30 Years of Struggle

Samahang Pilipino Members of Samahang Pilipino participate in
one of the annual Pilipino Culture Night celebrations. This year,
Samahang is marking its 30th anniversary as a student
organization.

By Laura Rico
DAILY BRUIN CONTRIBUTOR
[email protected]

Samahang Pilipino is marking the 30th anniversary of its
commitment to the social, cultural and academic concerns of the
Pilipino American community of UCLA and southern California.

Originally started by four UCLA undergraduates during the spring
of 1972, the group is currently composed of more than 300 members.
Its original name, Kasamahan ng mga Pilipinos sa UCLA, was soon
shortened to Samahang, roughly meaning
“togetherness.”

The group’s earliest function was that of a social
organization, according to ’01 alumnus Jerry Gonzales.

“At the time, there were not many Pilipino students on
campus as well as students of color, so the first meeting was a
pot-luck picnic, just to get people acquainted with one
another,” Gonzales said.

The group’s formation coincided with a period of economic
and political unrest in the Philippines, which resulted in
President Ferdinand Marcos’ declaration of martial law in
September of 1972. The declaration essentially gave Marcos absolute
power, as congress was dissolved and censorship imposed.

Early Samahang activities addressed the political turmoil in the
Philippines, according to Samahang Vice President Jonah Lalas.

In 1974, Samahang participated in the Pilipino People’s
Far West Concert Forum held at Royce Hall.

Pilipino students show their cultural pride during the group’s
annual Pilipino Culture Night, now in its 25th year.

The event featured 400 delegates from West Coast Pilipino
organizations, and its purpose was to raise awareness about the
effects of martial law, as well as immigration and education
issues. But many Pilipino students and their families were
uncomfortable about speaking out at the conference, according to
Lalas.

“Speaking out against the martial law put Pilipinos at
risk of being blacklisted by the Marcos government,” Lalas
said.

In 1976, Samahang members began to address injustices in places
a little closer to home than the Philippines. 

Members participated in the building of Agbayani village, a
retirement community in Delano for former farm workers and migrant
laborers.

The students were part of a movement that included eventual
membership for the farm workers into the United Farm Workers Union.
According to Lalas, the trips helped the students in discovering
more about their cultural heritage, as well as the struggles faced
by the immigrant farm workers.

One of the group’s umbrella organizations, the Samahang
Pilipino Education and Retention program, is the nation’s
first and only Pilipino student-run retention center. The
organization provides peer counseling, tutoring, study halls,
resume writing workshops, as well as internship programs.

UCLA alumnus and Samahang coordinator Jerry Gonzales attributes
the group’s longevity to continued support and involvement by
Samahang alumni.

“Many alumni have gone into fields such as community
organizing in order to maintain contact with Samahang members and
the issues they face,” Gonzales said.

Samahang’s activism extends beyond the UCLA campus, as its
members are involved with Samahang Pilipino Advancing Community
Empowerment.

The program is run by student volunteers who outreach to
Pilipino youth in the Los Angeles, Carson and Long Beach Unified
School Districts.

Pilipinos for Community Health is another community organization
associated with Samahang, which seeks to address the health care
needs of lower income Pilipino-Americans by providing heath
education and medical screenings.

Samahang blends community activism with traditional Pilipino art
forms through its annual Pilipino Culture Night.

Participants in the program attend workshops and participate in
SPEAR and SPACE throughout the academic year.

Rowena Ocampo, a fourth-year communication studies student and
PCN coordinator, said the three components are complementary.

“We really try to fuse the culture show and SPEAR/SPACE in
reaching our goal of educating the UCLA community of the culture
and values of the Pilipino community,” she said.

Pilipino Culture Night serves in showcasing different Pilipino
art forms through its dance, music and choral performances. The
events are tied together by a script that connects them to
pertinent social issues affecting the Pilipino Community.

PCN components include indigenous dances of Muslim and
traditional origins, as well as orchestral and choral music
performances.

In past years, the culture show has featured dance performances
ranging from the Igorot, a dance of the indigenous groups of the
Philippines, to the Maria Clara, which is performed by women in
elaborate costumes, sometimes holding parasols, and heavily
influenced by Spanish colonists.

The Undergraduate Student Association Council officially
recognized Samahang in 1991, enabling the group to negotiate its
contract through the Campus Retention Committee.

This year’s PCN event will take place Sunday in Royce
Hall.