WRITTEN BY: FRANCESA JANA SANTIAGO

If there’s one thing 2022 proved, it is that Filipinos have spent all year in the frontline of history. We’ve seen more kababayans emerge in film and television, more celebrations of our culture are being held and there is a visible and continuous rise in Filipino literature, art and even food! The 2022 US Midterm Elections are no different either! The 2022 Asian American Voter Survey conducted by APIA Vote last July saw that the top issues Filipino Americans wish to resolve through the elections were healthcare, inflation, economy and education, among others. However, despite a reported low voter turnout, several Filipino Americans were able to secure government posts.

With an impressively long resume and a track record in good governance, Steven Raga made history as the first Filipino American to be elected into the New York State Assembly! The Democratic candidate who won the seat for District 30 in Queens, serves many organizations including the National Federation of Filipino American associations and is the founder of Pilipino American Unity for Progress. Likewise, Rob Bonta became California’s first-ever Filipino American attorney general! As the son of leaders in the farmworkers’ movement, Rob passed laws that strengthened worker and consumer protection as well as public safety and criminal justice. He was able to secure 57.2% of votes.

Ollie Cantos, who hails from the suburban city of West Covina, California, led the race for the District 4 seat! The Chairman of RespectAbility’s Board of Directors has never let his blindness stop him from working in different government agencies such as the Department of Education, the Department of Justice, and the Domestic Policy Council at the White House. Last but definitely not the least, activist Kenneth Mejia defeated the three-term City member Paul Kortez in the race for Los Angeles City Controller. The 32-year-old campaigned through TikTok and Corgis before winning with 60.8% support from the public, or 261,832 total votes based on Los Angeles Times live midterm elections results!

Just like other people of color, Filipinos have often been left out in American politics and even worse, in American history as well. But these wins are products of centuries-long battles for progress done by our ancestors and are slowly helping pave the way for more of our community to be included in today’s generation of political affairs. Having those like us present in the decision-making room not only brings more representation and visibility, but protection as well from any form of injustice and prejudice, especially now when racially-motivated hate crimes are getting even more evident. After all, bayanihan is in our blood, which means a Filipino takes any and every opportunity to serve and unite their fellowmen.