by Connie C. Triggiano
In research studies, the answer is usually derived from a top-of-mind question. For instance, “what comes to mind when we refer to Asians?” Most likely than not, every other Asian is cited: Chinese, Koreans, Japanese. Maybe one or two more come up: Indians, Vietnamese. What about Filipinos? Oh yes, of course. “Filipinos!” So goes the answer. But only upon prompting. And no, definitely not top-of-mind.
That Filipino Americans are frequently labeled as “invisible Asians,” has been a topic widely written about — chiefly by Filipino writers themselves. It’s a well-intetioned reflective approach into understanding the reasons behind Filipino Americans’ invisible classification — according to the usual metrics by which races and ethinicities are observed and processed.
Asian immigrant communities assume a crucial significance during elections when their votes are sought as one monolithic group — instead of specific racial units that draw the differences among peoples from Asia. Still, when politicians try to curry favor from any particular Asian groups, Filipinos seldom become targets even if other Asians are not frequently approached as well.
“Invisible immigrants”
This was implied in the article by Caitlin Kim (“Why Asian Americans Don’t Vote,” New America, Sept. 7, 2017) where the author explained the cycle of non-participation in politics owing to a “pervasive feeling of not belonging in American politics.” While being the 3rd largest Asian group of single origin in the United States, the Filipinos seem to suffer from indifference to voting because they appear to be oblivious to political groups anyway, hence the term “invisible immigrants.”
The importance of Filipino Americans in the political landscape cannot be ignored as Filipinos themselves are known to be passionate about politics and concerned about many relevant issues affecting their lives. When Filipinos engage in politics at all, said another media practitioner, they do so quietly by simply voting. This must adds to the cycle that since Filipinos are absent in the political scene, outreach by politicians to draw them into the political spectrum would not make for sound moves any more. It is a perceived as a reaction loop. It results in a corresponding lack of initiatives from political groups to even start to actively court Filipino voters or try to know them better.
A more telling reason for Filipino Americans’ invisibillity particularly during the election season is this group’s tendency not to “support political campaigns with financial contributions or volunteer time, which may partly explain the group’s lack of visibility and clout.” (Filipino American Political Participation, Edwin S. de Leon and Gem Dauz. www.tandfonline.com., Aug. 1, 2018). The same article stated that Filipinos manifest their power instead through the ballot.
Lost opportunities
Preferring not to publicly engage in discussions of public policies affecting their lives deprives the Filipinos of the opportunities to be seen and heard and their perspectives and issues addressed accordingly. The silence pulls the Filipinos further away from the political orbit and sidelined or ignored as a voting community.
Financial contributions to political causes do not come easy to Filipinos who feel burdened by parting from hard-earned money to bolster candidates who are generally already flushed with abundant cash to begin with. Those who can afford to contribute do so to gain access to the politician, hoping to capitalize on recognition, that may come in handy to secure favors for personal or business purposes. This political/financial investment prevails most notably when the candidate exhibits an affinity to the community as in the case of candidates from Filipino ancestral lineage. Candidates running on policy agendas that matter to Filipino communities are also supported either with dollar contributions or by volunteering on the field.
Still, the absence of a strong singular Filipino voice in public political discourses is something yet to be desired. Blacks and Latinos are minorities aggressivey courted by candidates given their respectively tight enclaves, similar advocacies and frequent and active physical presence in rallies and other public displays of their demands and needs.
Barriers to political discussions normally exclude English since more Filipinos than other immigrants demonstrate strong English skills, according to Migration Policy Institute. Rather, the interest to participate in serious political platforms for discussion appears to be the missing element for Filipinos to be considered politically engaged and gain its rightly place under political radar — and get noticed in the process.
Filipinos tend to vote Democratic
Research indicates that Filipinos tend to vote Democratic while the Republican Party does not enjoy as much preference. De Leon and Daus’ research on the other hand points to various factors close to the Filipino psyche including strong family ties, deep religious convictions and immigration mandated by constitutional fiat which are Republicans’ traditional values. Filipino families are dispersed, there is no concentration large enough (in Chicago) to be called Philippine town. Filipinos are English speakers who easily blend in mainstream society; so in the midst of diversity, it becomes culture’s task to wrap Filipinos together in celebrating the arts, preserving customs and traditions, protecting the Tagalog from oblivion and promoting food and its people’s many achievements.
The Filipinos’ invisibility did not escape the 2018 Emmy Award’s ceremonies when co-host Michael Che called TV’s lack of representation for some characters on the tube. He said, “TV has always had a diversity problem. I mean, can you believe they did 15 seasons of ‘ER’ without one Filipino nurse? Have you been to a hospital? The Philippines is the largest sender of professional nurses in the US!” This, and the fact that more Filipinos have more college degree holders than the total foreign-born immigrants as well the US’ own native born population. The 2020 data from Migration Policy Institute shows Filipinos were likely employed as managers, businessmen, scientists and art professionals, and that 28% of nurses in the US are Filipinos. The same MPI report cited Filipinos as “having significantly higher incomes compared to total foreign and native-born” people in the US.
The Pew Research Center pegged the median income of Filipino households in 2022 at $100,600, the same level as all other Asian American homes that year.
It’s about time
These impressive numbers however are overshadowed by the lingering invisibility of Filipino Americans that impedes the group’s recognition as a viable political powerhouse, given its current 4.1 million population and 2.7 million registered voters. The sad part is, Filipino Americans had the lowest voter turnout (54%) in 2020 among Asian Americans overall, according to the Asian American Pacific Islander Data Guide. Great strides must be done to drive Filipino Americans out of the political shadows. It’s about time, if policy makers were to be enticed to take a look at this community of high economic and social achievers that is in dire need of political recognition and validation.
This seems like a job suited to local nonprofits to be engaged in advocacy work which is crucial to Filipino Americans’ political representation.
Connie Triggiano is currently Board Secretary of Circa-Pintig, a Chicago community theater organization. She works as Academic and English tutor assisting foreign students to pass IELTS, TOEFL, Celpic, ESL and other English exams to gain admission to universities in English speaking countries. She also trains greencard holders to pass US citizenship exams and interview. She worked for many years as Vice-President of Chicago-based Leo Burnett Advertising in its Manila office where she managed the advertising accounts of the country’s biggest brands: Procter & Gamble, Pepsi Cola International, BPI, Vicks, Wyeth and Cathay Pacific. She edited a travel newspaper in Singapore and taught college freshmen in a local university. Connie graduated with a BA degree, major in English, from the University of San Francisco in California while working as an information officer for a United Way agency. She took up MS in Advertising at the Asian Institute for the Development of Advertising, UST Graduate School.
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