Audie J. DeCastro, Ron Morrison, Jason Paguio, and Chris Cate represent the city of Chula Vista Government in San Diego County’s 1st Philippine Economic Trade Mission.
Chula Vista has quietly become the Philippines 2.0. With nearly 31,344 Pinoy living in the city, according to the American Community Survey in the Census. Chula Vista’s culture has been profoundly influenced by Filipino immigration since the 1940s.
After 75 years of relative isolation, Chula Vista government and business leaders have embarked on a trans-pacific mission to build a meaningful bond with the Philippines.
Audie J. de Castro, the Philippine Honorary Consul of San Diego, recently spearheaded a four-day economic mission to the Philippines with San Diego County delegation of government officials and business executives. Chula Vista council aide Jason Paguio, a proud Pinoy, was one of the delegates.
Paguio traveled to his family’s hometown at the request of his boss, Councilman Steve Miesen, to represent Chula Vista. He said it was the first economic mission to the Philippines the County of San Diego had ever conducted. Building relationships with the Philippines is important, especially now, Paguio said.
“The Philippines is the second fastest growing economy in the world to China,” he said.
Paguio and San Diego Council Member Chris Cate presented the region’s amenities to their Philippine counterparts. Goals for the trip were general. Opening up opportunities with the Philippines was the mission.
De Castro said the visit was productive.
“The trade mission was overall successful,” he said. “Our mission was not only to find businesses in the Philippines, we also wanted to promote San Diego County to the Philippines and create a reciprocal relationship.”
San Diego County delegates have maintained a relationship with their Philippine contacts, de Castro said. In September he hosted a public meeting in Chula Vista to provide an overview of the economic trade mission and encourage more support for the Filipino community. It was co-hosted by the Council of Philippine American Organizations and the Filipino Press.
“I am here to promote Filipino-Americans today because we have a big Filipino-American community,” said de Castro. “We would like our community to visit the Philippines, be proud of it and grow as a whole.”
De Castro said his goals were to elevate the community and represent the Philippines.
De Castro and the Philippine Embassy are planning another five-day mission to the Philippines, but instead of an economic theme, it would be an inspirational and educational trip for Filipino-Americans to reconnect to their ancestral home. “Filgrimage” will be an attempt to bridge the gap between the Philippines and Filipino communities in the United States and provide opportunities for Filipinos to strengthen their sense of identity, said de Castro.
Paguio said the efforts to connect Chula Vista with the Philippines are long overdue. He said Chula Vista is the second largest city in the San Diego County and the seventh largest city in Southern California. Filipino-Americans are the second fastest growing ethnic minority group in the country, he said. Within this city resides a mushrooming population of 12,588 Filipino-Americans, but few Filipino-American elected officials.
A former drum major and a performing arts advocate, Paguio, 29, said more Filipinos should run for elective office, particularly in Chula Vista.
“For as many Filipinos as we have, it’s really interesting that we never had somebody ever before,” said Paguio.
National City voted in the county’s first Filipino-American elected official, the late Florence Ungab. Her brother, Fideles, was the first Pinoy city councilman in the county. Cate is the first San Diego Councilmember of Filipino descent.
Paguio has announced his intention to replace Miesen, who was appointed to the position temporarily when Mary Casillas Salas was elected Chula Vista mayor.
“(Miesen) knows some of my priorities from when we first met which were things like Filipino community and getting that reach out there,” said Paguio.
Paguio is a winner of the “Rising Star” Award by the American-Philippine Business Improvement and Development organization and was selected to be a member of the San Diego Public Leadership Institute.
