{"id":23213,"date":"2024-05-19T09:02:00","date_gmt":"2024-05-19T19:02:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/thefilipinochronicle.com\/backup\/?p=23213"},"modified":"2024-05-20T01:35:14","modified_gmt":"2024-05-20T11:35:14","slug":"the-flores-de-mayo-filipino-fiesta-2024-a-postscript","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thefilipinochronicle.com\/backup\/2024\/05\/19\/the-flores-de-mayo-filipino-fiesta-2024-a-postscript\/","title":{"rendered":"The Flores de Mayo-Filipino Fiesta 2024\u2014A Postscript"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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by Rose Cruz Churma

<\/em>This year 2024, the iconic Filipino Fiesta is now on its 31st year as a staple among the cultural events held on Oahu. While Maui\u2019s Barrio Fiesta has been around much longer\u201455 years this year.

We must give credit to Eddie Flores Jr. for starting the first Filipino Fiesta in 1993. As he notes in his upcoming memoir, as a hapa<\/em> Filipino-Chinese he did not know any Filipinos (except perhaps his dad) and barely could understand simple Tagalog, but in 1991 he decided to reconnect with his Filipino roots by joining the Filipino Chamber of Commerce of Hawai’i (FCCH).

<\/strong>In 1992, when Lito Alcantra was the FCCH president, he formed a committee \u201cto look into the feasibility of building a Filipino Community Center\u201d and asked Roland Casamina to chair it, with Eddie as the co-chair.

One of the events formed to \u201cunite the Filipino organizations and increase Filipino visibility\u201d was the Filipino Fiesta which was held on May 15, 1993 at Kapiolani Park.Eddie, a savvy businessman, also wanted to use the fiesta proceeds to help defray pre-planning costs for the project\u2014and that first fiesta earned $9,000!

As Eddie says, \u201cEverybody else has a festival at Kapiolani Park. Why not us?\u201d

The following year, he added the parade component.

The parade started at Fort DeRussy, wound down Kalakaua Avenue, and ended at Kapiolani Park to officially start the fiesta.

The addition of the parade ensured that a large crowd was present when the fiesta opened, and to ensure that the crowd remained until closing, movie stars from the Philippines were recruited to perform as the finale.

By its third year, the Filipino Jaycees were much involved when one of its members, Harry Alonso served as the overall chair.

Since event planning is Harry\u2019s cup of tea, I suspect that the playbook that was used then, remains to this day\u2014aside from the typical booths, including food vendors, there was a \u201ccultural village\u201d with its mini-stage and organizations were encouraged to decorate their booths with regional decor.

The fiesta and parade for two decades were held, for the most part, in Waikiki, with the Filipino Jaycees taking the lead (with Eddie still monitoring the process).

When the cost of running the parade became untenable, that was discontinued, and the Filipino Jaycees got burnt out running it. The fiesta location got moved around too. One year it was held at Honolulu\u2019s Civic Center; then it was moved to Kakaako Park.

Some years ago, right before COVID hit, the fiesta was relocated to the grounds of the FilCom Center.

I asked Eddie why he moved it to Waipahu. He says, “I felt that part of the mission of FilCom is to serve the Waipahu community. There is no better place to bring the non-Filipino community to visit the pride of the Filipinos. In addition, the cost and logistics to run the fiesta is lower than the other places.\u201d

As a major sponsor, I suppose he has the clout to make these changes\u2014aside from adding the \u201cFlores de Mayo\u201d to the event\u2019s name.

Last year\u2019s fiesta was once more chaired by Harry Alonso, and he asked Su Lazo, an officer of the Filipino Jaycees to co-chair.

Su narrates: “When Harry asked me to co-chair last year’s Fiesta, it was an opportunity to observe how it was run and inform the Filipino Jaycees’ decision on whether to organize once again. As you alluded to, our young leaders should have a seat at the table. It is mutually beneficial for both FilCom and the Jaycees. Our board agreed it was worth pursuing and so planning started in July.\u201d

The Filipino Jaycees were once more involved in planning the fiesta, with Su Lazo as the overall chair this year. She notes that the best part of the event for her is seeing how it brings the Filipino Community together and adds that:

\u201cIt is humbling and inspiring to witness this community, all driven by a shared commitment to preserving Filipino culture, create such a memorable experience for everyone that attends the Fiesta. It is the epitome of the Bayanihan spirit.\u201d

Although a similar playbook was used for this year\u2019s fiesta, the \u201ccultural village\u201d had a unique addition.

The last organization to get the \u201cfree\u201d cultural booth is the newly-formed Hawaii Filipinos for Truth Justice and Democracy (or HFTJD).

Its booth had a sign that said \u201cUrban Philippines: Looking Out of a Window.\u201d

When one looks into the window, one can see the shanty towns prevalent in urban centers framed by the high rises where the rich lived. And in front of the booth is a kariton<\/em>\u2014that ubiquitous symbol of the resilience of the urban poor.

