
by Edwin Quinabo
YEAR-IN-REVIEW: The following is a recap of top stories the Hawaii Filipino Chronicle covered in 2024 as cover stories, editorials, news or column contributions.
#1 Roller Coaster Election: Trump Wins, Harris Replaces Biden, Trump Survives Assassination Attempts, Biden Bombs in Debate
Topping the list of news in 2024 is the presidential election which ultimately landed in Donald Trump’s favor, setting to place the 45th president once again in the White House to become the 47th president. It is the second time in U.S. history for a president to win two non-consecutive presidencies. Speaking on stage the night of election from West Palm Beach, Florida, Trump said, “We’re going to help our country heal. We have a country that needs help, and it needs help badly. Every single citizen, I will be fighting for you and your family, every single day. This will be truly the golden age of America.” Trump is scheduled to be inaugurated on Jan. 20, 2025.
Backtracking to the events that led to Trump’s historic victory were two historic moments of their own. First, at the June 27 presidential debate, then Democratic nominee Joe Biden’s incoherence and multiple loss in train of thought led to big donors in panic and eventually them bolting from his campaign. Prior to the debate, Biden was already slumping in polls over the course of almost a year and looked preordained for a shellacking. Due to enormous pressure from donors, Democrat establishment leadership and grassroots supporters, on July 21, the then 82 years old stepped down and endorsed vice president Kamala Harris as his successor. By July 22, Harris had secured enough delegates to become the Democratic party nominee.
Second, politicos agree that Trump got a boost in his campaign from two failed assassination attempts that created a heroic aura of invincibility, specifically the first assassination attempt in Pennsylvania at a Trump rally when a bullet grazed the former president’s right ear, causing blood to drip down his face. His response, a searing, indelible image, had the president pump fisting the air while surrounded by secret service, saying, “Fight! Fight!” Nearly two months later, Trump survived a second assassination attempt while he was playing golf in Florida.
Harris’ short run after Biden’s withdrawal produced record-breaking donations. Politicos say she also scored a win over Trump in the two candidates’ only debate. She had a blitz start, upshot in the polls compared to where Biden laid low, but she eventually hit a plateau, polls showed. Contrary to most experts that had the two neck-and-neck going into the General, the election night wrapped up neatly with Trump sweeping the battleground states Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. Trump won 312 to Harris’ 226 electoral votes. He also won the popular vote with 77,284,118 votes, or 49.8% to Harris’ 74,999,166 votes or 48.3%.
#2 Inflation Lingers, Filipinos Among Americans Struggling
2024 saw inflation – linked to the post-pandemic recovery period – stubbornly high despite attempts by the Federal Reserve to tame it. There are many reasons experts point to why inflation is still hoovering – a strong economy and employment, concentration of industries, corporate greed, bottlenecks in supply chains. Whatever the causes were, Americans had an axe to grind and took out their ire in what politicos say is the main reason Trump trampled on Harris, who while vice president, paid the incumbency wrath.
While traditional measures showed the U.S. economy is strong, Americans weren’t convinced. Economists use mainly the gross domestic product (GDP) or total output of goods and services to measure economic strength. But GDP has biases and evades the complete economic outlook. It could be that wealthy sectors of society are boosting GDP while large sectors of Americans are struggling, which could be one explanation why many Americans report difficult financial times despite reports of a fairly robust economy, experts say. Inflation — when the value of the dollar falls, and the price of goods rises – is only one snapshot of the economy, but it was the one that matters most to average Americans.
The University of Hawaii Economic Research Organization (UHERO) reports Honolulu’s inflation rate this past March rose 4.8% over the previous year, which is 34% higher than the national rate. The Fed’s 11th annual Survey of Household Economics and Decisionmaking found half of adults didn’t have money left over after paying their monthly expenses. There were also higher instances of not having enough money to eat, not covering bills in full and skipping medical care. Childcare has gone up and amounting to some 50% of what parents shelled out for their monthly housing payment, according to the survey. Rising gasoline and housing costs accounted for 70% of the price increases, according to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
“For the last couple of years, the economy has been driven by household spending and now people are starting to say, ‘Let’s retrench here,’” said Jeffrey Roach, chief economist for LPL Financial. “The pressure from inflation has finally started to hit even upper-income households.”
Fidel Hufana, retired healthcare worker, Waipahu, told the Hawaii Filipino Chronicle, “The value of the dollar has decreased so much that being a consumer is taking a toll on daily expenses. Everything has gone up significantly. If you compare grocery items like a bag of chips from $3.50 to $4.98, that is significant. Essentials like bread and toilet paper have increased in pricing over $2.00. When I look at my current grocery bill, I pay more for less items. Healthcare rates have increased, as well. If you look at your utility bills, and compare the rates, you will see those prices have increased.”
