SOMA (South of Market Area) Pilipinas came into existence as a dedicated socio-cultural district for the Filipino American community in San Francisco in April 2016 when the Board of Supervisors had unanimously passed a legislation to allocate a large chunk of land in San Francisco’s south of market area. SOMA Pilipinas was a long-cherished dream for Filipino Americans who fought racism in the early 1900’s, and had been subjected to displacement since 1970’s.

The Filipino Night Market in SOMA Pilipinas is expected to help Filipino Americans achieve the goals of SOMA: developing initiatives for welfare of Filipinos, protecting the Filipino cultural heritage and improving the Filipino community life in USA.

A progress report with a concrete plan of developing this cultural district was submitted to the board of supervisors in December 2016. The new creative Filipino Night Market in SOMA Pilipinas is the first stepping stone towards the cultural development of Filipino Americans in the Bay Area. This monthly night market is the brain child of a non-profit organization called UNDISCOVERED SF that is designed to enhance economic activity and create public awareness of SOMA Pilipinas. This first Filipino Night Market in SOMA Pilipinas for Filipino Americans will commence from August 18, 2017 and will be held on third Friday of every month.

Also check 12th Annual Filipino Festival in Virginia

UNDISCOVERD SF is conceived and produced by Kultivate Labs, a nonprofit business catalyst. Desi Danganan, a Filipino American entrepreneur and executive director of Kultivate Labs, is one of the vital players working towards the economic development of SOMA Pilipinas. He says, “It’s our way of getting Filipinos to learn and feel comfortable with reinvesting back into the community.”

SOMA Pilipinas was given a grant of $150000 by the city mayor, of which an estimated amount of $130000 would be used to fund the Filipino Night Market in SOMA Pilipinas. It is also working towards procuring more $65000 through funds to meet the expenses and salary of the staff for the creative Filipino Night Market in SOMA Pilipinas.

Ellen Canale, the chief deputy director of communications for the mayor’s office told Hoodline that UNDISCOVERED SF’s Filipino Night Market in SOMA Pilipinas would be a one-stop place for vendors and artistes of the Filipino American community to represent the Filipino American culture and heritage. Filipinos in San Francisco from different walks of life, including music, technology, food, visual arts, social activism and health, are likely to benefit from the Filipino Night Market in SOMA Pilipinas.

The historic SF Mint building will house the Filipino Night Market in SOMA Pilipinas for Filipino Americans. The Filipino night market at the Mint Building will sprawl across an area of 92,000 square feet. The Mint building is famous for being one of the few buildings that survived the 1906 earthquake in San Francisco.

This is indeed a very proud moment for every Filipino American who has finally been realizing their dreams of preserving their cultural identity in the land of opportunities. This Filipino Night Market in SOMA Pilipinas is approximately 13.9 miles from the San Francisco International Airport and is well connected by all means of transport.

FlyHigh is a cultural wing of iEagle Travel, a leading international travel organization booking cheap flights from USA to Manila and Cebu. iEagle Travel is known for the lowest airfare and the best service.

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The organizer of the 12^th Annual Filipino Festival in Virginia is a culturally rich Christian Church community called Our Lady of Lourdes. It is an excellent community with over 1500 families. It also has a Blue-Ribbon school for students from pre-KG to the 8^th grade. The church, Our Lady of Lourdes, is located in the west end of Richmond, VA.

Among the Filipino events in USA, the 12^th Annual Filipino Festival in Virginia celebrates the Land of the promise, Mindanao, with an interest on two indigenous groups Maranao and T’boli. It is scheduled for two days starting from the evening of Friday, August 11 and will continue until the night of Saturday, August 12.

Read More What You don’t Know about Filipino Americans

The 12^th Annual Filipino Festival 2017 will start with the US National Anthem in chorus followed by the Philippine National Anthem. The Pastor of OLL Church will then shower his blessings before the actual event begins.

After the opening ceremony, the 12^th Annual Filipino Festival in Virginia will have a program from D’Originals Band that will constitute of OLL friends, Pinoy Ako Dance and the Richmond Pilipino Class.

After this, we will have Music and Dance followed by Remnants, Rock and Soul. With this the Filipino American festival2017 will be complete for Friday and the 12^th Annual Filipino Festival will enter for a full day party on Saturday.

Also Read The new creative Filipino Night Market in SOMA Pilipinas 

In the morning of Saturday, the festival will start with CFMD Race ‘N’ Roll 5K and Kids Run followed by Awards ceremony of the winners of the race. After a 15 minute break following the race is the opening ceremony of the 12^th Annual Filipino Festival in Virginia on Saturday.

