove up from San Jose and San Rafael respectively. They hadn't see Mama Helen since she stayed with us and attended their graduation from high school and middle school in 2018. Chesca last saw Rowena, Reggie, Reah and Rhesee in 2012 when she and Tess vacationed in Bukidnon (without Nica, Jian and me). Nica last saw Rowena and family in 2008 when they were here for Bebot's wedding.

Flashback to November 1999 when I gave her the ring at Makati Shangri-La Then we met Reggie and you at this restaurant/bar across the street. Do you remember which restaurant this was? FIL-AM. FILIPINO/FILIPINA-AMERICAN.  Click on any photo above to enlarge, Use left/right arrows to navigate. Please drop us a comment below. 🙏🏽 Help us grow Pinoybuilt to be the number one  Filipino-American  online community in California, if not the USA. 🇺🇸  Please click  this to follow www.pinoybuilt.com . 🤙🏽 Thank you! 👊🏽 Maraming salamat po kabayan. 🇵🇭 ✌🏽 Pinoybuilt uses  Disqus  as the commenting system because it prevents spam, but also because it connects our various sub-sites like  LA.pinoybuilt.com ,  HI.pinoybuilt.com ,  AU.pinoybuilt.com  &  PH.pinoybuilt.com . Comments help a website go viral (and make $$$) so we hope to hear from you. 🙏🏽 Know anyone who'd be interested in blogging for Pinoybuilt. Please s...

Flashback to March 29, 2005 Tess, the kids and I were vacationing in Valencia, Bukidnon, Philippines so we were able to celebrate my father-in-law's birthday in person. Wishing you peace, love & laughter and better health po. Cheers to you po. Today is the 29th. It has been two years and three months since my wife, Tess Garcia Perseveranda , passed away due to complications of COVID-19. Remembering you Tet! Please drop us a comment below. Help us grow Pinoybuilt to be the number one Filipino-American online community in California, if not the USA. 🇺🇸 Please click this to follow www.pinoybuilt.com . Thank you! Maraming salamat po kabayan. 🇵🇭 

via Instagram