In its 20th year here on the East coast, the festivities also included a flag ceremony, Thanksgiving mass, street fairs with food and merchant booths, and a cultural festival where artists and performers gathered to entertain audiences. 

The Philippine Declaration of Independence happened in 1898 and essentially proclaimed the sovereignty of the Philippine Islands from the colonial fists of Spain amidst the Spanish-American War.

(However, this didn't seem to mean anything to both Spain and the United States, as both countries chose not to recognize the Philippines' independence. The country was later ceded to the U.S. in the 1898 Treaty of Paris by Spain because of debts and assets lost. Colonized by the U.S., it wasn't until 1946 that the country was granted freedom.  Even then, it was more of a smokescreen than anything else because America continued to poke, pry, and occupy the Philippines decades after this. It's a long, tragic, and for the most part, unknown history of struggle and resistance, but really worth looking into…)

At this year's commemoration, the DAMAYAN Migrant Workers Association, as part of their "healing health program" called Lunas, operated a health fair with free services like blood pressure, cholesterol, and dental screenings and doctor consultations. DAMAYAN is a non-profit grassroots organization based in New York that promotes and protects the rights of Filipino domestic workers.

The fair was funded by the New York Women's Foundation and primarily exists to serve those domestic workers, who are mostly undocumented and uninsured. Among these migrant workers, health and sickness are concerns which most of the time go unattended and uncared for due to their legal statuses here in the States.

According to a recent DAMAYAN survey of 208 Filipino domestic workers, about 88 percent do not receive health insurance and 67 percent do not receive paid sick days. (FYI: There are about 11 million overseas Filipinos in the world; the U.S. State Department says America has a population of about 4 million.) In addition, cases of domestic worker abuse within the Filipino community are commonly seen. 

DAMAYAN also supports the statewide call for a Domestic Workers Bill of Rights, which would grant protection from "lawless environments" of long hours, low pay, and both physical and mental abuse. For more information on this campaign, and how to support it, visit this website. 

I identify myself as Filipino-American, and while I view Independence Day as a historical marker, I think it's more important that the celebration enabled the unifying of a community. Strength is in numbers, and the more that we know about ourselves and one another, the more aware we will be of the triumphs still necessary to attain.

Michelle Geslani