Positively Filipino strongly condemns the heinous assassination of our media colleague, the popular radio broadcaster Percy (Mabasa) Lapid on Monday night, October 3, Philippine time. We hope the Philippine authorities will expeditiously identify the perpetrators and the mastermind(s), and bring swift justice for the Mabasa family.

We send our deepest condolences to the bereaved family.

October is here again and with it, the annual celebration of Filipino American HISTORY Month, not Heritage month, as some publications have mistakenly named. There's an important distinction between these two terms, as explained by the late, beloved historian, Dr. Dawn Bohulano Mabalon:

Why October? It was the month of the first known landing of Filipinos in America, specifically in California. Though they were not yet known as Filipinos, but rather as Indios Luzones, these men were aboard the Spanish frigate, Nuestra Señora de Buena Esperanza, which started its journey from the Philippines on July 12, 1587, with Acapulco, Mexico as its final destination. California was its three-day stopover. Read Again about this history in Abraham Ignacio Jr.'s article, "Where Exactly Did 'Filipinos' First Land in California?"

October as Filipino American History Month is a nationwide commemoration, legislated by the US Congress and the California Legislature in 2009. It took 18 years of hard work to achieve this official designation and we owe the victory to the relentless efforts of the Filipino American National Historical Society (FANHS).

In the early 20th century, when Filipino farmworkers began arriving in California in hordes, the farming region of Pajaro Valley was the initial destination of most of them. Today, a group of community researchers, the Watsonville Is in the Heart initiative in partnership with The Tobera Project, are unearthing and documenting the stories of the manongs. Christina Ayson Plank and Kathleen Cruz Gutierrez, both of the University of California Santa Cruz, tells us about their work.

Ponce Cazem of San Jacinto, Pangasinan, was one of those who sailed to America in 1929 to seek better opportunities. He didn't go the farmworker route, however. Instead, he got employment as a houseboy and chauffeur to some Hollywood stars and later, a rich family in Illinois. Cazem later distinguished himself as part of the 1st Filipino Infantry Regiment in WWII. His son, Mark Cazem, writes about his father's interesting life.

A young FilAm, Mikko Jimenez, pays tribute to his aunt who immigrated to the US in the late '60s and, in the process, reflects on his dual identity as American and Filipino.

Sumalee Montano is one FilAm to be proud of. She created, co-produced and stars in "The Deal," a sci-fi thriller inspired by her Filipino mother, currently showing on The Roku Channel. PF's LA-based Correspondent Anthony Maddela reports.

Check out the FilAm History Month celebrations in our Partner posts below and in your communities. This month we gather and connect.