The Filipino Migration to Hawaii

I choose the topic of how the Filipinos migrated to Hawaii because it is a part of my identity that Iʻve always wondered about but never really researched. I wanted to find out more about who I am as a person and the best way to do that is to start with the past. I also choose this to get a better idea of the risks and life of my ancestors. The main idea of this essay is to find out more about one of my other ethnicities that are not Hawaiian. This allows personal growth in identity as an individual along with growth in personality. As a student at Kamehameha Schools from sixth grade until junior year all our essays about our identity were about our Hawaiian identity. As a person, I felt more obligated to know more about my Hawaiian side than any of my other ethnicities; this prevented me from wanting to learn about my other ethnicities such as my Filipino side. I wanted to know more about why Filipinos migrated here. Filipinos migrated out of the Philippines and came to Hawaii for a chance at a better life.

The first reason Filipinos migrated here is because the Philippines did not have good opportunities for people trying to make a living. Economic gains could not keep up with population growth, and the country was pressured to provide jobs and decent wages while struggling with a severe payment problems. After the U.S. annexation of the Philippines in the late 1800s large numbers of Filipinos migrated to the United States to study and fill agricultural jobs in Hawaii. Filipinos were not subject to the same restrictions imposed on other non-European groups such as achieving citizenship or obtaining a green card. Arrivals slowed dramatically following the Great Depression and passage of the Tydings-McDuffie Act in 1934. However, after World War II larger numbers began arriving. Among these larger numbers was my grandfather. He arrived here in 1946 on the S.S. Maunawili as a plantation laborer. My grandfather was escaping the horrible aftermath of World War 2 which, as stated above, left his home country in disarray. According to Gerardo P. Sicat, the conflict in the Philippines had three main phases. The first was the Japanese invasion, which occurred between December of 1941 and June of 1942. In several battles, the Japanese were able to defeat American and Filipino forces and quickly occupy the Philippines. From June 1942 until October 1944, the only fighting that occurred in the Philippines was between Japanese occupying forces and guerrilla resistance fighters. During this second phase there were no large battles, but many ambushes and raids against Japanese stations. In October 1944, MacArthur and U.S. forces landed on the southern islands in the Philippines. From then on until the end of the war in August 1945, there would be more large-scale fighting as American and Filipino forces recaptured important cities such as Manila and drove the Japanese out of the Philippines. As a result, Filipinos have left home in search of permanent settlement or temporary work overseas, trends long attributed to the fragile economy. The first batch of Filipino workers arrived in Hawaii on December 20, 1906, to work on sugarcane and pineapple plantations. More workers, mostly single men, followed.

The second reason Filipinos migrated here for better job opportunities is workers were needed for plantations that were growing in Hawaii. According to Jie Zong, Hawaii sugar planters preferred to import Filipino labor for several reasons. First, since the HSPA paid the Filipinos the lowest wage among the different ethnic groups in the plantation, it was cheaper to import Filipino laborers even if they were provided free passage to Hawaii. Second, since the Philippines was a U.S. colony it was practical to hire Filipinos. Third, Filipinos were viewed as leverage, alternative labor to use against Japanese workers who were staging strikes to improve their conditions in the plantations. Fourth, because the Philippines was an agrarian country exposed to sugar growing, the HSPA felt that the Filipinos were suitable as sakadas or . But sugar was not grown in Ilocos, thus Ilocanos, who comprised the bulk of the Filipino sakadas, were not really exposed to its harsh working conditions. Fifth, the Filipinos were perceived to be docile, subservient, and uneducated and, therefore, would not join labor unions and be prone to strikes. Finally, the Filipinos proved to be industrious and hardworking. The Filipinos who migrated to Hawaii were rural folks, many of whom had few years of education. The HSPA preferred to hire uneducated workers who knew nothing about their legal rights. The migrant workers faced numerous problems from the time they left the Philippines. While most of them were Ilocanos, there were also a few Visayans or Tagalogs. Upon reaching Hawaii, they had to deal with more ethnic diversity. Linguistic differences hampered the workers’ ability to communicate with each other. It was also difficult to deal with the loneliness since they traveled without their family. But the worst problem was the long hours of strenuous, back-breaking hard work. (In an interview) In his study of Hawaii plantations, Ronald Takaki states that the workers’ response was resistance which took several forms. Workers resorted to violence like committing arson and assaulting the luna. A subtle form of response was recalcitrance such as work slowdown, intentional laziness, and inefficiency. Workers took turns serving as lookouts for the luna while the rest stopped working, smoked, and 'talked story'. But Takaki notes that due to excessive fear among workers, recalcitrance was not flaunted. The strike was another response of the workers. In 1909 Oahu witnessed the Great Strike by Japanese laborers who demanded higher wages and an end to the discriminatory wage differential based on ethnicity. To counter the strike, Filipinos were recruited to replace the vacated jobs. In 1920 a larger, more organized strike occurred on Oahu, this time by Japanese and Filipino laborers demanding a wage hike and a change in the bonus system. The strike ended after a six-month standoff by which time the workers received some concessions such as increased wages, the abolishment of wage differentials, and changes in the bonus system. (personal anecdote)

As a result of migrating here Filipinos blended with Hawaiian culture and other cultures and created a community in Hawaii. According to the 2000 U.S. Census, Filipinos and part-Filipinos constitute 275,728 or nearly 23 percent of the state population, slightly more than the Hawaiian and part-Hawaiian population. About 70 percent of the Filipino population lives on the island of O’ahu. While they are a minority population in the state, they form the majority (at least 60%) on the island of Lâna’i. Filipinos are the fastest-growing ethnic minority in Hawai’i, due to continuous immigration from the Philippines and high birth rates in the Filipino community. About 3,500 immigrants from the Philippines, mostly children, come to Hawai’i every year. The vast majority of the Hawai’i Filipino community, at least 85 percent, are Ilokanos coming from Northern Luzon, whose native language is Ilokano. There is also a significant number of Visayans (from the central region of the Philippines), and Tagalogs, whose native language is the basis for Filipino, the national language of the Philippines. Among professionals in the Filipino community, medical doctors constitute a significant group. Other health professionals like nurses, medical technologists, and medical aides also form a sizable group. It is noteworthy that 95 percent of the care homeowners or operators in the state are Filipinos, helping the state to deal with problems of the elderly and disabled. Filipino-American politicians are also increasing in both houses of the State Legislature. There are three state senators (out of 25) and three representatives (out of 51) of Filipino ancestry in the Hawai’i State Legislature. Two of the nine City Council members for Honolulu are Filipino. Hawai’i also produced the first governor of Filipino ancestry in the US, Benjamin Cayetano The Filipino population is strongly represented in the arts and the entertainment industry, particularly jazz, Hawaiian music, hula, hip-hop, and dance crews. (personal anecdote)

In conclusion, the Filipinos migrated to Hawaii due to poor living conditions that were created from World War II that created poor living spaces along with social and economic issues that resulted in the Filipinos migrating to Hawaii in search of a better life. Filipinos migrating to Hawaii resulted in a more diverse mixing pot. The Filipinos also gained financial liberty along with social stability while living in Hawaii.