LA’s Mayor Garcetti lauds Fil-Ams at History Month fete

Consul General Adelio Cruz, Annie Cuevas Lim, LA Mayor Eric Garcetti, LA-Makati Sister City President Abraham Lim, and former LA City Councilmember Tom LaBonge pose with a recreation of the Historic Filipinotown sign at the Philippine Consulate in Los Angeles on Friday, October 26. AJPress/Ding Carreon

LOS ANGELES — Home to the largest concentration of Filipinos outside of the Philippines, the greater LA area hosted several Filipino American History Month celebrations, from a festival highlighting Filipino food to a panel of Fil-Am personalities inside City Hall.

Mayor Eric Garcetti attended a reception Friday, Oct. 26 at the Philippine Consulate, marking the first time a sitting LA mayor has stepped foot inside the Consulate. The LA-Makati Sister City association cohosted.

“To be the first mayor in the Consulate, this is a moment of history and I’m so honored to be a part of writing this history,” Garcetti said.

Over 600,000 Filipinos are said to be living in the greater LA area, as of the last Census.

“I look at Los Angeles not just as a diverse city…I often say, this is a very Filipino city. To know Los Angeles, you have to know Filipino culture,” Garcetti remarked.

LA-Makati Sister City President Abraham Lim said that the organization hosted the event to “represent the Filipino American community in recognizing and thanking [Garcetti] for his efforts in the founding of Historic Filipinotown.”

When he was still a city councilmember in 2002, Garcetti pushed for the creation of Historic Filipinotown. In his remarks, he shared what it took for the neighborhood to become the first official geographic designation honoring Filipinos in the U.S. — that meant unifying the local Fil-Am community.

“[Historic Filipinotown] is still there and will be there for centuries to come because of Mayor Garcetti,” state Assemblymember Rob Bonta (D-Alameda) said. “It is important…to not be erased from history, to give our voice. We will always remember where our families took root and built a new beginning.”

California Assemblymember Rob Bonta (D-Alameda, center) meets Fil-Ams who work at City Hall, including (from left) Max Reyes, Economic Policy Manager at the Office of Economic Development; Jessica Caloza, Deputy Mayor for Budget and Innovation Miguel Sangalang; Los Angeles Filipino Association of City Employees President Rea Lazo; Susana Reyes and Joan Tagle of the LA Department of Water and Power; and Board of Public Works Commissioner Joel Jacinto. AJPress/Ding Carreon

Other Fil-Am elected officials and leaders from various community organizations were in attendance, such as LA Deputy Mayor for Budget and Innovation Miguel Sangalang, Culver City Mayor Thomas Small, Sierra Madre Vice Mayor Rachelle Arizmendi, West Covina Councilmember James Toma, and LA Board of Public Works Commissioner Joel Jacinto.

Noting that Makati has been LA’s sister city since 1992, Garcetti said he hopes to visit the Philippine city one day.

“It’s time for us to see if a mayor from Los Angeles might actually come out and visit Makati City. It is on my shortlist,” the mayor added.

Garcetti also thanked Fil-Ams who work in City Hall, as well as the community’s contributions to the city.

“I was joking that the two most important things of any elected official’s life [are] time and money, and so my director of scheduling is a Filipina American as is the deputy mayor who oversees the entire budget for the city of Los Angeles. I think both may be the first Filipino Americans to hold those positions. I feel so lucky to work alongside them. We want to make sure the Filipino American perspective is everywhere,” Garcetti said.

But beyond the connection to the Fil-Am community as an elected official, Garcetti shared his personal ties to the Philippines.

His grandfather Salvador Garcetti — “a dreamer before they had that term” — fought in in the Philippines during World War II and received a pathway to American citizenship.

After the program, the mayor greeted attendees and was given special mementos, including framed Philippine woven fabrics and Filipino pastries.

“The reason why the Philippines is more than just the friendships…it’s because I wouldn’t be here without the Philippines,” Garcetti said.