Dr. Arcelita Imasa, its president notes: “Our booth features urban working-class communities, the challenges they face: poverty, lack of services, homelessness, but we also want to highlight how these communities are able to help each other and fight for their rights.\u201d 

In my 31 years as an observer\/participant of the fiesta, this is the first time I\u2019ve seen a booth (and an organization) raise social awareness and encourage civic engagement at the fiesta.

As part of their cultural presentation, the group sang songs of resistance and protest such as \u201cBayan Ko,<\/em>\u201d \u201cBahay,<\/em>” and “Di Nyo ba Naririnig.<\/em>\u201d

As one of the members noticed\u2014the entire Consuelo Courtyard where the cultural village was located had its noise level go down a few notches as the audience listened intently.

Times are changing and so with the fiesta.

Finally, the young people have taken over, as it should be.

As Eddie Flores says \u201c…They did a great job. I plan to spend more time with them. They are the future of Filipinos in Hawai’i.\u201d

Yes, Eddie\u2014you may learn something from them!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

by Rose Cruz Churma This year 2024, the iconic Filipino Fiesta is now on its…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":23159,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"spay_email":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[4,11,30],"tags":[],"featured_image_urls":{"full":["https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/thefilipinochronicle.com\/backup\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/CER-Fiesta-color_05182024.jpg?fit=1106%2C830&ssl=1",1106,830,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/thefilipinochronicle.com\/backup\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/CER-Fiesta-color_05182024.jpg?resize=150%2C150&ssl=1",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/thefilipinochronicle.com\/backup\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/CER-Fiesta-color_05182024.jpg?fit=300%2C225&ssl=1",300,225,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/thefilipinochronicle.com\/backup\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/CER-Fiesta-color_05182024.jpg?fit=640%2C480&ssl=1",640,480,true],"large":["https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/thefilipinochronicle.com\/backup\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/CER-Fiesta-color_05182024.jpg?fit=640%2C480&ssl=1",640,480,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/thefilipinochronicle.com\/backup\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/CER-Fiesta-color_05182024.jpg?fit=1106%2C830&ssl=1",1106,830,true],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/thefilipinochronicle.com\/backup\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/CER-Fiesta-color_05182024.jpg?fit=1106%2C830&ssl=1",1106,830,true],"ultp_layout_landscape_large":["https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/thefilipinochronicle.com\/backup\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/CER-Fiesta-color_05182024.jpg?resize=1106%2C800&ssl=1",1106,800,true],"ultp_layout_landscape":["https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/thefilipinochronicle.com\/backup\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/CER-Fiesta-color_05182024.jpg?resize=870%2C570&ssl=1",870,570,true],"ultp_layout_portrait":["https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/thefilipinochronicle.com\/backup\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/CER-Fiesta-color_05182024.jpg?resize=600%2C830&ssl=1",600,830,true],"ultp_layout_square":["https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/thefilipinochronicle.com\/backup\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/CER-Fiesta-color_05182024.jpg?resize=600%2C600&ssl=1",600,600,true],"covernews-slider-full":["https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/thefilipinochronicle.com\/backup\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/CER-Fiesta-color_05182024.jpg?resize=1106%2C715&ssl=1",1106,715,true],"covernews-slider-center":["https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/thefilipinochronicle.com\/backup\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/CER-Fiesta-color_05182024.jpg?resize=564%2C500&ssl=1",564,500,true],"covernews-featured":["https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/thefilipinochronicle.com\/backup\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/CER-Fiesta-color_05182024.jpg?fit=1024%2C768&ssl=1",1024,768,true],"covernews-medium":["https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/thefilipinochronicle.com\/backup\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/CER-Fiesta-color_05182024.jpg?resize=540%2C285&ssl=1",540,285,true],"covernews-medium-square":["https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/thefilipinochronicle.com\/backup\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/CER-Fiesta-color_05182024.jpg?resize=375%2C250&ssl=1",375,250,true]},"author_info":{"info":["admin"]},"category_info":"Features<\/a> Hawaii - Filipino<\/a> Opinion<\/a>","tag_info":"Opinion","comment_count":"0","jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/thefilipinochronicle.com\/backup\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/CER-Fiesta-color_05182024.jpg?fit=1106%2C830&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thefilipinochronicle.com\/backup\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23213"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thefilipinochronicle.com\/backup\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thefilipinochronicle.com\/backup\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thefilipinochronicle.com\/backup\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thefilipinochronicle.com\/backup\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23213"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/thefilipinochronicle.com\/backup\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23213\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":23228,"href":"https:\/\/thefilipinochronicle.com\/backup\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23213\/revisions\/23228"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thefilipinochronicle.com\/backup\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/23159"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thefilipinochronicle.com\/backup\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23213"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thefilipinochronicle.com\/backup\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23213"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thefilipinochronicle.com\/backup\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23213"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}