#3 Hawaii State Legislature Passes Largest Ever Income Tax Cut
Hawaii residents received one of the most welcomed news to grace the state in July. The 2024 Hawaii Legislature passed, and Gov. Josh Green signed into law the largest income tax cut in state history that could leave as much as $5.6 billion in our pockets through 2031. The Governor predicts the new law will reduce state income taxes for 70% of working-class families and eliminate the state income tax entirely for about 40% of all state taxpayers by 2031.
He said the tax burden for a median-income Hawaii family could be cut by nearly $20,000 over the next seven years. It will also reduce state income tax collections by a total of $5.6 billion by 2031. Tax savings could come as soon as early 2025. The State worked to modify the tax withholding tables used to calculate how much money is taken out of each paycheck for taxes, and employees should begin receiving more take-home pay in each paycheck in January.
“These were the changes that we had to have because we’ve seen an exodus of people who are living paycheck to paycheck,” Green said. “We’ve seen an exodus of those individuals going to the mainland, working families, because they just can’t afford rent.”
Some community groups are worried how the decreased revenues will affect needed social services, but Green declared that “we won’t be cutting services,” in part because he predicts the tax cut will grow the state economy. A larger economy would translate into increases in other kinds of tax collections, such as the general excise tax. He also said some state jobs that haven’t been filled in 3-4 years could be cut. “We expect to present a budget to the Legislature next year with fewer positions overall so that we get rid of some of what has been perceived as waste.”
#4 Mass Unrest Over Wars and Funding of Wars, National College Student Protests
Americans’ pocketbook woes drew fierce opposition to the wars the U.S. has been funding by the billions. Money wasn’t the only concern for Americans opposed to the ongoing conflicts, they questioned the danger of American support for Ukraine against another nuclear power in Russia, as well as the moral degradation in the Middle East that some have called a genocide by Israel in which U.S. arms have been used to kill a large civilian population around 45,000 with almost half being women and children, and bombs responsible for the destruction of most infrastructure, hospitals, schools and churches in the occupied territory.
The Biden and Congress approved foreign aid package totaled $60.8 billion in aid for Ukraine; $26.4 billion to support Israel, along with humanitarian aid for Gaza; and $8.1 billion for allies in the Indo-Pacific. Each year U.S. foreign aid has risen from $56.3 billion in 2021 to $70.4 billion in 2022 to the current numbers stated above.
A Rasmussen Reports Poll, which was conducted April 16-18, found that 57% of the respondents believe the aid packages provide too much money to other countries. Only 10% believe the funding is not enough, and 23% believe the funding is the right amount.
Hawaii residents Drs. Arcelita Imasa and Seiji Yamada, both members of the Hawaiʻi Committee for Human Rights in the Philippines (HICHRP), told the Hawaii Filipino Chronicle, “This [foreign aid package] is a prime example of misappropriation of funds but also a not surprising move by the Biden administration. This military and foreign aid budget is outrageous and should be condemned. HICHRP is concerned about the use of our tax dollars to support wars abroad.”
Hawaii resident Kami Yamamoto, MPH, Education Officer, National Alliance for Filipino Concerns (NAFCON), told the Filipino Chronicle, “Amidst ongoing economic issues such as inflation, joblessness, and unlivable wages, allocating billions of dollars towards war, foreign aid, and trade agreements with allies like NATO is a mis-prioritization of public funds. NAFCON along with other allied Filipino grassroots organizations maintain that our government should prioritize spending for social services like accessible education, healthcare, and other social services, instead of funneling taxpayer money into budgets for the military.”
A dust storm of anti-war protests swept across the U.S. on college campuses that was reminiscent of the 1960s college anti-Vietnam war movement. Protests erupted at colleges and universities from Connecticut to California. To name a few: Columbia, NYU, Harvard, Yale, MIT, Princeton, Brown, University of Michigan, University of Chicago, University of Texas at Austin, Stanford, UC Berkely, UCLA, USC. Thousands of students were arrested. Social media was also abuzz in protests as livestreams showed horrific atrocities in Gaza. The war in Gaza started after Hamas launched a terrorist attack in Israel killing 1,200 on Oct 7 the previous year.
