PinoyBuilt — Stories of Filipino America

Vallejo, CA • August 2026. Maligayang Bati, Tony Palisoc! From Springstowne to the Hogan Spartans, a Vallejo barkada friendship since 1980. Tony Palisoc birthday, Springstowne Junior High School, Hogan Spartans Class of 1985, Arnel Pacanza, Marcelino Lim, barkada, fil-am, vallejo. BARKADA • VALLEJO, CA • AUGUST 2026 Maligayang Bati, Tony Palisoc! From a bench outside the Springstowne library in June 1982 to Mare Island bar hops in 2026 — forty-four years of a Vallejo barkada that never let go. Left to right: Tony Palisoc, Arnel Pacanza, Marcelino Lim, and J.F. — the bench in front of the Springstowne library, last day of ninth grade, mid-June 1982. Photo taken by Joy Perseveranda-Putong. Today, August 20, is Tony Palisoc's birthday — and there is no telling the PinoyBuilt story, or my own, without him. I met Tony on the second day of seventh grade, in second-period French class at Springstowne Junior High School in V...

Birmingham, AL • March 12, 2026. Celebrating Marcelino Lim's birthday with a flashback to the Hogan '85 20th Reunion and the "JJAAM" crew from Springstowne Jr. High. Photo shot on the vintage Olympus C3000Z. Birmingham, Alabama • March 12, 2026 Maligayang Bati, Marcelino! From Springstowne to the South Celebrating a Spartan brother, a "JJAAM" basketball original, and a friendship that survived the rain and the years. Today we send a massive Happy Birthday to Marcelino Lim , now holding it down in Birmingham, Alabama! Whether it’s Maligayang bati or—in honor of our 7th-grade French class roots— Joyeux anniversaire , the message remains the same: brotherhood is forever. Our history goes back to the lunch courts of Springstowne Jr. High School . If it wasn't raining, we were playing basketball. It started with Tony Palisoc and me meeting in French class; then Joe , Arnel , and Marcelino joined the rotation by 8th gr...

Springstowne / Sailor Jack's Hogan High School Reunion Joined by our St. Patrick's brothers: Tony Magbitang & Milo Fortes March 26, 2021 — Benicia, CA. The first post-pandemic gathering of the squad. L to R: jf, Arnel Pacanza, Rudy Jandoc, Tony Magbitang, Tony Palisoc, Missy Cabrera, Marie Arzaga, Ben Carbonell & Milo Fortes. After the pandemic shutdown in 2020, this dinner at Sailor Jack's was our first chance to reconnect in person. It’s always good times with this group—the history we share is what keeps us coming back. View Full Facebook Album → EXPLORE MORE: REUNIONS HOGAN COMMUNITY Labels: Hogan High School, Springstowne, Sailor Jacks, Benicia, Reunion, Hogan Spartans, St Patricks, Arnel Pacanza, Rudy Jandoc, Tony Magbitang, Tony Palisoc, Missy Cabrera, Marie Arzaga, Ben Carbonell, Milo Fortes, jf, Perseveranda

Hogan Spartans Reunion! Napa, CA. August 26, 2023. Hi Eileen! I've known her since Springstowne Jr. High School, Hogan Sr. HS, and our Fil-Am club Mga Kapatid in UC Davis .  Snow trip my freshman year in UCD - "Never mind." Good times. Join me and blog with Pinoybuilt. Sorry for the late post. If taken on my Sony full frame camera, I have to convert the raw photos, then edit in Adobe Lightroom. I joined Facebook in September 2007, so I have tons of digital photos prior to 2007 that I haven't posted yet as well. I will be posting to this blog/website going forward (rather than Facebook). I'd rather make money for Pinoybuilt instead of Facebook and Mark Zuckerberg. 😉 The site aims to promote any and all Fil-Am (Filipino-American) in NorCal. Please visit the site often, and leave a comment (so I can keep my three kids in college). 😉 For the SoCal site, please visit  la.pinoybuilt.com . Please click to follow our website/blog PINOYBUILT.com Click on a tag below ...

Mga Kapatid Reunion! Napa, CA. August 26, 2023. Hi Eileen! I've known her since Springstowne Jr. High School, Hogan Sr. HS, and our Fil-Am club  Mga Kapatid  in  UC Davis .  Snow trip my freshman year in UCD - "Never mind." Good times. Join me and blog with Pinoybuilt. Sorry for the late post. If taken on my Sony full frame camera, I have to convert the raw photos, then edit in Adobe Lightroom. I joined Facebook in September 2007, so I have tons of digital photos prior to 2007 that I haven't posted yet as well. I will be posting to this blog/website going forward (rather than Facebook). I'd rather make money for Pinoybuilt instead of Facebook and Mark Zuckerberg. 😉 The site aims to promote any and all Fil-Am (Filipino-American) in NorCal. Please visit the site often, and leave a comment (so I can keep my three kids in college). 😉 For the SoCal site, please visit  la.pinoybuilt.com . Please click to follow our website/blog PINOYBUILT.com Click on a tag below ...

Redentor and I met second cousin Carlo for the first time. Carlo, his wife Anna Marie and kids were in town for their son's AAU basketball tournament. Rancho Cordova, CA. April 29, 2023 Second cousins, youngest to oldest: Carlo, Chris, J.F. & Redentor Grandsons of Osias, Sergio and Perfecto Altamirano Reyes. It's a small world after all. Auntie Fe mentioned that Carlo's wife Anna Marie was from Vallejo. Not only did we both attend Springstowne Junior HS and Hogan Senior High School, we both worked at the Chinese restaurant in town, Princess Garden. It doesn't stop there. We both lived in Marikina in the Philippines, and migrated to the USA at nine years old. Small world indeed.   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. 🇵🇭 

2020 Christmas photo of Salie's beautiful family  Salie and her husband Tim, both far right, live in St. Louis, Missouri. They have three sons and two granddaughters!  Salie and I were neighbors on Toni Ct in Vallejo My family and I moved to our house on Toni Ct in 1979 when I was in seventh grade. Salie and I were neighbors until my family moved start of ninth grade to our house on Heather Ct. Salie and I both attended Springstowne Junior High School and Hogan Senior High School . We had gotten back in touch last or two years ago via texts.  She's not on Facebook (as are a couple old buddies, so I'll be more on this site than Facebulok).  Salie came up in conversation when I took Auntie Digna Santiago to visit Dinna. FYI Springstowne & Hogan alumni.  Salie and her husband may be in town for Thanksgiving holidays.   Let's plan on a mini-reunion in November.

Impromptu get-together with Milo in town to visit family. Dinner at Sailor Jack's  in Benicia.  I had the New Orleans Gumbo. Thanks Tony M for getting this together and for hosting the after-dinner 'conversation.' Great seeing Milo, Ben, Missy, Marie, Rudy, Arnel, Tony M & Tony P.  Later on, seeing Amy & Ray down First St.  Too bad Phillip couldn't make it. Good times.  Annual 'Milo' reunion dinner?