Filipino Women Leaders Account for More Than Half of Growing FilAm Groups

Women Lead: 57 percent of Filipino women

leaders hold top post of community organizations

By Marivir R. Montebon

New York – The past five years saw the vigorous growth of Filipino American organizations in the east coast with more women taking on top leadership posts.

The recently launched Filipino American Community 2019 Directory listed 162 organizations in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut,  Massachusetts, Pennsylvania,  Rhode Island, and Delaware. Ninety-two of these organizations, or 56.7%, are currently being led by women (as presidents or vice presidents), a demographic change seen since five years ago.

These women-led organizations are mostly on the health care profession as well as in ethnic-based groups.

The directory is a special project of the Synergy Production and Marketing owned and operated by Grace H. Labaguis and the Philippine Consulate General of New York since 2015. This year’s sponsors are GMA International, Philippine Airlines and Fiesta in America.

Consul General Claro Cristobal said that the organizations in the directory would have priority attention and are direct partners in the promotion of Philippine cultural heritage in the east coast.

Labaguis, for her part, said she was glad to have been given the opportunity to contribute to create an actual profile of the FilAm community. “The profile gives us a glimpse of who we are and the growth that we are continually experiencing. It is remarkable that Filipino women have stepped up in leadership,” she said.

Grace Labaguis

When the directory was created in 2015, there were 52 organizations listed, Labaguis recalled. The highest registration was in 2018 with 192 organizations.  Registration of FilAm organizations is done during the annual general assembly in January of Filipino American organizations from the 10 states under the NY jurisdiction. (Photos by Ria Serrano; featured photo is Consul General Claro Cristobal and Consul Arman Talbo being flanked by women leaders of the FilAm community. The past years saw the rise of Filipino women leaders in the east coast).