Photo Courtesy of the San Diego Union-Tribune
By Holden Ames
A cloudless sky lit Waterfront Park on San Diego Bay for the second annual So Sarap! Philippine Festival.
It was quite a party.
Crispy aroma of charred meat and pork buns wafted in the sea breeze. Elders sat bemused in their chairs as children bustled around them. Mayor Todd Gloria, who is part Pinoy, praised Filipino Americans for their foundational role in creating much of what is beautiful about San Diego and surrounding cities.
Beauty poured forth from the stage as PASACAT, a revered Philippine Performing Arts Company based in National City, showcased dances and music from the islands.
Performers were dressed in a rainbow of color and formed a mosaic of the Philippines’ expansive culture. Percussive music wove a hypnotic spell with bells, toms and voice.
So Sarap! was a cheerful reminder to the region’s Filipino-Americans that their culture is very much well and alive if they choose to embrace it.
Steph Sinsuan is a Filipino American mother whose daughter dances with PASACAT. She said some Filipinos did not grow up immersed in the culture, but it remains part of their identity.
“It’s never too late,” she said. “We’re already in our mid-thirties and we’re just barely scratching the surface of what it means to be Filipino.”
Filipino Americans work hard to assimilate, Sinsuan said, and parents often raise children with less ethnically apparent names and little exposure to Tagalog.
“I think they were trying to grab hold of that American dream,” she said. “When people ask (if I) speak Tagalog (I tell them) my parents never taught me, but they still get pissed at me.”
Philip Delara is a Filipino American father who volunteers for PASACAT. Like many others, Delara said he struggled with his identity and his sense of belonging to Filipino culture. He said he wanted to raise his daughter in the culture which his parents did not do with him.
“I want to make sure that as she grows up and she has an experience, like being a part of PASACAT, that helps her know her Filipino roots,” he said.
Sam Besa, president of the House of the Philippines in Balboa Park, said the location of So Sarap! was significant for the Filipino community and the entire region.
“That’s what makes this particular festival really unique,” he said, “It’s actually in the heart of San Diego rather than in our home areas, so we get a more diverse crowd. It sends a message (that) we are part of San Diego and we celebrate who we are with the people of San Diego.”
Besa said that it is good to embrace being Filipino and to actively practice the culture.
“How do you incorporate Filipino heritage into your life?” he said. “How do you express that? I feel that if you’re giving up your Filipino-ness to be successful it’s too high a price.”