After the opening ceremony, there are several programs in the Children’s parade until evening. The Children’s parade is followed by bands from Pinoy Republik and concludes with Soul Proprietor band.

With this the 12^th Annual Filipino Festival 2017 will conclude in Virginia, USA. Get ready to be a part of this largest Filipino American festival of the year in Henrico, Virginia.

FlyHigh is a cultural wing of iEagle Travel, a leading international travel organization booking cheap flights from USA to Manila and Cebu. iEagle Travel books the best flights with the lowest airfares to Manila and Cebu. 

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Jeepney, East Village

This is the best Filipino restaurant NYC where you can hang out with friends and enjoy incredible taste of the Philippines. Jeepney in New York hosts communal feasts and serves the best Filipino food on banana leaves on Wednesday as well as Thursday nights. Have longganisa, whole fish, rice cakes and other Filipino dishes in the Kamayan tradition of “eating with your hands.” Reservation in advance is recommended.

Jollibee, Woodside

Jollibee not only serves the best Filipino food in New York City but also connects Filipino Americans with their native culture in the US. Needless to say, it is one of the few best places for dining in a homely atmosphere. Filipino Spaghetti with sweeter sauce, hot dogs with cheese topping and chicken drumstick with salty flavor are some of the must-have Filipino dishes at Jollibee in New York. This Filipino restaurant NYC is best known for desserts including classic halo-halo.  

Purple Yam, Ditmas Park

If you crave home-cooked Filipino food with familiar spices and flavors, do visit Purple Yam in New York. The recipes of some dishes at Purple Yam are influenced by the restaurant owners’ trips to Korea, Malaysia, Bali and France. Undeniably this Filipino restaurant NYC serves both traditional fare and fusion food from the Philippine cuisine with equal finesse. You can taste some lesser-known noodle dishes from the cuisine of the Philippines here.

Krystal Café 81

Krystal Café 81 is one of the best Filipino restaurants in New York City where Filipino Americans enjoy authentic Filipino breakfast and beer to their heart’s content. Though located at a stone’s throw from the most popular Maharlika, Krystal Café 81 is frequented by foodies for its home-style Filipino cooking. It serves breakfast throughout the day. Café 81’s breakfast menu includes garlic-fried rice (sinangag), dried beef (tapa), eggs and the main dish (ulam). It is equally famous for serving crispy, succulent pata, a deep-fried pork leg dish, which is sufficient for two persons.

Pig and Khao, Lower East Side

Pig and Khao at Lower East Side is a must stop for the best Filipino food in New York City. The restaurant owner Leah Cohen’s inheritance of Filipino food culture is evident from the menu itself. Her mother was born and brought up in the Philippines, which makes Pig and Khao a favorite of homesick Filipino Americans. From spicy sisig to crunchy pata to chicken insal, Cohen’s restaurant has everything that Filipino expats long for.

Maharlika, East Village

Maharlika at East Village has got everything from lively interior décor, heart-warming cocktails and delicious food to attentive staff that makes it the best Filipino restaurant NYC. Interestingly, each of the cocktails is named after a Filipino celebrity. You can’t help going gaga over meat heavy dishes with marinated pork shoulder tocino, sweet sausage longganisa, garlic rice and fried eggs. Kare-kare, a stew with peanut butter, and Arroz Caldo, rice porridge with garlic, ginger as well as chicken are other must haves at Maharlika in New York.          

Lumpia Shack 

Do make sure to stop by Lumpia Shack while passing by West Village in New York City. Owned and run by King Phojanakong, the restaurant is a cozy dining hub for those having palates for Southeast Asian cuisines including Filipino. It serves a variety of meals in different categories including milkfish rice bowl with calamansi. Among Filipino restaurants in New York City, Lumpia Shack is equally popular with Filipinos and non-Filipinos. Get your taste buds treated to different versions of halo halo with different toppings.

Payag

Payag in New York is one of the few Filipino restaurants where both redefined taste of the Philippines and modern dining infrastructure create a magic. Located in Woodside, Queens, Payag houses both private banquets and party halls. There is a bar serving Asian-inspired cocktails in the restaurant. Payag hosts bands and musical programs on Friday and Saturday nights.

Ugly Kitchen, East Village

If you go four doors down from Maharlika, you will stop by Ugly Kitchen, one of the best Filipino restaurants at East Village in New York. Alongside offering a Korean menu, this eatery is known for traditional food of the Philippines. Ugly Kitchen delivers on its promises to serve the most authentic and best food to Filipino Americans in New York City. The menu boasts an array of cocktails with calamansi juice. Smoked boneless milkfish is a must try at Ugly Kitchen NYC. After all, milkfish is the national fish of the Philippines.

