Filipinos have been in the United States since the 16th century, yet many of their stories remain untold. For the past year, Positively Filipino has been running a series on notable Filipino Americans who have made their marks in this country. There are hundreds, or maybe even thousands more, that need to be added to this story, and we need your help. If you know of a Filipino American who deserves to be included in this line-up, please send us their names and any supporting documents you may have to pfpublisher@yahoo.com. For now, we are including only those who are currently active and visible in the media and the community, regardless of their religious, sexual or political orientation. Thank you.

Colonel Alexander Miravite, Jr., Presidential Pilot

Recently retired Miravite was the 16th Presidential Pilot, the very first Filipino American in the history of the United States Air Force to hold the position. He also served as the Commander of the Presidential Airlift Group at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland. As the Presidential Pilot, he was the Mission Commander for the President of the United States aboard Air Force One. As Group Commander, he led two subordinate Squadrons - the Presidential Airlift Squadron and the Presidential Logistics Squadron. His 357-person Group is the Department of Defense’s sole unit responsible for the safe, comfortable, and reliable fixed-wing transport of the U.S. President. An accomplished flyer, Colonel Miravite has been an Air Force One pilot since 2011, serving three U.S. Presidents (Obama, Trump and Biden) and was the Commander and 16th Presidential Pilot for the last three years. He also served as the White House Military Office Operational Unit Director. He received his commission from the Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps Detachment 390 at the University of Michigan. He has a diverse operations background in Operational Support Airlift, Strategic Airlift, Formal Training, and Special Air Missions. Miravite is also a Distinguished Graduate of the following programs: Air Force ROTC, Air Force Institute of Technology and C-21 qualification training. He served a staff tour as the Chief of Operations Staff Assignments at the Headquarters Air Force Personnel Center, Randolph AFB, TX. His father, Alexander Miravite, Sr. is a retired U.S. Department of Defense civil service engineer and his mother, Jean Punsalan, retired from the World Bank after 30 years as an IT supervisor.

(Submitted by Jesse Reyes)

Brandon Perea, Actor

Brandon Perea (Photo by Roding Eckenroth/FilmMagic)

Newcomer Perea “steals every scene as the frosted-tipped electronics retailer tech guy, Angel Torres,” in Jordan Peele’s third feature film, Nope, per GQ magazine. Perea says that Peele modified the script based on his audition. Entertainment Weekly says Angel’s character provides depth and comic relief in equal measure. Half-Filipino (his mother) and half-Puerto Rican (his father), Perea was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois. He moved out at the age of 16 to pursue his dreams in Los Angeles. In addition to acting, he is also into jamskating, dancing, and BMXing. He has been breakdancing since he was a kid and became Pro at the youngest age in jamskating history (breakdancing on roller-skates). He previously played Alfonso “French” Sosa in the TV series, The OA, and had appearances in Dance Camp and American Insurrection. He is slated to star as a street fighter in the upcoming drama The Faith of Long Beach. Perea says he is ready for Marvel!

Melissa Borja, Ph.D., Professor

Melissa Borja, Ph. D (Source: University of Michigan)

Borja’s parents left the Philippines during the Marcos dictatorship. She earned a Ph.D. and M.Phil. in history from Columbia University, in addition to an M.A. in history from the University of Chicago and an AB in history from Harvard University. Before teaching at the University of Michigan, Borja was Assistant Professor in the Department of History at the College of Staten Island, City University of New York. Borja researches and teaches about religion, migration, race, ethnicity, and politics in the United States and the Pacific World, with special attention to how Asian American religious beliefs and practices have developed in the context of pluralism and the modern American state. Her book, Follow the New Way: Hmong Refugee Resettlement Policy and Hmong Religious Change (forthcoming, Harvard University Press) draws on oral history and archival research to investigate the religious dimensions of American refugee care—how governments have expanded capacity through partnerships with religious organizations and how refugee policies have shaped the religious lives of refugees. Dr. Borja is a senior advisor to Religion and Resettlement Project, a three-year national project led by Princeton University's Office of Religious Life and the US Conference of Catholic Bishops aiming to improve understanding of the role that religion plays in the lives of refugees as they resettle in the United States. An expert on anti-Asian racism during the Covid-19 pandemic, she is the lead investigator of the Virulent Hate Project and has contributed research to Stop AAPI Hate. She is part of a national research team that received support from the Louisville Institute to study Filipino American theology and religious life during the Covid-19 pandemic. Finally, she serves as an advisor to the Vietnamese Boat People project, the COVID-19 Community Oral History Project at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, and the Bridging Divides Initiative at Princeton University. Dr. Borja was named a 2021-2022 Research and Community Impact Fellow with the Anti-Racism Collaborative at the National Center for Institutional Diversity, a 2020-20201 Faculty Fellow at the Charles Warren Center for Studies in American History at Harvard University, and a 2018-2019 Young Scholar in American Religion. She was awarded the ACLS/Mellon and Charlotte Newcombe fellowships. She is a National Research Fellow with the Center for the Study of Religion and American Culture, and she currently serves on the steering committee for the North American Religions unit in the American Academy of Religion. In 2022, she was named one of USA TODAY’s Women of the Year.

