KEITH ENRIQUEZ/Daily Bruin Senior Staff Ryan
Bulatao is Lapu-Lapu in one of the living exhibits in
Kerckhoff Art Gallery.
By Linh Tat
Daily Bruin Senior Staff
Lapu-Lapu stood proudly before his people about 500 years
ago.
As chief of Mactan, an island in the Philippines, he gathered
his soldiers to fight against Spanish invaders and killed Magellan
in 1521. No one knows what happened to the chief after the
battle.
But Wednesday night, Lapu-Lapu reappeared at the Kerckhoff Art
Gallery as part of a living museum.
The event, put on by the student group Samahang Pilipino, was
the first of several programs scheduled throughout October to
celebrate Pilipino American History Month.
“Very seldom is our history ever told,” said Joann
Baso, historian for Samahang. “We wanted to focus on the
strengths that occur in our community, not just outside of
them.”
Pilipinos are the largest Asian Pacific Islander group in
California, according to data compiled by Paul Ong, a professor at
the School of Public Policy and Social Research.
“Our agricultural industry in California was built
primarily from Pilipino labor early in the century,” said
Dennis Arguelles, assistant director of the Asian American Studies
Center.
Besides farm work, he noted that many Pilipinos have risen to
the ranks of doctors, lawyers and politicians today, but they
aren’t always recognized for their accomplishments.
“Even among Asians, we tend to be the invisible Asian
minority,” Arguelles said. “People don’t realize
our contribution.”
The museum featured exhibits of 11 characters recognized as
heroes among the Pilipino community.
Students, dressed like the characters they represented, posed,
while tour guides read aloud brief biographies of the heroes.
“It’s better for students to comprehend the struggle
when they see a person acting out what (the character) had to
do,” said Lynda Manalang, outreach coordinator for Samahang
and actor in one of the scenes.
Among the characters depicted was Lapu-Lapu; Marcela Marino, who
sewed the Pilipino flag; and Agueda Kahabagan y Iniquito, the only
woman enlisted in the Pilipino army in 1899.
“Because we were trying to showcase a lot of heroes, we
really tried to recognize the women as well,” Baso said.
The final exhibit showcased “Mom and Dad.” Samahang
members said this was their way of recognizing their parents for
the sacrifices made, for example in leaving the Philippines to come
to America.
“We wanted to make students aware that our heroes are also
our parents,” Baso said. “There are a lot of heroes
that are never spoken of.”
Because this was the first time Samahang had sponsored a living
museum, board members said they were surprised by the relatively
high turnout.
She said they had expected about 40 students at the event, but
more than 60 attended.
Board members, however, weren’t the only ones surprised.
Based on evaluations visitors filled out after walking through the
museum, Baso said most students commented on how they weren’t
expecting the live exhibits.
“Because it was so visual, maybe it was a little more
powerful,” she said. “They were able to see history
firsthand.”
Students who attended the workshop also had a chance to sign a
petition to have more than one Tagalog class taught at UCLA.
Tagalog is one of the predominant Pilipino languages.
“Students come to UCLA and expect that there’s a
class available to them, but there isn’t,” Quindara
said.
Currently, students can sign up for two classes focusing on the
Pilipino community through the Asian American studies
department.
Arguelles said though classes are limited, students have other
options for learning about the Pilipino community, and cited
Samahang as an example.
“It’s great the student groups are initiating
programs about their history and their culture,” Arguelles
said. “We need more educational support for such
activities.”
For more information about events during Pilipino American
History Month, call Samahang Pilipino at 825-2727.