Activist-journalist Jon Melegrito wins AARP AAPI Hero award

Jon Melegrito is a 2018 AARP Asian American & Pacific Islander hero. AALDEF PHOTO

KENSINGTON, Maryland—Filipino American activist and journalist Jon Melegrito, a tireless advocate for Filipino World War II veterans, won the 2018 AARP AAPI Hero Award in the Volunteer Hero Category.

Melegrito has dedicated his time and energy to educating and bringing awareness to the plight of Filipino veterans.

AAPI Hero Awards recognizes everyday heroes across the US: volunteer and staff members who dedicate their time to assisting nonprofit organizations, and who serve 50-plus Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.

Melegrito’s legacy is getting the approval for the Congressional Gold Medal for Filipino WWII Vets, where the US Congress finally acknowledged Filipino veterans for serving alongside the Americans against the Japanese during WWII by bestowing them the Congressional Gold Medal.

Melegrito won $1,000 in addition to another $1,000 for his sponsoring organization, The Filipino Veterans Recognition and Education Project (FilVetRep), of which he is Executive Chair. He plans to donate his winnings to the organization.

During the Congressional Awards Ceremony on October 25, 2016, Melegrito witnessed the vets in their 90s being awarded.
“They didn’t say much, but I could see the way their faces proudly lit up.”

In his AARP AAPI video, he explained, “We need to educate the  American public and the world about how the Filipinos fought, not just for their families and the Philippines, but also for the United States.”

He is described as a giant in the Filipino American community, and has been at the heart of many organizations. AARP is a US-based interest group “whose mission it to empower people to choose how to live as they age.”

For Melegrito to win points for the contest, guests had to watch his official AARP AAPI Hero Award video on Facebook about the Filipino vets. Then they had to answer the question on the video’s comment section, “How can we raise awareness about the Filipino Veterans’ contributions to the American story?” Each Facebook answer earned him 5 points while each Facebook video “Share” earned him 1 point.

On his award Melegrito said, “It’s an honor to be an advocate for our Filipino Veterans whose valor and duty to country we must continue to celebrate and remember. While the award is humbling, it’s also inspiring to see our community rise up and support our mission to make sure our veterans did not die in vain.”

Melegrito is a retired library assistant at American University, was anexecutive director of the National Federation of Filipino American Associations (NaFFAA), and is the editor in-chief of Manila Mailin Washington, DC. He is also a senior columnist for PINOY Newsmagazineand correspondent for INQUIRER.net.