Katrina Heyrana, M.D., Ph.D., Gynecologist

Katrina Heyrana, M.D., Ph.D. (Source: cyfam.org)

Dr. Katrina J. Heyrana is an obstetrician-gynecologist in Los Angeles, California and is affiliated with LAC+USC Medical Center. She received her medical degree from Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine and has been in practice between 6-10 years. She completed a combined MD/PhD program at Penn State, where she studied structural retrovirology and developed an interest in how vulnerable populations make complex medical decisions. During her OB/GYN residency at the University of Rochester, she developed a locally-focused social determinants of health curriculum incorporating reproductive justice (RJ) principles into patient care. She currently provides general OB/GYN care, complex contraceptive services, and abortion care to patients in LA County. Her research employs an RJ framework to explore the interplay between acculturation and the reproductive health needs of different AAPI populations, with a focus on Filipinos.

Miguel Juarez, Guitarist and Songwriter

Juarez was born in Los Angeles, grew up in the Philippines, and served in the U.S. Army. He traveled the world as a Tagalog translator and is now a full-time musician and business owner of Miguel Juarez Music, LLC in Columbus, Georgia. He is endorsed by GHS Strings and PRS Guitars as a PRS Pulse Artist and performs 150-200 gigs (live performances or recording sessions) per year. He has over 100+ original songs released solo as Miguel Juarez, with his bands ATM (Soul/Hiphop), The Movement Band (Alternative/RnB), KARNE (Filipino Rock), Bolera (Jazz), and with other artists with combined streams of 500,000+ on Spotify. He has collaborations with artists such as Fredo Bang, Wallei The Sensei, Yungeen Ace, etc. with combined views of more than 13million+ on YouTube. Juarez recently released the album “Jazz Affair,” an online collaboration recorded with none of the musicians actually seeing each other. The album is a blend of “gypsy jazz, bossa nova, and standard love songs spiked with a punk-rock attitude.” He also teaches music, offers free guitar workshops, and repairs and custom modifies guitars. When he was ten, Juarez’s parents split up, and his father left him a guitar as a parting gift. He began jamming with his cousin. “It started becoming my solace. It provided me with some form of comfort or hope,” he said in an interview with The Local.

Ashley Mehta, Singer

Bay Area native Mehta melds pop, R&B, hip hop, and electronic music, creating an ebullient, unique sound. Her roots are both Filipino and Indian, which she showcases in her music. With just her acoustic guitar, Mehta sings medleys and covers at different venues. Beginning her freshman year of college, she shifted her focus to original music. She said this allowed her to grow “in my skill as an artist and ultimately find my sound.” She released her latest track, Feels Like That. She has visited the Philippines a couple of times when she was younger and loves Filipino food like sinigang, bangus, lumpia, and pastillas.

Saldy Suriben, Silicon Valley Pride’s Chief Marketing Officer

Saldy Suriben, Silicon Valley Pride’s Chief Marketing Officer, has been named an honoree by the prestigious Silicon Valley Business Journal’s 40 Under 40 Awards for the year 2022 for his impactful work in the local Silicon Valley LGBTQ community. He is responsible for planning events, sponsorship, media content, and marketing campaigns for the non-profit volunteer-run organization. “Saldy is an invaluable member of the Silicon Valley PRIDE Board of Directors,” said Nicole Altamirano, Chief Executive Officer of Silicon Valley PRIDE. “His dedication to supporting the LGBTQ+ community is apparent in everything he does. I am personally proud to call him a friend.” Suriben’s service to Silicon Valley Pride started as a committee member in 2014, and he was promoted to a board position in 2016. He was recruited by former Silicon Valley Pride Board President, Thaddeus Campbell, to help with the annual LGBTQ Parade and Festival. In the 2020 pandemic, Suriben created a virtual Pride celebration in lieu of an in-person event. He’s usually behind the scenes, planning events like Pride Drag Brunches, SoFa Drag Race, The Big LGBTQ Holiday Party, Pride Block Party, San Jose Sharks Pride Night, and paneled speaking events for Bisexual Awareness Day and Coming Out Day. His volunteer contributions and planning efforts contribute significantly to the success of the annual Silicon Valley Pride Parade and Festival. His work makes a difference in the LGBTQ+ community: helping inform, providing support resources, and celebrating diversity, inclusion, and equity.

