Celebrating the 115th Philippine Independence Day in the USA

The problem with celebrating the Philippine Independence Day outside of the Philippines is that the only time it can be celebrated on the 12th of June is if it falls on a weekend. Unlike in the Philippines where it is a holiday, the celebration date is never a problem thus Filipino-American association is in a quandary when competing cities with a sizable Filipino-American are residing when to hold the event.

So there was friction between the two Filipino-Americans in the competing cities of Los Angeles where the Filipino Town an official city designation and the city of Carson in California celebrated the occasion at the same time. It would have been better had there been just one unified celebration considering the distance between the two venues is just a mere 22 miles. But then again a consolidated event even though it creates more impact and the people having the opportunity to appreciate the real meaning of unity is really bad for their ego errrr, I meant having said arrangement will pose serious challenges.

The day of the celebration started well, while it was a bit cold due to the overcast weather it was actually a perfect day for good photography. No harsh sunlight to deal with producing harsh shadows on subjects thus we decided to send our resident “usyusero” or Pedestrian Observer photographer which he think he was but of course we have to settle with what we have at our disposal, LOL.

The Filipino Town event was more interesting and more diversely represented complete with Floats, Dinagyang dancers in their authentic outfits, progressive organizations, Binibining Pilipinas USA, all the way to Ms. Grandmas participating in a 15 block long parade. It was indeed a colorful event showing the vibrant diverse regional Filipino culture but our resident “usyusero” (Pedestrian Observer/photographer) was nowhere to be found. When queried where was his images for the event in the Filipino Town he says he was actually still in the state of snoring off since it was a weekend, and who he asked wakes up at 6:00 am during weekends. Well, so much for having a photographer we definitely missed out on that one but luckily PJ has access to FaceBook where you can find the photos of the Filipino Town event by Carolina Carlos Napuli.

At least our “usyusero” was able to cover the Carson event and of course as soon as he arrives it was almost over, the overcast was gone and the harsh sunlight returned as if with a vengeance. The problem with having a “usyusero” rather than a typical reporter/photojournalist is that they actually don’t cover the event but what’s happening on the sidelines as if looking for a circus freak side show when it was not a circus in the first place. Of course when you have a Pedestrian Observer with ADHD one can’t expect him to focus on what’s happening at the stage especially when they use cheap sound system in a huge wide open space that can really assaults ones sense of hearing to numbness. Really, professionals are willing to sing their heart out in a venue where even a home karaoke system sounds better is just unthinkable?

Anyway what was seen at the sidelines was more interesting, like this improvised tricycle at the parking lot. Seeing this makes one appreciate it more for its uniqueness since it is probably the only one in the US, as against the pesky swarm of road hazard congesting an already “Gates of Hell” like traffic jams of Manila.

Or this one that assures you that you are in a Filipino event seeing people queuing for Balut (fertilized duck egg).

How about this toddler who can’t wait to be part of the body builders group training this early to lift weights?

If this is not fun as she gamely express it in this picture, I don't know what is?

The real joy of attending this event is being able to mingle close-up with Miss Philippines USA candidates. A far greater improvement from the usual beauty contest where parents and their close relatives are peddling tickets/ballots for their “beautiful” daughters. Talk about a face that only a mother could love, hehehe.

For more of the Miss Philippines-USA visit their FaceBook Page or website. Ok, wait a minute here, something is missing here, where is Marian Rivera's picture? Apparently our Pedestrian "usyosero" Observer got bored and left without seeing the performance of a famous Philippine actress much less took her picture.

There's a reason why the adage of patience is a virtue rings true, our usyosero missed the opportunity of witnessing the circus errrr the scramble for position to pose with their idol for their Kodak moment .

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