The Filipino connection

I may as well call it the Pinoy network. With over 12 million Filipinos living outside the country, chances are high that you will meet a “kabayan “ (fellow Filipino) when you are traveling to other places.

More than just those we chance upon at airports and cruises, we also have relatives who live in the US, Australia and Canada – three of the most popular countries to immigrate to. I think it is more difficult to find someone in our midst who does not have a relative abroad.

During my recent trip, I passed Los Angeles on my way to and on my way back from Guatemala. And in Los Angeles we found a few friends and blood relations. Pinoys, as we call ourselves (and Pinas is how some call home), congregate wherever there is a church, a Filipino restaurant and, more recently, when a Jollibee opens in the neighborhood.

We attended the soft opening of a Filipino-owned coffee shop called Teofilo Coffee in Carson, California founded by Filipino-American engineer entrepreneur Ron Dizon. I met Ron around four years ago as he emailed us looking for Philippine coffee. On every trip I bring him the latest coffee samples of Liberica or Barako and the latest nano lot of an Arabica variety. Ron invited friends and family to this momentous event as he has boldly expanded to a bigger location in Carson.

There I met members of the Fil-Am Chamber of Commerce, a Filipina doctor who’s been in the states for 20 years and a barista/manager who’s been there for almost 25 years! Though they come from different careers, they gathered this Sunday to just network and support a kabayan who’s blazing trails in the coffee scene of California.

And networking is the secret sauce for Filipinos who want to succeed while living abroad. Networking opens your doors to financial advice when you buy your first home, when you are looking to change jobs or even knowing how and when to retire. My own relatives Agnes and James are active members of these communities that provide an ecosystem  for success and sometimes even just for survival in the tough work environments abroad.

So when you decide to live abroad, make sure you get to know the Filipino network. In Japan where we last spent  our vacation, a Pinoy network we found gave us contacts for tours, van rentals and even just knowing how to navigate a foreign city. In Seoul, a Filipina has started a shuttle service and a tour company as well.

In Paris, our airport shuttle guy was a Pinoy with more Pinoy drivers working with him. I can go on and on with Pinoys in Rome, Florence and beyond.

During the lockdowns I know of a Filipina who got a Pinoy driver in Turin to get her out of Italy through the backroads without checkpoints and she made her way to Nice in France successfully, and finally got a flight to Manila. That’s the Pinoy spirit!

There is always a Filipino willing to help a compatriot or kabayan to get out of sticky situations. And they also are the town’s information center for available side hustles or jobs. I have heard countless stories of how Pinoys traveled to unknown or lesser known destinations like Croatia and then jump to be residents of another European city. But not without a Pinoy network.

We are most helpful when we find a kabayan in need. Whether it’s a tourist in a new city or an immigrant finding his or her place in a new town. How do you find the Filipinos? Visit a church on a Sunday. More often than not the church choir is made up of Filipinos. If not a church, go to cafe or restaurant owned by a Filipino. In California, I found a place called Luisa and Son – which I vaguely remember was in Manila in the 70s. They sell ensaymada and empanadas like I recall them from decades ago. Beside them is a cafe serving ube in all forms of drinks and desserts. And predictably, many Filipinos frequent the place for memories of home like halo halo and anything made with and from ube, our globally-known ingredient which I think has displaced matcha in the global food scene. I am glad we now have powdered ube, frozen ube so our compatriots can have a taste of home while introducing this purple wonder to the rest of the world. In the coffee sector, Mostra coffee of San Diego, a café roastery started by third generation Filipino-Americans, even have Ube Latte along with other Pinoy flavors.

Or next time, drop by a familiar Filipino-owned business like Teofilo Coffee and more likely you may meet a consultant, a financial adviser or even a matchmaker for someone who’s looking to settle down.

But do network over coffee or join a group of professionals who go on medical missions or other charity work in the home country. That’s a fulfilling advocacy for those who have been blessed while working abroad or have retired and are now looking for purpose. Over Barako coffee, you definitely can find a common goal or a common purpose. Or just reminisce about home.

In other positive news, we saw banana ketchup also produced by a Fil-Am company called Fila Manila in a premier supermarket (in Los Angeles) that carries international brands. Truly the flavors of the Philippines are becoming mainstream with ube and banana ketchup being more available now not just for Filipinos, but for the international market.

And what about the Fil-Ams who have never been back? There are groups who teach children about our history and culture.

When you travel or if you plan to migrate, make sure you find your Filipino connection abroad. All for the price of a cup of coffee.