(Submitted by Lorna Dietz)

Lawrence and Nieves Cortez and Romel Rivera, Corte Riva Winemakers

Corte Riva's Nieves and Lawrence Cortez *(Photo by Jonathan Cortez)*

The name Corte Riva is a combination of the last names of the husband and wife Lawrence and Nieves Cortez, owners and operators of the winery, and Romel Rivera, the winemaker, cousin to Nieves. All three immigrated to California from the Philippines in the late 1970s (Lawrence from Buguey, Cagayan Valley, Nieves from Ilocos and Romel from Agoo, La Union) and found themselves working in Calistoga, Napa Valley where they worked in the production line and cellars of several wineries like Clos Pegase and Pride Mountain Vineyards. Today, Romel and Lawrence are Corte Riva’s wine makers while Nieves runs the day-to-day operations and sales. In 1996, Nieves began convincing her husband and cousin to produce wines under their own label. With very little money to start with, 300 cases of Core Riva appeared in 2003. It is the first winery owned by Filipino Americans. Merlot is their flagship wine. Corte Riva makes a Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon from their “best” barrel selections called “Mabuhay” (live long and prosper). They also produce in limited quantities Zinfandel, Petite Sirah, and one white, Viognier. Their wine is also distributed in the Philippines. Corte Riva is now based in Santa Rosa, California. Their wines have consistently won high scores from Wine Spectator and Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate and have won many awards, and as a consequence, becoming harder to get. Family and friends are always on hand to help with deliveries, technical advice, miscellaneous assistance, particularly tasting!

Ken Cheng, Playwright and Producer

Ken Cheng (Source: The Creative Process)

Cheng recently wrapped production on Easter Sunday, a feature film he wrote and executive produced for Amblin Partners, Rideback and Universal starring comedian Jo Koy. Other writing credits include Wilfred, Betas and Sin City Saints. He is currently writing film adaptations of The Great Chinese Art Heist and Chateau Sucker and working on the forthcoming HBO series, House of Chow. He started a production label called Crab Club with Jessica Gao (“Silicon Valley”) and comedian Jimmy O. Yang. During the pandemic lockdown, Cheng wrote the draft of Easter Sunday, after the birth of his first child, and Steven Spielberg of Amblin gave the go signal based on the first draft. Cheng’s family, who are ethnically Chinese, immigrated from the Philippines in the mid-‘80s and landed in Daly City, California when Cheng was only eight years old. Though the family lived in Daly City for only three years, it made an impression on him and he wanted to put Daly City in the film as a cultural hub where the vibrant community of Filipino Americans live.

Brian Tajo, Businessman and Community Advocate

Son of Marjorie Cuachon and the late Daniel Tajo, Brian is a successful business professional having held prominent roles at various Fortune 500 organizations. He started his career at IBM where he spearheaded a new consulting practice to help clients implement Software-as-a-Service solutions. He received Johnson & Johnson’s CEO award for leading a multimillion dollar project where he helped to grow a global shared service operation from Paranaque, Philippines. He was named IT Leader of the year at Salesforce and his work leading the Employee Success product team has garnered speaking invitations at multiple technology conferences as well as publication in industry white papers. As a member of JCI Philippines New York, he helped to organize community events such as Beauty with a Purpose, a campaign for high school females to pursue careers in male-dominated industries. He also helped organize a musical show to raise funds for Streets of Dreams project in the Philippines, as well as East meets West, an annual week-long student exchange program where middle school students from Japan interact with Filipino American students during United Nations week. Brian has a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of California at Berkeley and a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Information Technology from Virginia Tech.

Dr. Laura Garcia, Nurse Educator

Garcia is an associate professor of Nursing at the College of Mount St. Vincent and a clinical instructor at the New York University’s Rory Meyers College of Nursing. She completed her Doctor of Nursing Practice degree at Fairleigh Dickinson University and serves on the Manhattan Community Board District Five (CB5). She immigrated to the U.S. in 1985 from Butuan City in Mindanao and worked as a nurse at the Long Island College Hospital in Brooklyn. Garcia recently received the Pamana Pilipino Presidential Award for having brought “the country honor and recognition through excellence and distinction in the pursuit of your work or profession.” She plans to continue mentoring other people, especially the young ones. “I would like to mentor them. Some of them I see transform from shy individuals into confident young adults…At some point, I will step aside and let the new generation take the lead. I will continue to inspire, to motivate and bring out the best in myself and everyone around me,” she said in an interview with Inquirer.net.

Tiffany Batac

Batac currently serves as Vice President and Principal Consultant at WSP USA, a multinational engineering and design firm with approximately 14,000 employees, where she leads a portfolio of transportation asset management and resiliency projects and initiatives across North America as part of the Asset Management and Business Advisory Group. She has distinguished herself as a rising leader in her field, and her efforts to address extreme weather and climate change risks through asset management have created new adaptive strategies to build system resilience. After graduating from the University of California at Berkeley, She served on the Board of Directors of the Young Filipino Professionals Association (YFPA) where she co-led the launch of its first mentoring program. Since 2007, she has served on the Women’s Transportation Seminar (WTS) Board, and most recently as Chairwoman of the Glass Ceiling Task Force where she has spearheaded first-of-its-kind studies to promote diversity and improve the recruitment, development, and retention of women in transportation. In 2014, Batac was awarded the Rosa Parks Diversity Leadership Award in recognition of her extraordinary efforts to facilitate professional opportunities for women and minorities, and for her contributions to the promotion of diversity, inclusion, and multi-cultural awareness.

Source: Google and Wikipedia

The Magazine

Fil-Ams Among The Remarkable And Famous, Part 36