Instructions: 

This exhibition is more than just pretty display cases (though we think they are very nicely put together!) We want visitors to dive more deeply into each person's story. Display cases were constructed to evoke memories of Filipino life both in Philadelphia and the Philippines. Each of the interviewees have lived through significant historical events that still affect Filipinos today. We hope visitors will take their time going through the exhibit, fully understanding each interviewee's narrative and the contexts in which their stories emerge. 

1) Make sure that you're starting at the case closest to the lobby, just past the title wall. If you see a description of the project and a sign below that says "start here," you're in the right place. 

2) Scroll through the website as you walk down the hallway. The exhibition team has provided definitions and concepts to reflect on for each interviewee featured, as well as photos and audio recordings from the oral history interviews.

3) After you've reached the end of the first half, you'll walk back up the hallway. There will also be prompts throughout the exhibit in case you lose your place. 

4) We hope you learn something new! Tell us what comes up for you by signing our guest book at the end. 

Cases #4-7: Rosario "Chato" Pinguel is the first oral history subject to be featured in the Phillypino Oral History Project exhibit. In her introduction case, you can see a sugar canister, tea cups, and a French press, representing Chato's earliest memories of her interest in activism. She was first inspired by listening to the news on the radio with her father at the breakfast table. 

In this section:

• National Democracy - a political movement aiming for national sovereignty and genuine democracy in the Philippines through addressing three fundamental and interconnected problems: U.S. imperialism, feudalism, and bureaucrat capitalism. 

• Martial Law under Ferdinand Marcos Sr. - Ferdinand Marcos Sr. declared Martial Law in the Philippines on September 21, 1972, to squash uprisings against his administration by the People Power movement, especially students. He accused revolutionary forces of threatening the country's safety and carried out countless human rights violations while in power. He was ousted in 1986 by the EDSA revolution. He and his family have a legacy of extrajudicial killings, tortures, and disappearances that continue under his son, Ferdinand "BongBong"  Marcos Jr., who is in power today through what many believed, was a rigged election. 

• Kabataang Makabayan (translates to 'Patriotic Youth') - Revolutionary youth organization in the Philippines that is often abbreviated to KM. It led the First Quarter Storm, a series of protests against the Marcos Sr. regime from January to March 1970. KM was driven underground after martial law was declared and Bal Pinguel served as its last open spokesperson. 

• American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) - Social services peace organization founded by the Religious Society of Friends (aka Quakers) and headquartered in Philadelphia. Bal and Chato worked in AFSC for many years. Bal served as the national director of Peacebuilding and Prevention of Conflict Program in AFSC. 

Interview Takeaways

Chato discovered her interest in activism at an early age, but became more involved in college. Her formative years were lived under the shadow of the Marcos regime. 

She met her husband, Bal, at a rally and they fell in love. He was a major spokesperson for Kabataang Makabayan. Chato and Bal were eventually forced to organize underground. Bal has been arrested and abudcted once and imprisoned twice. He was captured and tortured in Cebu for three months. 

Chato not only advocated to free him but also organized other families of political prisoners. They eventually arrived to Philadelphia with her children under political assylum.  

In this section: 

Labor Export Policy - export of labor through contractualization to support the Philippine economy. Due to the high unemployment and poverty rates, Filipinos migrate to other countries to find jobs to provide for their families and help the economy through remittances, or sending money back to the Philippines. 

Interview takeaways: 

Victoria Britt worked in Divisoria to send her younger siblings to school and continued pay for their tuition. She also paid for her niece's and nephew's education. 

Before she recieved her GED to become a nurse in Philadelphia, she was an at-home caretaker for multiple peope, including her husband when he fell ill. She did this all as a relatively new immigrant to the city and supported her family back in the Philippines. 

Cases #12-15: The cases for Maria Regina Cuson Cabatu, endearingly known as Regie, shows her journey as a migrant from the Philippines. One case shows classroom chairs that depict Tita Regie's time as a teacher in the Philippines. In another, a stethoscope and scrubs sit next to a suitcase with pasalubong ("presents") to represent her journey in becoming one of many Filipino caregivers who are a cornerstone of the U.S. healthcare system. 

Regie had a humble beginning in Bacolod City with her 7 other siblings. She came from a family of teachers on her mother’s side, and she continued that legacy and passion of teaching until she was 25 years old to get married to her first husband. She had three children with her first husband who are now 26, 25, and 18 years old.

However, she had to leave all that behind to seek a better life. She left for the U.S. in 2008, specifically to Virginia where there weren't many Filipinos around her. This resulted in her feeling alone. When she came to Philadelphia, she had no family with her but, as Filipinos do, Tita Regie started to find her community through her faith. 

