FilCom Center

10/13/2026

From the archives: a Philippine STAR clipping from the sakada centennial.

Baguio City artist Kigao Rossimo sculpted the first 15 Ilocano farmhands from Candon in clay, to be cast in bronze. Candon City (Ilocos Sur) House Deputy Speaker Eric Singson offered the figures as a congressman's gift to the Hawai'i government, honoring 100 years since the sakadas arrived.

A century later, people on both sides of the Pacific still wanted these men remembered.

Archives like this are why community spaces matter. Without a home, stories get lost in drawers.

What keepsake from your own family history deserves a home? Tell us below.

10/12/2026

Filipino Food Week is on through October 18. 🇵🇭🍴

The Philippine Consulate General in Honolulu is celebrating S**a, the vinegar of the Philippines, with participating hotels and restaurants across O’ahu, Maui and American Samoa.

Food is one of the ways our history gets passed down, in our kitchens, at family gatherings and at community events. It's part of why we celebrate Filipino American History Month.

Find a participating location near you this week and eat Filipino. Let us know where you go!

🇵🇭 𝐖𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐄 𝐓𝐎 𝐓𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐄 𝐅𝐈𝐋𝐈𝐏𝐈𝐍𝐎 𝐅𝐎𝐎𝐃 𝐖𝐄𝐄𝐊 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔 🍽️

Get ready to experience 𝐒𝐮𝐤𝐚: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐕𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐠𝐚𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐩𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬!

From October 11–18, visit our participating hotels and restaurants across Oʻahu, Maui, and American Samoa and enjoy the flavors of Filipino cuisine.

📍 𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐚 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐥𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐧𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐣𝐨𝐢𝐧 𝐮𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐅𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐨 𝐅𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐖𝐞𝐞𝐤 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔!

𝐊𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐚𝐲𝐨! 🇵🇭

10/09/2026

March 18, 2000: the groundbreaking of the FilCom Center in Waipahu.

Years of fundraising came before this day, and for many in our community, the dream of a place of their own had been waiting even longer. On June 11, 2002, the doors opened to a 50,000-square-foot home built through gifts from seniors, businesses, foundations and neighbors.

People built this Center with their own gifts, and the Bayanihan Gala is how we keep that going. We honor those who serve our community, and the support we raise keeps these doors open to everyone.

Gala registration has closed, but you can still show your support. Make a gift to keep this home open.

💛 Give now: https://givebutter.com/2026bayanihangala

Can’t give right now? You can also book your next celebration: filcom.org/ballroom/courtyard-rental. Every booking helps fund our mission and the programs that keep the FilCom running.

10/07/2026

Bayanihan Gala week is here, and the checklist is coming together. ✅

Behind every detail is hard work: months of planning, meetings, and hours given by our committee and volunteers to make the evening special.

Maraming salamat also to our honorees for their part in this, to the attendees who are showing up for the FilCom Center, and to the sponsors and donors whose support makes the evening possible.

There's still time to support the FilCom Center through donations and join us in celebrating Greg Auberry, Melody Calisay, Ph.D., and Patricia Halagao, Ph.D. this Saturday.

⬇️🌟 Be a Steward of Hope. Donate today:
givebutter.com/2026BayanihanGala

10/06/2026

Our Kabataan: Filipino for Kids Fall Fun Program is coming back to the FilCom Center to celebrate Filipino American History Month!

Kids will enjoy fun activities that celebrate Filipino culture and history, in collaboration with the UH Mānoa Timpuyog Organization and the Waipahu High School Filipino-American Club. Our youth leaders and volunteers make this program possible.

⚠️ Spots are extremely limited. The program has only 25 spots, and most are already taken. Registration is first-come, first-served.

⬇️ Sign up
https://tinyurl.com/fil4kidsfa26

10/05/2026

On December 20, 1906, fifteen men from Candon, Ilocos Sur made a historic journey to Hawai'i to work the sugarcane plantations. They were the first sakadas.

Marcelino Bello. Celestino Cortez. Mariano Cortez. Emilio Dasalla. Martin de Jesus. Julian Galmen. Simplicio, Francisco, Mariano, Vicente and Antonio Gironella. Apolonio Ramos. Filomeno Rebollido. Cecilio Sagun. Prudencio Sagun.

An estimated 125,000 sakadas followed them. Today Filipinos are one of the largest ethnic groups in Hawai'i, and it began with these fifteen.

Tag a family member whose story starts with the sakada generation. 💛

At the FilCom Center, their story is why we exist. Follow along this month to see how their descendants built a home for that story.

10/05/2026

Our 2026 Bayanihan Gala honorees Melody Calisay, Ph.D., and Patricia Halagao, Ph.D., joined Hawaii News Now Sunrise to share what's in store for this year's gala.

They shared how the evening supports the programs and celebrations that keep the FilCom Center a home for our community, and how it helps kick off Filipino American History Month in a special way.

Catch the full segment on Hawaii News Now: https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/2026/09/24/filcom-center-host-2026-bayanihan-gala-celebrating-filipino-heritage-community-support/

It's not too late to help us celebrate Greg Auberry, Melody Calisay, and Patricia Halagao, while supporting the FilCom Center.

⬇️ Donate to support our mission:
https://givebutter.com/c/2026BayanihanGala

09/24/2026

Get ready to roam, sample, and mingle!

Instead of a sit-down, plated dinner, the Bayanihan Gala features food stations from local restaurants, giving guests the freedom to explore a variety of dishes and connect with each other throughout the evening.

The Bayanihan Gala is more than a great meal, it's FilCom's largest annual fundraiser, and this year's theme, Stewards of Hope: Honoring those who transform compassion into action, opportunity into progress, and service into lasting impact, reflects why we gather. We'll be honoring three individuals whose dedication has left a lasting mark on our community:

✨ 2026 Bayanihan Gala Honorees ✨

🔹 Greg Auberry | President & CEO, Consuelo Foundation
🔹 Melody Calisay, Ph.D | President & CEO, East West Marketing
🔹 Patricia Halagao, Ph.D | Co-Director, Center of Philippine Studies at UH Manoa

Join us Saturday, October 10, at 'Alohilani Resort Waikiki Beach to celebrate them and support FilCom's mission!

⬇️ Get tickets and see sponsorship opportunities
https://filcom.org/bayanihan-gala-2026

09/21/2026

Generations Magazine put the FilCom Center on its cover – tracing our story from the ancient kingdoms of the Philippines, to the sakadas who built Hawai'i's sugar plantations, to the "impossible dream" that became our center in 2002. The feature shares firsthand stories from the people who built FilCom from a sugarcane field into the largest Filipino community center in the U.S. outside the Philippines.

⬇️ Read the Story
https://generations808.com/the-filcom-center-a-dream-come-true/

09/18/2026

Dr. Marie Jocelyn Marfil, Artistic and Music Director of Hawaii Rondalla and the University of the Philippines Abelardo Rondalla, hosted free hands-on rondalla training workshops for beginner and advanced players. Participants learned traditional Filipino string instruments, including the bandurria, octavina, laud, and guitar, over the course of the program.

At the end of their three-week training, students came together to showcase what they'd learned in a live performance, celebrating both their progress and the musical heritage of the rondalla tradition.

Sign up for our newsletter at https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/sl/VTVyuzr/filcom so you don't miss out on free community programs like this one!