NEW YORK — Filipino-Americans feel a high level of sympathy when discussing China’s actions in the West Philippine Sea, as any developments in the region could pose a threat to the lives and well-being of their families and relatives in the country.
Consul General Senen Mangalile of the Philippine Consulate here stated that, despite many of them being born and raised in the United States, with some arriving to pursue graduate studies, their ties to the Philippines remain strong.
“Their perception of what happens in the Philippines is still strong, and they are invested because their family is back home,” Mangalile told journalists participating in the Friends, Partners, Allies Program on Friday, April 26 (NY time).
“I would say that the average Filipino American in this region has an awareness of what’s going on over there,” he added.
He explained that many of them are likely to support initiatives that provide them with more information about current events in the disputed region.
“A lot of them are sympathetic to the Philippines, and they understand that anything that goes on there is a threat to the country, where their families are back home,” he added.
The 2020 Census reports that there are 4.4 million Filipino Americans in the United States, including multiracial individuals with Filipino heritage.
Their community is the third-largest among Asian American groups and the largest population of overseas Filipinos.
