FILIPINO POPULATION IN US

Filipino Population in US

Filipino Population in US

Introduction and Background

At the turn of the century, two events occurred that sparked immigration by Filipinos to the United States. With Spain's loss in the Spanish-American war, the Philippines was ceded to the United States in 1892. At the same time, immigration of cheap labor from China and Japan was being curtailed. Immigration of Filipino laborers was attractive to U.S. agricultural interests, as well as to Filipinos whose country had suffered during years of war. Between 1906 and 1934, almost 120,000 Filipinos came to work on Hawaii sugar plantations, and another 45,000 arrived on the West Coast. Relatively fewer Filipinos immigrated between 1934, when the Philippines were granted commonwealth status, and the passage of the Immigration Act of 1965. Since then, immigration from the Philippines has escalated, and, since the late 1980s, more than 50,000 Filipinos a year have been admitted. In 1990 Filipino Americans numbered over 1.4 million, with 52 percent residing in California and 12 percent in Hawaii (Billones, 2002).

Filipino Cultural Traditions that Affect Care giving

Several traditional Filipino values are relevant to understanding caregiving and help seeking behaviors. Bahala na refers to the belief that most things are outside individual control and in the hands of God. Pakikisama refers to smooth interpersonal relationships and reflects a high value on harmony and avoiding conflict. It can result in giving into peer pressure and "going with the flow" so as not to cause displeasure. Hiya connotes loss of face or shame. Utang na loob refers to a debt of gratitude within relationships - for example, children are indebted to parents forever because they raised them, and if someone does another a favor he or she can expect a favor in return (Billones, 2002). Also, the vast majority of Filipinos are Catholic, and these religious values reinforce traditional respect for hierarchy and reliance on God.

In traditional Filipino culture, health problems and accidents are attributed to outside factors such as overwork, exposure, anxiety, punishment from God, curses, souls of the dead or evil persons. Thus, Filipinos may try home remedies, prayer, and faith healing in conjunction with Western medicine. The literature suggests that Filipinos tend to somaticize emotional and mental distress and that Filipinos underutilize mental health services. Once in the health care system, however, Filipinos tend to ascribe great status to health professionals, often resulting in reserved, quiet behaviors during health examinations. It is also likely, however, to result in high compliance with prescribed treatment (Billones, 2002).

Children are expected to care for their parents until death. In our Hawaii-based work, informants reflected the value of utang na loob in saying "they gave birth to us, raised us, all those good things, now we must care for them . . . everyone is going to have this responsibility with older people" (D'Mello, 2001). Although the California-based work suggested that children may be called on for assistance by birth order (McBride, 1999), focus groups in Hawaii found no expectation for a ...