A Night in the Philippines

Even as early as 1937, Filipino Americans were gracing the stage in Sacramento, when on March 5, 1937, "A Night in the Philippines," a musical variety show, was presented. Today, many actors and actresses of Philippine descent take part in stage roles. One of the most famous is Lea Salonga.

The Filipino Federation of America

The Filipino Federation of America (FFA) was founded in December 1925 by sakadas--Filipino contract laborers of Hawaii. The FFA was a mutual-aid and quasi-religious society which held to a number of secret beliefs and mystical traditions, led by charismatic and controversial Hilario Moncado. They did not eat red meat, attend gambling events or taxi-hall dances, or go on strike in the fields--members were often used as strikebreakers).

Fight Night at ARCO Arena

Mercito Gesta of Cebu, Philippines (14-0-1, 5 KOs) is coming to Sacramento's ARCO Arena as part of Fight Night. He is part of the brand of pugilism that has existed among Filipinos and Filipino Americans for centuries. There have been many exemplary fighters through the years, providing individuals of Philippine descent much reason to be proud and happy.

Filipino World War II Soldiers: America's Second Class Veterans

Filipino World War II Soldiers: America's Second Class Veterans, by Rick Rocamora, is a collection of photographs of the photojournalist, capturing the lives of Filipino World War II Veterans with an appropriate mix of feelings, from sadness to triumph.

Mr. Rocamora has long been taking photos of the Veterans in San Francisco, and has exhibited them in various venues throughout the country as well as included them in video documentaries. His work is moving.

Doctor-Nurses

Hospitals are full of Filipino nurses, many of whom are overqualified. Many Philippine doctors become nurses in other countries, especially the United States of America. They call themselves MD-RNs.

In applying the push-pull analysis to the situation, one looks for what reasons doctors were pushed out of the Philippines and pulled into other countries, like the U.S. Not surprisingly, the financial factor was significant. Although Philippine society views doctors as professionals who make money esily, reality proves otherwise. Data from the Philipine Bureau of Internal Revenue reveal that the average Filipino physician earns a monthly income of PhP 16,196 ($324). The Philippine government's own economic office estimates that a monthly income of PhP 16,800 ($336) is needed to meet the basic daily needs of a family of six in Metro Manila.

In the U.S., nurses can start earning $4,000 per month, more than ten times what an average doctor earns in the Philippines. In addition, this job would also serve as an entry point and a stepping stone to eventually achieving the American dream.

What this does to the availability of medical professionals in the U.S.? How can the Philippines get better if the highest educated individuals leave the country? It is well documented that overseas workers send remittances back to the Philippines, to a tune of $10.69 billion in 2005 and $12.76 billion in 2006. What an unfortunate situation of dependence.