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...

Vallejo Flashback: June 16, 1985 Baccalaureate Mass at St. Basil the Great As Tony Palisoc recently put it, we were just "hooligans in blue" back then. This was a few days before our graduation at Corbus Field. L to R: Nathaniel Marucut (face covered), J.F. Perseveranda, Marcelino Lim, Rudy Jandoc and Tony Palisoc. The Funny Thing: Rudy and I would eventually become roommates in January 1992, sharing a one-bedroom at South Beach Marina Apartments in SOMA, SF. It was $860 a month back then (it's nearly $3,000 now!). Fast forward to today: Tony P organizes a meetup, creates an SMS group, and every time I reply, I get this: Free Msg: Recipient [1808nnnnnnn] unable to receive message - Message Blocking is active My old roommate had me blocked! 🤣 The "Block na Block" Chat Log Dondi: I keep getting an undeliverable text for an 808 number 🤔 Me: I think we're blocked, Mik...

Flashback: Kristine & Julius Cervantes' wedding at St. Basil the Great Catholic Church on May 26, 2012. The wedding is done. On to the reception. 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. 🇵🇭 

Flashback to your wedding at St. Basil the Great Catholic Church on May 26, 2012. I must have just bought my Nikon Coolpix S6100 because it's what I used to take photos that day. I guess I didn't feel like lugging my big DSLR.  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. 🇵🇭 

Eternal rest grant unto Charles Angeles Sese, o Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him.  May his soul and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen. #restinpeace #restinparadise 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. 🇵🇭 

Remembering Dinna | July 6, 1967 - Feb 26, 2013 Flashback to Hogan High School Class of 1985 's Baccalaureate Mass . Baccalaureate Mass (June 16) was three days before graduation ceremonies on June 19 .  Although we were only together for a few months in tenth grade, she'll always be my first girlfriend .  More importantly, she was my best girl friend in high school . Rest In Peace Dinna Santiago-Martinez. I remember after confirmation in tenth grade, Father O'Kelly took me aside after noon mass sometime in spring 1983.  He asked me if I wanted to join the  priesthood . I thought to myself, "This is it.  This is my calling." Ever since first grade in Marist School in Marikina, Philippines, religion had been my favorite class.  I was a  devout Catholic .  And I mean die-hard Catholic .  I once overheard my Lola Rosita tell my mom and family in attendance that there had been a priest in every generation in her side of the fa...