Filipinos have been in the United States since the 16th century, yet many of their stories remain untold. To celebrate Asian Pacific Heritage Month, we would like to give you weekly short biographies of famous Filipino American role models and achievers, some of whom you may not even know are Filipino.

There are hundreds of names, but this month, we are only focusing on those who are still active, visible, in the limelight and who have a high “audience following” – those who continue to make us proud to be Filipino, regardless of their religious and sexual orientation and political flavor.

Mark Dacascos, Actor and Martial Artist

Dacascos was born in Oahu, Hawaii to Al Dacascos, a martial arts instructor from the Philippines and Moriko McVey-Murray, of Irish and Japanese descent. Between the ages of seven and eighteen, Dacascos won numerous karate and kung fu championships. He became an actor after being discovered walking down the street in San Francisco’s Chinatown by Chris Lee and Rexall Chin, assistants of director Wayne Wang. Though his first scenes ended up on the cutting floor, he went on to star mostly in martial arts films. His famous movie roles include Mani in Brotherhood of the Wolf, Toby Wong in Drive, Ling in Cradle 2 the Grave, the titular role in Crying Freeman and Zero in John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum. In January 2005, he played “The Chairman” on Food Network’s Iron Chef America. He had also roles in television shows, and he has competed in Dancing with the Stars’ ninth season. He is married to actress Julie Condra, and they have three children. In a recent article in Positively Filipino by Anthony Maddela, Dacascos says: “I am proud to have some Filipino blood (almost half) and I am so happy that although I was born in Hawaii and grew up in Germany, I’ve had the opportunity to do five movies in the Philippines. Each time I’m there, I’m in awe of the natural beauty of the country and blown away by the huge number of talented Filipinos in entertainment there and all over the world. And I am appreciative of the Filipino community for embracing my Filipino ancestry. I hope to bring some Filipino stories to the stage and screen in the near future.”

Robyn Rodriguez, Professor and Activist

Rodriguez received her Bachelor of Arts at the University of California, Santa Barbara n 1996 and her Masters and Ph.D from the University of California, Berkeley in sociology. She is currently the chair of the Department of Asian American Studies at the University of California, Davis. In 2018, she founded the Bulosan Center for Filipino Studies, named after the Filipino American writer Carlos Bulosan, best known for his book, America Is in the Heart. A year later, the center obtained a $1 million grant from the State of California “to contribute to graduate student fellowships and ongoing and upcoming research initiatives.”

Shay Mitchell, Actress, Author and Model

Shay Mitchell and baby daughter, Atlas (Source: Architectural Digest)

Shannon Ashley Garcia Mitchell is a Canadian actress, model, entrepreneur and author. Her mother, Precious Garcia is from Pampanga, Philippines and her father, Mark Mitchell is of Scottish and Irish descent. She got the nickname Shay because she is a big fan of Jennifer Lopez or J. Lo, so her friends call her “Shay Lo.” She rose to prominence starring as Emily Fields in Pretty Little Liars (2010-2017). She also appeared in You and The Possession of Hannah Grace. She authored a young adult novel with Michaela Blaney entitled, Bliss. She is the spokesperson of Pantene shampoo, host of a YouTube lifestyle channel and head of a production company.

Jeremy Passion, Singer, Songwriter and Producer

Born and raised in San Francisco, California, Jeremy Passion Manongdo grew up to appreciate and love music. At age four, he taught himself to play the piano and at 15, he started songwriting. He is acknowledged as a pioneer of the acoustic R&B soul movement on the Internet, and is one of the first Asian Americans to go viral with his famous original songs, “Lemonade” and “Well Done.” Considered a YouTube sensation, his subscriber base has exceeded 287,000 followers and has over 37 million channel views. After doing volunteer work in Ghana in 2007, he kicked off The Empty Suitcase Project in Tanzania, a music and arts project with the mission to provide kids with an opportunity to find their own creative passions. He hopes to take the project to the Philippines one day.

Olivia Rodrigo, Actor and Singer

Olivia Rodrigo first appeared onscreen in an Old Navy commercial. Her father is Filipino. In 2015, she portrayed the lead role of Grace Thomas in An American Girl: Grace Stirs Up Success, and as Paige Olvera in the Disney Channel series Bizaardvark. In 2019, she was cast in the starring role of Nini Salazar-Roberts on the Disney series High School Musical: The Series. She wrote “All I Want” and co-wrote “Just A Moment” for the show’s soundtrack. Rodrigo is an institute speaker and panelist for the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media.

Marissa Aroy, Director and Producer

A Fulbright Scholar, Aroy received an Emmy award for her documentary, Sikhs in America and an Emmy nomination for The Delano Manongs: Forgotten Heroes of the United Farm Workers. Of the latter film, she says, “My goal is to get Filipinos to learn about this history and be proud of it and have a better understanding of our contributions to the American fabric.” She received her undergraduate degree in Psychology at Boston College and a master’s in Journalism at UC Berkeley. She also spent two years as a Peace Corps volunteer in the Dominican Republic, working in the public health sector and creating a film about HIV/AIDS. She worked with UNICEF as a video producer and communications specialist before spending months writing and filming stories in Typhoon Haiyan-affected areas of the Philippines. Aroy is listed as one of the Notable Asian Americans in Entertainment by the Center for Asian American Media (CAAM). She currently resides in Ireland with her husband, Niall.

