Organizations and Pageants
Organizations & Pageants
Designed by: Ana Cabato
Community * Connections * Contribution Bayanihan * Kapwa
Filipinos by nature seek to find commonality with others. The Filipino organizations fulfilled that need and by the 1980’s the number of Filipino organizations exceeded 250. One popular event through the 1990’s were pageants and popularity contests which served as
fundraisers for the organizations. More importantly, it brought community together.
The Filipino American Community
The Filipino American Community was the fifth Filipino organization founded in 1959 with Florencio Lopez of National City as its first president. When the Philippines was given its independence from the United States on July 4, 1946, the Philippines designated July 4 as Philippine American Friendship Day. The organization held an annual beauty pageant the first week of July and representatives from different organizations competed in the contest.
The 1970’s brought the creation of regional organizations which held various social gatherings including picnics, dinner-dances and beauty pageants to raise funds for the organization. Those regional pageant winners then ran for the Miss Philippines Contest which ran from 1960 to 2013.
Courtesy of the Hawkins Family
The Balboa Park Centennial- Philippine American Celebration
2015 marked the 100th anniversary of the 1915 Panama-California Exposition, an event that drew millions of spectators to Balboa Park and put San Diego on the world map.The Balboa Park Centennial- Philippine American Celebration was presented by the Filipino community in a collaborative effort by ten Filipino organizations. The three day event held June 5-7, was called a “Big Balboa Park Party.” The organizations provided funding for the $150,000 project and resources in the management and entertainment of the three day event are:
Council of Philippine American Organizations-COPAO DOD FED GLOBE
Fil-Am Fest
Gawad Kalinga
House of the Philippines
Operation Samahan
PASAC
PASACAT
Samahan Filipino American Performing Arts&Education Center
Silayan Filipino National Organization
The Evolution of Singkil
Philippine dance once again draws an audience to the Balboa Park Centennial Philippine American Celebration in June, 2015. The presentation of THE EVOLUTION OF SINGKIL, a dance from Southern Mindanao was an epic performance in the first major collaboration featuring six California Philippine Dance Companies. The audience roared as fan dancers came from all directions at the Organ Pavilion for a stunning conclusion to evening’s celebration.
National City based
PASACAT and
Samahan Philippine Dance Company;
Los Angeles based Kayamanan Ng Lahi and
Malaya Filipino American Dance Arts;
and from San Francisco BARANGAY Dance Company.
Beauty Pageants
Beauty pageants were popular in the Philippines as each village had a muse. The tradition continued and became part of the Filipino American experience in the 1960’s – 1980’s. The selection of queens was done in two ways: either a beauty pageant or the selling of
ballots.
The Filipino American Community Association of San Diego County held the Philippine American Friendship Day to commemorate the Philippines independence from the United States in 1946. It was highlighted by a beauty pageant of young women representing various Filipino organizations.
The ballot method had each candidate sell ballots. They would have a “Tabulation Night.” where the winner would be declared and then a Coronation Ball in the following month. The funds for these events helped purchase buildings or in the organizations operations.
Courtesy of Grace Aruta Lallana
The Philippine American Community of San Diego County hosted the annual Miss Philippines contest from 1960 to 2011. It was the largest gathering of the Filipino community.
PC-L: 1962 Miss Philippines held at the historic
El Cortez Hotel.
PC-T: 1999 Miss Philippines, Francine Maigue, (escorted by her father Edilberto) of Chula Vista whose community work was inspiring for many Filipino Americans you in the performing arts and politics. She sadly passed away February 22, 2022 from cancer.
May Queen of Flowers
The First Mrs. Philippines Contest
Contest Winners
Want to Learn More About This Exhibit?
Check out our presentation slide show to get an in-depth look at the history of Filipinos in the military.
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