In this section:

Caregiver - an individual that assists in the treatment of a patient, client or family member. Tasks in this role can include help with day-to-day tasks like bathing, chores, shopping, transportation, support with doctors appointments and more. They play an integral, but often over looked part of healthcare.

Case #16-20: The six cases for Sr. Loretto "Lory" Mapa showcase a long life of quiet strength and devout faith that spans the course of nine decades. The first  case features flowing blue cloth and florals, hearkening to her childhood growing up in the countryside of the Visayas. As a celebrated pillar of the Filipino Catholic community in Philadelphia, many of the cases feature photos of Sr. Lory in the midst of Filipino gatherings full of dance, food, and celebration. Many of the cases feature purple cloth, a reference to the purple color of the Assumption order. 

In this section:

• Hacienderos - In Negros where Sr. Lory’s family is from, the island is based around a monocrop economy of Sugar Cane. These vast tracts of land are often owned by large and wealthy families and landlords - called the Hacienderos. Sister Lory was from a haciendero family, but still recognized the injustice and violence of this system and spoke against it, co-writing a letter addressing this issue with other faith leaders. In Negros still today, this system is still in place.

• Magsasaka (Peasants) - Those who work and till the land for the ‘haceinderos” with out owning substantial land and receiving minimal income, and an imbalance relation maintained through usury, loans, and minimal farming tools

• Ka Concha - Maria Concepcion Araneta “Ka Concha” was a student of the Assumption Sisters, and a family friend of Sister Lory. She also served as a Peace Consultant for the NDFP( National Democratic Front of the Philippines) in Panay. Sr. Lory tells a story of a time her mother helped house and protect Concha during martial law, along with other revolutionaries and activists. The Sisters there stayed close to Concha, sometimes caring for her children, and attending her funeral, following her death in August of 2024. She spent her life in service to the people and the Philippines.

• New People’s Army - A revolutionary guerrilla army in the Phillippines led by the Communist Party of the Philippines that has been around since 1969. Sr. Lory recalls several stories of sheltering NPA guerrillas, including a former Assumption sister who left the Order to join the NPA during the Martial Law years. Sr. Lory traveled several days in the mountains to help her. 

• Assumption Sisters - Nuns who are a part of the Religious of the Assumption, an order founded in 1839 by a French nun named Mother Marie Eugenie. Today, the Religious of the Assumption are present in 33 countries, including the Philippines where they have a college in San Lorenzo, Makati. Sr. Lory joined the Sisters in 1955 and, through this order, served at a school in rural Mindano during Martial Law. She also served in the San Lorenzo College in Makati. In 1986, she took a sabbatical to Wooster, MA. From there, she came down to Philadelphia where she met Bishop Efren and began to oversee and care for the Filipino community.

• Liberation Theology - A theological approach that focuses on the liberation of the oppressed, engages socio-economic analyses with social concern for the poor, and combats forms of inequality. Gustavo Gutierrez was an important figure in the development of liberation theology and he passed away recently on October 22 at the age of 96. Other notable trailblazers are Saint Oscar Romero and Ernesto Cardenal. In her interview, Sr Lory shared that she learned about Liberation Theology during Martial Law, which shaped her core beliefs and religious life to center service to the people and the fight for justice.

• Pastoral Care of Migrants and Refugees - The Office for Pastoral Care for Migrants and Refugees (PCMR) facilitates the ecclesiastical integration and full participation of immigrants, refugees, migrants, and other ethnic groups in the life of the Church. PCMR is under the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. Sr. Lory used to oversee PCMR, but now, Sr. Gertrude (who is also a Filipino Assumption Sister) now cares for it. Under PCMR is the Filipino Apostolate

Big Take Aways from Sr. Lory Interview:

• The importance of the role people of faith, especially Catholics play in fighting for social justice and human dignity.

• Life can take you many unexpected places, and if you are willing and open-hearted, community will find you, and new friends are everywhere.

• Understanding the history of those who have come before us, can help educate and guide us in the future.

Across the personal migration stories of these four Filipina women in Philly, themes of loneliness, family separation, and political & economic hardship pervaded their narratives. At the same time, their stories were also marked by resistance, joy, and persistence. 

Even with such a small cross-section of Filipino oral histories, it is evident that the Filipino spirit is one that is determined to not only survive but thrive. Despite centuries of colonization, displacement, and ongoing hardships, Filipinos overseas tend to find their kababayan ("compatriots") and forge communities that can come together to face all obstacles.