Monday, October 5, 2015

Boholanos as Filipino Americans



October is Filipino American History Month or Filipino American Heritage Month.

#FAHM2015 is the hashtag campaign in social media sites.

We saw one post in Facebook sharing this KVIE documentary on Little Manila.

Very interesting watch:

Filled with chop suey houses, gambling dens, and dance halls, Little Manila was the area in Stockton notoriously called, Skid Row, but it was also the closest thing Filipinos had to a hometown. In its heyday in the 30s, this lively area had the largest population of Filipinos outside of the Philippines. Narrated by famed Filipino-American producer, Dean Devlin (Independence Day, The Patriot) this documentary tells the immigrant story as Filipinos experienced it.
No doubt, the accounts make us proud of how Filipinos, overcoming diversity and institutionalized racism, thrived in the "states". The Boholano in us also caught a few reference on Bohol. Kaching! A Bohol connection, hence this post.

One of the interviewees Stockton resident Demetrio Ente, Jr. mentions his father having come from Bohol, Philippines.

Likewise, the resource person Dr. Dawn Mabalon from the San Francisco State University talked briefly about his grandfather, one Delfin Bohulano. Bohulanos are now recognized as Leyte citizens, but the name strongly suggests that they are originally from Bohol.

Another reference that is unmistakably Boholano is "Dagohoy Club", mentioned as one of the Filipino social groups that flourished in Little Manila.

We join the Filipino American community in celebrating Filipino American Heritage. Mabuhay!

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