Filipino America: Culture, diaspora, history, and identity.

PinoyBuilt

‍Stories of Filipino America. Culture, diaspora, history, and identity — from the community, for the community.

Editor's Picks
Hiraya Manawari - Filipino word meaning to dream and aspire
Learn Filipino
Hiraya Manawari — The Filipino Word for 'Dream and Aspire'

What this ancient Tagalog phrase teaches every Filipino-American about heritage, hope, and reaching beyond.

UC Irvine Filipino American admissions guide 2026
UC Admissions
UC Irvine Admissions 2026 — A Fil-Am Parent's Guide

Acceptance rates, Fil-Am student life at UCI, and what every Filipino-American family needs to know.

Mel Orpilla Filipino American filmmaker profile
Community
Mel Orpilla — Filipino-American Filmmaker

A community profile of a Fil-Am artist telling stories that mainstream Hollywood won't.

Madonna of the Slums by Vicente Manansala
Art History & Heritage
'Madonna of the Slums' by Vicente Manansala

Vicente Manansala's 1950 masterpiece reimagined the sacred Madonna as a Brown Filipino mother in the wreckage of post-war Manila.

Learn Filipino
Bawat Daan
Bawat Daan

The Filipino phrase for 'Every path.'

Language Is Identity
Language Is Identity

Why every Fil-Am family must keep Filipino alive

More Learn Filipino →
UC Admissions
UC Davis Filipino American admissions 2026
UC Davis Admissions 2026

Fil-Am student life in the Central Valley

UC Irvine Filipino American admissions 2026
UC Irvine Admissions 2026

Orange County's Fil-Am campus pipeline

UC Santa Cruz Filipino American admissions 2026
UC Santa Cruz Admissions 2026

Santa Cruz's growing Fil-Am community

More UC Admissions →
Community Profiles
Mel Orpilla Filipino American
Mel Orpilla — Historian & Martial Artist

Keeper of Vallejo's Filipino memory

Michael Dondi Reyes USMC
Michael 'Dondi' Reyes — USMC Birthday

Photo essay: Hogan '85, Stockton

More Community →
Contributors
Mel Orpilla
Mel Orpilla: Marks of the Ancestors

Vallejo's Filipino memory keeper

Michael Dondi Reyes USMC
Michael 'Dondi' Reyes: USMC Birthday

Photo essay by J.F.R. Perseveranda

More Contributors →
Immigration
OFW Iran ceasefire diaspora
2.4 Million Filipinos in the Crossfire

What the U.S.-Iran ceasefire means for OFWs

Edu Manzano balikbayan guide
Edu Manzano's Viral Travel Challenge

The balikbayan guide every Fil-Am needs in 2026

More Immigration →
History
Kagitingan Bataan Day of Valor
Kagitingan: 84 Years After Bataan

The valor was never repaid

Ides of March Bonifacio Aguinaldo
Ides of March: Bonifacio & Aguinaldo

The betrayal that shaped the Philippines

More History →
Entertainment & Culture
Alex Eala Indian Wells WTA Top 30
Alex Eala Cracks WTA Top 30

Indian Wells 2026 historic run recap

Alex Eala Miami Open 2026
Alex Eala: Miami Open Round of 16

Dispatches Linette in straight sets

More Entertainment & Culture →
Explore by Region
Filipino Americans in New York

History, community, and the NYC diaspora — the definitive guide.

Filipino Americans in California

From Stockton to Daly City — the heart of Fil-Am life.

J.F.R. Perseveranda, founder of PinoyBuilt

J.F.R. Perseveranda

Founder · Publisher · Editor-in-Chief

J.F. (Jonjo) left the Philippines at age nine, spending a lifetime bridging the gap between his Marikina roots and his Chicago/Vallejo upbringing. A proud Hogan Spartan from East Vallejo, he founded PinoyBuilt not just as a digital archive, but as a cultural compass for his three children to navigate their heritage, language, and identity with Pinoy Pride.

Join the PinoyBuilt Community

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4.6 million Filipinos in the U.S. One platform telling our stories. Salamat, kababayan.

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Marks of the Ancestors: Mel Orpilla and the Filipino Story of Vallejo

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Vallejo, California • March 2026. Mel Orpilla: Historian, Martial Artist, and Keeper of Vallejo's Filipino Memory. mel orpilla, vallejo filipino history, filipinos in vallejo, balintawak arnis, island warrior fighting sticks, manong generation, mare island naval shipyard, fil-am history, ifugao, ilocano heritage, pamana, filipino american history month. Vallejo, CA • Filipino American History Month 2026 Marks of the Ancestors: Mel Orpilla and the Filipino Story of Vallejo Historian, martial artist, and cultural keeper Mel Orpilla has spent decades ensuring that the Filipino presence in Vallejo—one of the oldest in Northern California—is documented, honored, and passed on. Mel Orpilla — historian, Balintawak Arnis master, and keeper of Vallejo's Filipino memory. 📍 Vallejo, California In the city of Vallejo, history lives in unexpected places. It lives in faded photographs tucked into family albums, in stor...
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Daku kaayo ang kalipay: Reunited in Valencia, Bukidnon (April 1, 2005)

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Happy Sweet Sixteen, Kalea! | Vallejo Fil-Am Milestones | PinoyBuilt

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