Happy 33rd Anniversary to the Hawaii Filipino Chronicle (HFC), its publishers Dr. Charlie and Chona Montesines-Sonido, editors, graphic designer, social media specialist, columnists, contributing writers, staff support and distributors.
In the spirit of Thanksgiving, the HFC management extends a warm heartfelt thank you to each individual – advertisers, readers, friends, community partners – for your years of unwavering support on this incredible journey and a project our publishers have called a “labor of love” for the Filipino community.
A mahalo also goes out to the Filipino community, the organizations who’ve worked with our staff to share their cultural and civic events, the Philippine Consulate General Honolulu, our partners in state and federal government and the University of Hawaii who’ve provided important announcements for our community.
For any small business to survive and thrive in Hawaii for decades is a testament of resilience and great sacrifice. This also holds true for the HFC which started in July 1991.
Montesines-Sonido, who is also the managing editor, said “it has been a privilege to create a platform that championed advocacy, cultural pride, and civic engagement. Whether we were spotlighting Filipino professionals, covering immigration reforms, or promoting health initiatives, I felt we were making a tangible difference. That impact — however quiet or gradual — was profoundly satisfying. The Chronicle was never just a newspaper—it was a lifeline for our community, a mirror reflecting our struggles, triumphs, and aspirations.”
The HFC not only is a community newspaper, but as Montesines-Sonido points out it’s been actively promoting and sponsoring community health fairs and activities, sponsoring community and professional health organizations support their fundraising efforts and activities to benefit the Filipino community and the Hawaii community-at-large.
Changing with the times The HFC has worked hard to make our newspaper accessible. The hardcopy of the HFC could be found in the halls of the State Capitol to the University of Hawaii to local Filipino restaurants and dozens of outlets. As the HFC joined the digital age, it has been offering free access to our website where viewers could read each issue of the newspaper.
The 1990s have been difficult for the HFC as most print publications. Many have gone out of business or were bought out by larger publications. Printing costs have skyrocketed. But the publishers were committed to forge ahead despite mounting financial burdens. Thus, again, as the publishers say, the HFC is a “labor of love” that has remained steady through the 2000s until the present.
Many of our readers believe the HFC’s commitment to journalistic integrity and excellence should have garnered the newspaper more awards over the years. It has covered all the major issues mainstream media has and in some cases with greater depth. But for the same reason the HFC was established in the first place, there remains corporate bias in mainstream media.
But it has never been about accolades as a mission, but of prioritizing Filipino voices, advocating for the Filipino community and telling our stories. The HFC aimed to inspire and empower. We’ve done that through features of outstanding Filipinos excelling in all walks of life from the arts to academia to government and business. We’ve empowered our community through mobilizing our readers to get out and vote, and to be aware of the pressing issues of the time to make sound educated decisions during elections.
Impact on the Filipino Community The HFC’s impact on the Filipino community has been positive. It has helped to unite Filipinos, breaking from the divisiveness in the 1980s-1990s. Also, during the same period, the HFC helped bring a mostly insular community into the spaces of the greater community in what was then called by our community “mainstreaming.”
Baby boomer Filipinos increased their visibility and participation starting with political engagement. The HFC helped to promote these pioneering individuals in public office as elected officials, heads of departments and commissions. The HFC did the same in the private sector featuring those climbing the corporate ladder via our “On the Move” segment.
The HFC has been a reservoir of invaluable life-saving information during the peak of COVID-19, helping to keep our community – among the most affected by deaths and hospitalization – from contracting the virus. The year before a vaccination was created, there were widespread fear. The multiple stories the HFC published helped to calm some of those fears. The HFC did the same story telling and disseminating of urgent information during the Maui wildfires.
Arguably our immigrant population is where HFC has had the most impact. For years the HFC had multiple immigration attorneys help to guide our immigrant community through the complexities of becoming a United States citizen. We’ve had columns in Tagalog and Ilocano. News from the Philippines, cultural articles and features on immigrants all helped to make our immigrant population feel more welcomed in their new home country.
And at this very moment when immigrants nationwide are faced with major obstacles and in some cases are facing abject cruelty, the HFC has been advocating for our immigrants.
Lastly, we’d like to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving! May it be filled with wonderful memories and joy. Aloha and Mabuhay!
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