Randy Mack (Hawaii)
Love My Roots by Eguy Ipalari, Waipahu, Hawaii
“Thanks Homeboy. I’m proud of where I came from wherever I may lay down”.

Did you know that the first Philippine map, which was 27 inches wide and 42 inches long, was drawn by Nicolas dela Cruz and Francisco Suarez back in 1734?

Pinoy, a demonym for Filipino people, was first used in the 1920s by Filipino-Americans who were part of the first wave of Filipino migration to the United States. Take out the last four letters of Filipino, pino, and add up the letter Y to form the word. For many, Pinoy is similar to Mexican-American’s usage of Chicano.

No need for us to discuss who forms the roster of the Pinoy Pride. We might want to divert our attention from these already-known Filipino celebrities into the nameless heroes who are continuously giving out their best for the country.

Francis E. (San Diego, CA)
Culture, Born, and Raised by Tiger Jimmy’s Tattoo

According to statistics, a massive number of 46,000 Filipino Americans (Fil-Am) within a community is located in the county of San Diego making it second to top of the places in the United States which constitutes the most number of Fil-Am. But how did the migration of these Asian Americans started? Let’s do a short recap.

The first wave of migration started way back 1973 when some Filipino seamen who were part of the Galleon Trade and located in Acapulco crossed the Gulf of Mexico to a bay in Louisiana called Barataria. These Manilamen started the establishment of a number of villages in America.

Mass migration occurred at the beginning of the 20th century when demand for laborers in Hawaii and California increased and when the US Navy recruitment started

Aside from SD, Filipino-Americans are most distinctly visible in the states of Hawaii, Washington, New York and New Jersey.

Just Ray (San Diego)
Embrace Your Roots by Gurut Tattoo (San Diego)
“Don’t bite my ish.”

According to a 2008 study by Population Reference Bureau, USA is the third most populous country worldwide with a population of 304.5 million; Filipinos surprisingly made up the 0.77% of the total number, which started at a lower rate and went higher as years  passed by. Having all these said, we can hence conclude that migration is a phenomenon gaining popularity in the Philippines.

Now due to the growing number of Filipinos wanting to leave the country in hopes of finding a greener pasture, it isn’t surprising that kids today prefer My Chemical Romance over Pinikpikan, Stephanie Meyer’s Twilight series over Jessica Zafra’s Twisted, or Baked Macaroni over Palabok. Reality bites.

Let this tattoo serves as a reminder that regardless of who and where we are, we should always be sublimed of our roots, of being Filipinos.