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| Terree (far left) in action at the Collaboration Kitchen, a non-profit organization |
It’s an exciting period of time to be “growing up Filipino-American.” People in America are getting a better understanding and are more accepting of our culture, and older generations can now feel more comfortable practicing it openly. We are no longer thought of as the tan Asians whose women are all nurses and men are cooks in the Navy, not that there is anything wrong with that.
Manny Pacquiao has shown Americans not to take our shorter stature lightly, because pound-for-pound, we are tough people. The Mexicans know that, although our children prefer school over street gangs, our quiet mild-mannered Manny will beat their champions in eight different divisions and four different weight classes.
The standard to which all other street dancers aspire is not some black rap group, but the mostly-Filipino Jabbawockeez. They are the first season winners of America’s Best Dance Crew, and the show’s only group to gain international acclaim and their own show in Las Vegas. Lea Salonga, Jose Llana, George Salazar, Jo Koy, Edwin San Juan, Phoebe Cates(1/4 Filipino), and Rob Schneider(1/4 Filipino) have made their marks on Broadway, comedy clubs, movies, and television. Interesting to note, I met Rob Schneider and his mother Pilar at the taping of a pilot show in Studio City. The show’s announcer proudly announced and demonstrated that he spoke several languages, including Filipino. At which point Pilar stood up and corrected him saying, “You speak Tagalog, NOT Filipino. I’M the one who speaks Filipino, because I speak ILOCANO!”