Cathi Tactaquin, Immigrant Rights Activist

Cathi Tactaquin (Source: speakoutnow.org)

Tactaquin is the former Executive Director of the National Network for Immigrant and Refugee Rights (NNIRR), a nationwide alliance that advocates the human rights for all migrants, regardless of immigration status. The daughter of an immigrant farmworker from Pangasinan, Philippines who migrated to Salinas, California, she was involved for decades in grassroots organizing and advocacy in the Filipino community, and in 1986, was a co-founder of the National Network. Her mother, Ruby Sharp, is an Oklahoma native of English, French and Native American ancestry. She is a frequent speaker on topics ranging from global migration and human rights, to race and gender perspectives and immigration reform. Tactaquin says, “You can’t force children to be social justice activists, but you can lay the foundation for them to appreciate humane values and the need for social justice.”

Jessica Cox, Disabled Activist and Motivational Speaker

Jessica Cox was born without arms due to a rare birth defect. Yet, she is the world’s first licensed armless pilot as well as the first armless black belt in the American Taekwondo Association. Without the use of prosthetic arms since age 14, Cox uses her feet as people use their hands – to drive, to type on a keyboard, to pump gas and to put in and remove her contact lenses, among other things. She is also a certified scuba diver, comedian and motivational speaker. Cox’s mother, Inez, a Filipina, integrated her into a regular environment as much as possible, enrolling her in a public school and not in a special needs school. She graduated from the University of Arizona with a degree in Psychology and Communication. She married her Taekwondo instructor, Patrick, in 2012. She is the subject of the award-winning documentary, Right Footed. In 2015, she published an autobiographical self-help book, Disarm Your Limits, to inspire people to overcome their own challenges through the lessons she has learned in her life.

Dr. Rolando M. Puno, Spine Doctor and Inventor

Puno received his Bachelor of Science in Premedical Studies at the University of Santo Tomas and his Medical Degree at the University of the East. He completed two full Orthopedic Residency Training Programs at the University of the Philippines and at the University of Louisville. He trained in spine surgery at the renowned Twin Cities Scoliosis Center and in Orthopedic Trauma and Total Joint Surgery at the Hennepin County Medical Center, both in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Puno is the principal developer of the world’s first poly-axial spinal pedicle screw, currently the industry standard for most spinal fixation implants used around the world. His interest in the reconstruction of complex spinal deformity has brought patients from all over the world to his clinic. He has published numerous articles and gives lectures on spine surgery all over the world. The Surgical Suite of the Norton Children’s Hospital in Louisville, Kentucky is dedicated in his name, and in 2017, Dr. Puno received the Richard S. Wolf M.D. Leadership in Action Award from the Children’s Hospital Foundation.

Dr. Enrique Ostrea, Jr., Neonatologist

Dr. Enrique Ostrea, Jr. (Source: facebook)

Last 2016, Ostrea was inducted into the National Academy of Science and Technology of the Philippines. The honor is given to “those who live abroad but have significantly impacted science and technology in the Philippines.” Ostrea’s contributions to the field of “pediatrics, neonatal hyperbilirubinemia and neonatal drug addiction, including his pioneering work on the detection of fetal exposure to drugs, tobacco, alcohol and environmental toxicants by analysis of meconium,” earned him this recognition. He graduated from the University of the Philippines School of Medicine and completed his residency in Pediatrics at Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Harvard Medical School in Boston, and his fellowship in Neonatology at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore. He has served as chief of Pediatrics and director of University Nurseries at the Detroit Medical Center’s Hutzel Women’s Hospital.

Joel de la Fuente, actor

De la Fuente was born in New Hartford, New York to Filipino immigrant parents, but grew up on Evanston, Illinois. He first gained recognition for his role as 1st Lieutenant Paul Wang in Space: Above and Beyond, and is best known for his roles as Dr. Johann Pryce in Hemlock Grove, Kempeital Chief Inspector Takeshi Kido in The Man in the High Castle and recurring appearances on Law and Order: Special Victims Unit as Technical Assistance Response Unit Tech Ruben Morales. He received his degree in theater arts from Brown University and his MFA degree from NYU’s graduate acting program at the Tisch School of Arts. His portrayal of Gordon Hirabayashi in Jeanne Sakata’s one-person play, Hold These Truths, garnered him a Drama Desk Nomination for Best Solo Performance in 2013. He is an avid classical theater performer.

William Tamayo, equal employment lawyer

Tamayo is the District Director of the United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). He directs EEOC’s investigations, administration and program in Northern California, Northern Nevada, Oregon, Washington, Alaska, Idaho and Montana. He is the first Asian American appointed EEOC District Director, and the second Asian American EEOC staff member ever appointed to the Senior Executive Service (SES) by the U.S. Office of Personnel Management. During his tenure as Regional Attorney, he has obtained significant recoveries including among others: for older disabled public safety workers denied accommodations or jobs, for Black avionics electrician harassed and retaliated against, for an Asian employee terminated for alerting company to sexual harassment, for teenage Latina employee who was harassed, and for sexually harassed and retaliated farm workers. He has received numerous awards. He was a co-founder of the National Network to End Violence Against Immigrant Women. He received his J.D. from University of California, Davis, School of Law.

Sources: Google and Wikipedia

The Magazine

Fil-Ams Among The Remarkable And Famous, Part 7