SF State students gathered over a week ago to bring awareness about the issues Filipino women experience through art and music.

On March 19, the SF State League of Filipino Students co-hosted the third annual event called Diwang Pinay ("Soul of the Filipino Woman"). The event told the stories of Pinay, or Filipino women, who suffered from internal, familial and domestic violence and who have been forcibly and violently silenced.

The event is designed to educate the audience about issues facing Filipino women. It was co-sponsored by Babae, another Bay Area-based organization, which deals with Filipino women’s issues.

The league strives to address issues in the Filipino community and help support struggles such as domestic violence against women, Filipino World War II veterans’ equity, and educational and youth issues to help deepen and strengthen the self-image of young Filipino Americans. Filipinos have the highest rate of college dropout and suicide among Asian Americans, according to Irene Duller, a mass campaign officer for the league and also a graduate student in Asian American studies.

“We’re trying to get the word out to raise awareness among young Filipino Americans about important issues that have been in place for many years,” said Michelle Penez, a league officer and a senior psychology major.

The entrance to the second floor of the center was filled with enthusiastic young women dressed in vibrant Malong, which are Filipino traditional clothes. Young Filipino men joined the women, and both parties cheered each other on.

The league attempts to preserve Filipino culture and history and define the present situation. They aim to promote a proper understanding of how to remedy their current condition and take action at a personal, local, national and international level, according to league officials.

One of the major struggles facing Filipino women today is the expanding number of workers abroad.
Due to a lack of employment opportunities in the struggling Philippine economy, about 3,000 Filipino women leave their homeland for work abroad on a daily basis.

Many of them end up becoming domestic workers, entertainers or prostitutes, putting their lives at risk for the sake of their families. Of these women, about six to seven women a day come home in caskets, said Penez.

The event featured Filipino folk songs and dances performed by local Filipino organizations, including Babae members, local elementary school students, a women’s collective from the San Francisco Veteran’s Equity Center, and members of the Pilipino Bayanihan Resource Center.

A group of the Babae members performed vignettes divided into three parts, and presented all movements made to the beat of a drum.

The first performance brought to light the women abused and struggling with domestic violence. The second and third performances depicted women becoming empowered and getting out of their abusive relationships and finally freed, explained Marisa Mariano, one of the performers.

Since the Bay Area has a high rate of Filipino women suffering from domestic violence, the issues had to be raised, said Mariano.

“It’s very uplifting to see people getting involved in the community, and women’s issues being represented,” said Frances Landicho, a sophomore English literature major. “I feel like my sense of identity is stirring.”

The LFS also promotes a peer mentorship program called Journey to Understand Forgotten Reasons to Act Now to encourage an educational discussion and analysis of what the members are learning from the program.

“We’re planning an exposure trip to the Philippines in July to experience and apply what we learned,” said Penez.

Valerie Palapas is one of the members who has joined the peer mentor program.

“I like it a lot because it gives me a sense of community,” said Palapas, a freshman majoring in business.

The programs help her better understand the Filipino community and open a lot of new opportunities through their workshops, Palapas said.

“We’re not invisible,” she added. “It’s very important to show our presence and strength.”