Grill 21, Gramercy

Grill 21 is a favorite of Filipino expats in New York for its ‘Asian Fusion’ food on the menu from the Philippines. With nondescript murals on the walls, the restaurant boasts decent ambience for family dining as well as hangouts. Grill 21 NYC is an ultimate destination for those Filipino Americans who are fond of chicken abodo, a dish of chicken thighs marinated in vinegar, and Sinigang na Baboy, a pucker-worthy sour soup with tamarind. Also popular for offering San Miguel beer from Manila, Grill 21 is the best Filipino restaurant NYC.

Also Check Latest Philippines Passport Validity

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It was the marshlands of Louisiana where Filipinos settled first permanently in 1763. In order to flee from the clutches of the merciless Spanish colonists, they sheltered themselves along the gulf posts of New Orleans. Referred to as ‘Manilamen’ or ‘Spanish-speaking Filipinos’ in those days, they were the first to share with the United States the sun-drying recipe of shrimp.

The year of 1781 is an important episode in the Filipino history of the United States. In 1781, the Spanish Government sent a Filipino named Antonio Miranda Rodriguez Poblador along with a team of 44 individuals from Mexico to the land which came to be known as Los Angeles. Evidently, the city of Los Angeles owes its foundation to the Filipino in the US.

There were Filipinos from New Orleans among the ‘Batarians’ who had bravely fought against the British colonizers in the 1812 Battle of New Orleans. It initiated the first wave of immigration from the Philippines to the United States. The second wave of Filipino migration to the US commenced in 1906 and continued till 1934.

The Treaty of Paris between Spain and the United States in 1899 as a result of the Spanish-American War put an end to the 300-year long Spanish colonization of the Philippines and brought Filipinos under control of America in exchange for $20 million to Spain. Consequently, the second wave of the Filipino immigration to the US was initiated in the beginning of the 20^th century.

The Filipino Americans have formed some close-knit neighborhoods, which are nicknamed ‘Little Manilas’ in California and Hawaii, with immigrants from the Philippines. Little Manilas are tailed habitats of Filipinos living as residents or citizens or employees on contact or students in the United States.

Many Filipino American chefs work in fine dining restaurants across the United States. Even the executive chef in the White House is a Filipino American named Cristeta Comeford. However, the Philippine cuisine is not as popular as other Asian cuisines in the USA.

The Filipinos in America celebrate the month of October as the Filipino American History Month among all Philippine festivals and celebrations, commemorating the first arrival of Filipinos in Morro Bay, California, in October 1587. They also celebrate the Philippine Independence Day on June 12 across the United States.

According to some surveys, it is estimated that over 60,000 Filipinos migrate to the United States every year. The most interesting fact is that the Filipinos in America form the third largest community of immigrants from Asia, which is equivalent to 15.7% of foreign-born residents in USA after the Chinese and Indians.

Although the US census states that 3.4 million is the strength of the Filipino community in USA, it is believed that the actual population of Filipino Americans is close to 4 million.

One of the most interesting facts to know about the Filipinos in America is that half of their population resides in the state of California, while 6.7% of the rest lives in Hawaii. 4.8% of the Filipino migrants in Texas is the same in New Jersey. Illinois is home to 4.7% of the total Filipino Americans.

Do you know that the Philippines to the United States is the seventh largest migration corridor in the world? The Filipino community in the USA rapidly grew in the 1980’s.Their population increased from 12,271 in 1950 to 255,592 in 2010. Another interesting thing to share from the Filipino history is that more than 25% of the foreign-born Filipinos immigrated to the US after 2000.

Among the most interesting things about Filipinos in America is the fact that they represent the largest fraction of the naturalized US citizens in all communities of foreign-born immigrants in the USA. The average age of Filipino Americans is 34. Interestingly, 72.6% of the Filipinos in America are just above 18 years in age.

One of the few interesting facts about the Filipino community in the US is that their average household size is greater than that of the Americans. 3.3 and 3.72 are the average household size and the average family size of Filipinos in the US. 76.7% of the Filipino Americans own houses in USA and 57.2% of them are married.

Believe it or not, the literacy rate in the Filipino American community is almost twice that of Americans in the US. The most interesting of all facts about Filipinos in America is that they earn more than the Native Americans. The average annual household income of the Native American population is $53,657, while the median household income of the FilipinoAmericans is $75,146 per annum. They are the second highest earning community after Indians in America.

Tagalog, the national language of the Philippines, is the fourth largest foreign language spoken in the Filipino American households. It is next to Spanish, Chinese and French languages spoken in the United States. More interestingly, 69% of the Filipino Americans speak fluent English.

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