Kabalikat Society’s 1st Annual Philippine Independence Day Festival

CHINO HILLS - In today’s modern Filipino-American household, there are very few common interests that both young Filipino-Americans and elder-generation Filipino Americans can relate to. Aside from culture and last name, there are very few similarities between these generations. In Chino Hills, California, a suburb about 30 miles away from Los Angeles, a young Filipino-American grass-roots organization is aspiring to change this phenomenon and bring young and elder generations together in order to “bridge the generational gap” between Fil-Ams in their local and surrounding neighborhoods.

Kabalikat Society was founded on October 2008, and is composed of about 20 members ranging in age from 20-27 years old. Their goal is a simple; educate the local community of the Filipino heritage, and “bridge the gap” between older and younger Filipinos. Kabalikat intends to realize their goals by putting together several community-based events that will cater to and bring together both the elder and younger Filipino Americans within their surrounding communities.

Already the Society has hosted several fundraising and community service events aimed to contribute to their Filipino American community. The most prominent activities held by Kabalikat Society has been The Lolo & Lola Palooza California/Nevada Stateline Tour, catering to a social interaction between younger and older Fil-Ams, and the 2009 Clean-up of Historic Filipinotown with Manny Pacquiao and the Filipino American organization SIPA (Search to Involve Pilipino Americans).

Their fundraising and community service efforts will eventually culminate in the 1st Annual Philippine Independence Day Festival on July 12th, 2009, from 12:00pm-8:00pm. Admission is free for the event, and it will be held in the Chino Hills Community Park, 3280 Eucalyptus Avenue, in Chino Hills, California. This event is the first Festival of its kind held in the city of Chino Hills, and has been in the works since the inception of the organization.

The 1st Annual Philippine Independence Day Festival is an all-day event celebrating culture and community through music, art, food, and entertainment. The festival will consist of fun games and activities for the kids and entire family. In addition, there will also be a Filipino cuisine cook-off consisting of traditional Filipino dishes and desserts, and an extensive Filipino American Art Exhibit displaying works by local Fil-Am artists.

Our Filipino American Art Exhibit will consist of traditional and contemporary works from several forms of media. Contributors for the Art Exhibit are all local Fil-Am artists, and art pieces will be auctioned during the Festival. Proceeds from the auction will support Kabalikat Society and three other non-profit organizations, The 25/35 Foundation, The Francis Padua Papica Foundation, and The Joseph Santos Ileto Hate Crime Prevention Fellowship.

On the main stage, live performances will be held all day. Performances will include traditional Pilipino cultural dances, contemporary dance, live music, Pilipino cultural martial arts, and other live performances. Their complete line-up of live performances include:

California State University-Fullerton, Kaibigan Pilipino-American Student Association (Cultural Performance)

California Polytechnic University Pomona, Barkada Filipino-American Student Association (Cultural Performance)

Pacific Island Dancers (Cultural Performance)

Team Millennia Dance Team (Modern Dance Performance)

Troy High School Filipino Student Organization (Cultural & Modern Dance Performance)

Legacy Martial Arts Studios (Cultural Martial Arts Performance)

Love, Resonate (Alternative Praise Musical Performance)

Free the Robots (Hip-Hop Electronica Musical Performance)

My Hollow Drum (Hip-Hop Electronica Musical Performance)

Traditional Filipino cuisine as well as a variety of ethnic and local favorites will be featured in the Festival’s Food Exhibit. Spectators are welcome to purchase foods that have been a long-standing favorites of the Filipino-American community. Food vendors include:

Magnolia Ice Cream

Goldilock’s Bakeshop

Greenhills Seafood Market

Borakai Bakeshop & Café

Seafood Ranch Market

Robek’s Juice

From an educational stand point, Kabalikat Society has also invited and confirmed several contributors from various walks of Fil-Am life. One of the missions of the organization is to educate both Fil-Ams and other cultures of the rich heritage of the Philippines. With that said, the Society has collaborated with several Filipino-American organizations to help accomplish their mission. Contributors for the festival include:

Filipino American Chamber of Commerce

Filipino American Library

Asian Pacific American Legal Center

Fil-Am Arts

Fil-Am Fest San Diego

Although it may seem that young and old Filipinos have no similarities and common interests, Kabalikat Society is focused on the main similarity that bind both young and old Fil-Ams together-culture. By hosting the 1st Annual Chino Hills Philippine Independence Day Festival these events the organization is making strides for all Filipino-American generations to come together and learn more from each other. They believe that through education and community events we can better understand the nuances of our Filipino heritage. To learn more about Kabalikat Society or for more information about their events please e-mail This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it and/or visit www.kabalikatsociety.com

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