#5 Hawaii Home Insurance and Maintenance Fees Skyrocket
2024 saw the price of homeowner’s insurance in Hawaii skyrocket due to global disasters, including the 2023 Maui wildfires. Rates for hurricane insurance and regular homeowner policies in Hawaii were already on the rise as insurers had to pay more in the global reinsurance market, but with the Maui wildfire last summer, some companies say they are having to charge more because of greater exposure and that Hawaii is now seen as a wildfire state, at least temporarily.
For many condominium and townhouse owners it was a double whammy. The Hawaii Condominium Associations say the price of master insurance policies increased by 300% or more in one year, some buildings seeing premiums increase by as high as 900-1,300%.
This forced some building and townhouse associations to raise their maintenance fees by hundreds of dollars leaving thousands of unit owners in a financial bind. In addition to a sharp rise in monthly maintenance fees, some condo and townhouse owners were assessed special fees of thousands of dollars to help their associations pay the gap for master insurance policies. Because lenders require that their mortgage holders have enough homeowner’s insurance to pay for a complete rebuild of their home, there is no way around paying for all these steep insurance costs.
Sue Savio said she has seen extreme scenarios of condo insurance rising by 1000%. “I tell anybody who has insurance premium, who has property, and their insurance payments only doubled to consider themselves lucky.” In one extreme case, an $800 condo policy has jumped to $8,000 a year.
The 2024 Hawaii Legislature attempted to bring relief to the condo insurance problem with a bill that aimed to revive the Hawaii Hurricane Relief Fund that would allow condos to get coverage. But that bill failed to pass in the last days of the session. Experts say this situation could last for years and it could deepen its impact on Hawaii’s real estate market.
#6 Hawaii Filipino Community Events: Filipino Fiesta & Parade, St. George Parish 70th Anniversary and First Grand Santacruzan, Ohana Medical Mission Charity Ball, Filipino Food Week
2024 was another vibrant year for Filipino community activities. The annual Flores de Mayo & Filipino Fiesta took place on May 4, at the Filipino Community Center in Waipahu. As usual, it was a one-day extravaganza of Filipino food, entertainment, culture and history that thousands took part in celebrating what’s considered the Hawaii Filipino community’s flagship event.
On June 15, St. George Parish in Waimanalo celebrated its 70th anniversary and launched its First Grand Santacruzan in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary, as a part of the year-long anniversary festivities. The Santacruzan is a Filipino Catholic tradition that commemorates and retells the story of Queen Helena or Reyna Helena, mother of Constantine the Great who found the Holy Cross on which Jesus Christ was crucified.
The Ohana Medical Mission held its Charity Masquerade Ball/ Fundraiser on October 26. Part of the proceeds of the Charity Ball will go toward OMM’s 2025 Medical Missions. Ian Guerrero, M.D., President of OMM, said “Through the years since its inception in 2009, Ohana Medical Missions Inc, has been innovating ways in soliciting help from donors and the community. And the Charity Ball is by far the most enjoyable and fun-filled way of gathering donors, sponsors and the community all sharing the common passion of helping OMM realize its goals. The Charity Ball’s proceeds go directly in procuring much needed medications, medical supplies in support of the nature of our missions that will benefit the underserved areas in the Philippines and beyond.”
In the same month of October, the highly anticipated Filipino Food Week (FFW) returned for its 6th iteration on Oct 15-21 to coincide with Filipino American History Month. Restaurants across Hawaii served up savory, delectable “Ilonggo Cuisine” of the Visayas region of the Philippines, which is a new culinary theme selected by FFW’s organizer, the Philippine Consulate General in Honolulu. Hawaii Filipinos from the Visayas region – whose ancestors arrived in Hawaii along with Ilocanos in the pioneering years as sakadas – were pleased that their regional cuisine received widespread exposure this FFW.
#7 Filipino Groups Support Hawaii Labor Unions: Unite Here Local 5 and Kapiolani Medical Center for Women & Children Strike
Hawaii Filipinos for Truth, Justice and Democracy, Anakbayan Hawaii, and the University of the Philippines Alumni Association of Hawaii joined the hundreds of Filipino workers on the picket line in the Unite Here Local 5 members strike supporting the Hilton Hawaiian Village. Sergio Alcubilla, Esq, labor leader, said the “1,800 hotel workers at Hilton Hawaiian Village, the world’s largest and most profitable Hilton resort, won a new labor agreement after 40 days on strike.” Workers called for fair wages to keep up with inflation, proper staffing and fair workloads.
Unite Here Local 5 workers also ratified the Hyatt Waikiki contract Dec. 9, the last contract to settle of eight hotels where union workers authorized strikes this year.
