Dr. Belinda A. Aquino

Positively Filipino, They Blazed a Path for Us — Positively Filipino | Online Magazine for Filipinos in the Diaspora

There are those who work quietly among us to better our community, never asking for recognition or remuneration. This is especially true of many of our Filipino American elders whose ideas and views are often overlooked, their lifelong work often going unappreciated.

So, last August 31, Positively Filipino paid tribute to 12 outstanding manongs and manangs who have paved the way for us to have a better life in America, whose shoulders we proudly stand on.

Their stories are testaments to the hardship, discrimination, racism, and inequality they personally witnessed, endured, and overcame in order to give their families a better future. From politicians to academicians, from historians to musicians, from artists to activists, they have blazed a remarkable path for us. 

In a world where technology is replacing almost every aspect of human life — where phones have replaced real conversations, where time is so hurried, where kindness is a rarity -– let’s stop for a moment to pay our respect to our elders.  It’s time to hear their stories and embrace the important lessons they can share. It’s time to say a big “Thank you!” Positively Filipino will continue to tell the stories of the manongs and manangs, lest we forget. –The Publisher & Staff.

Read the life stories of Dr. Belinda A. Aquino and Ben Cayetano, former Governor of Hawaiʻi, from the article published by Positively Filipino. A video of this event called “Building Communities” by the same host is also aired in Tribute to our Manongs and Manangs.

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Dr. Patricia E. Halagao

Featured in Hawaii Business Magazine, February 21, 2024 are UH members Dr. Patricia Halagao and daughter Marissa (top middle), and Agnes Malate (bottom middle) for their achievements as Filipinos in Hawaiʻi. Read their stories at Hawaiʻi’s Filipinos Are Stepping Out From the Shadows.