Filipino pro-labor activists also joined the picket lines where hundreds of nurses at Kapiolani Medical Center for Women & Children were on strike in September. Labor supporter Raymund Liongson, who joined striking nurses on Sept. 23 and was arrested that day, along with other community activists said, “It was a peaceful, non-violent civil disobedience demanding that people are placed first before profits.” He said, “neither of the demonstrating nurses nor the Kapiolani-10 [community activists] obstructed any patient, their families, or hospital vehicles like ambulances.”
Hawaii Nurses’ Association union members at Kapiolani Medical Center for Women & Children ratified a new three-year contract Oct. 2 after strikes, a lockout by management and two rounds of negotiating efforts with federal mediators. The new agreement includes raises and the creation of a staffing council to address staffing issues. Safe staffing ratios were one of the key concerns.
#8 Maui Wildfires Global Settlement, Filipinos Part of Settlement
Just before the one-year mark of the Maui wildfires that happened on Aug. 8, 2023, Gov. Josh Green announced a historic $4.037 billion settlement to resolve claims or compensation arising from the wildfires, including the approximately 2,200 affected parties who filed roughly 650 lawsuits. The seven defendants – state of Hawai’i, County of Maui, Hawaiian Electric, Kamehameha Schools, West Maui Land Co., Hawaiian Telcom and Spectrum/Charter Communications – “undertook significant efforts to find a resolution that addresses the needs and ensures the well-being of plaintiffs, all affected individuals, and their families,” according to a press release from Green’s office. Once a final settlement agreement is signed and approved following judicial and legislative review, payments are expected to start as early as mid-2025.
The County is continuing to work with wildfire victims and their representatives to provide services and resources throughout the recovery period. The Hawaii Filipino Chronicle has been reporting on updates throughout 2024. Close to 40% of Maui’s population is of Filipino ancestry.
#9 Filipino Culture Perpetuated: Filipino Easter Practices and Undas
Filipino cultural practices were highlighted in 2024. Two among them were the Holy Week and Easter observances as well as the Undas or All Saints and All Souls days. As a majority of Filipinos in Hawaii, the Philippines and diaspora are Catholic-Christians, both the Easter and Undas traditions were popular observances this year as they have been for centuries. They’ve become a part of Filipino culture and identity.
On Holy Week, Edna Bautista, Ewa Beach, a Catholic-Christian, said she and her husband attend all masses during the Easter Triduum–from Maundy Thursday and Good Friday to either Holy Saturday or Easter Sunday, along with her parents who serve as eucharistic ministers at church. “It’s refreshing to witness the Elect get baptized into the Catholic Church on Easter Vigil [Holy Saturday]. We see the salvation that Christ brings to souls, and I pray that more find and practice the faith, especially in a time when many people have sadly fallen away and become easily susceptible to twisted and misguided influences,” Bautista said.
Commenting on Undas, Fr. Jason Laguerta, parish priest of St. Maria Goretti Parish in UN Avenue, Manila, described Undas, “It’s not that they are dead [our departed],” he said, “because we know they have been in heaven. But we visit their final resting place because human beings that we are, we would like to always remember and we would like to give our respects, and also to connect with them even if they are long gone from us.”
#10 Filipinos Win in the 2024 elections
Filipinos were well represented in State Senate and State House races in Hawaii in both political parties, and a few highlights of those who won in the General include Brandon Elefante for State Senate in District 16, Ikaika Hussey, Shirley Ann Templo, Trish La Chica, Diamond Garcia and Greggor Ilangan for State House seats. Several Filipino incumbents will return to office having been unopposed in this year’s election or won outright in the Primary due to no opposition in the General.
Filipino candidates also won on the mainland. Ysabel Jurado, an attorney and community activist, won as the first Filipino elected member of the Los Angeles City Council. She will represent District 14 which has a population of 264,751.
Jessica Caloza, also made history as the first Filipino elected to California’s 52nd Assembly District, a district with 465,678 residents that encompasses East L.A. and parts of Glendale, as well as several Los Angeles neighborhoods, including El Sereno, Lincoln Heights, Highland Park, Eagle Rock and Echo Park.
Longtime Filipino Congressman Robert “Bobby” Scott, elected in 1993, won in the General, representing Virginia’s 3rd Congressional District.
Steven Raga, who was the Filipino American elected to the New York State Assembly in 2022, defended his seat and won in the 2024 General Election to represent District 30.
That’s a wrap for the year. So long and out with 2024, welcome in 2025.
Editor’s Note: Original articles of these top stories can be accessed in HFC’s archives of articles at www.thefilipinochronicle.com.
+ There are no comments
Add yours