Some members of the Filipino Caucus pose for posterity. Standing from left: Armin Reyes, Dan Nino, Jose Iglesias, Genevieve Jopanda, Melissa Ramoso, Frank Aurelio Yokoyama, Rynn Schumacher, Gloria Perlas Pulido. Seated, from left: Lynda Johnson, Bryan Ramos, Erica Mosca, Junelle Cavero, Steven Raga, Mark Pulido and Juslyn Manalo.

LOS ANGELES — The growing influence of Filipino American leadership was front and center at the 2nd Annual National AAPI LEAD Summit, held recently in Atlanta, Georgia, where about 30 members of the Filipino Caucus joined hundreds of Asian American and Pacific Islander public officials, advocates and community leaders from across the country.

Among them was Nevada Assemblymember Erica Mosca, the only Filipino American currently serving on the AAPI LEAD board and assistant majority floor Leader in the Nevada Assembly, who called the gathering a “powerful milestone for representation.”

“It was truly inspiring to see how Filipino power has grown from California and Hawaii to across the country,” Mosca said. “From school boards to state houses, we are showing we not only can do the work, but can lead the work. AAPI LEAD gave us a platform and access to organize and continue our impact wider.”

Erica Mosca is the first Filipina elected to the Nevada State Legislature. CONTRIBUTED

Filipino Caucus

Other members of the Filipino Caucus included  Cerritos Councilmember and former Mayor Mark Pulido, Cerritos Mayor Frank Yokoyama, Councilmember Lynda Johnson, Cerritos Planning Commissioner Gloria Pulido, Artesia Councilmember and former Mayor Melissa Ramoso, former ABC Unified School District Board member Armin Reyes, community leader Dan Nino, New York Assemblymember Steven Raga, Daly City Councilwoman Juslyn Manalo, Ventura City Councilmember Ryyn Schumacher and Judge Bryan Ramos.

According to its website, “AAPI LEAD facilitates meaningful participation of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in the American democratic process, including serving in elected and appointed offices at all levels of government, in all jurisdictions, and from all political backgrounds.”

It seeks to encourage members and participants to actively serve and become leaders in their local communities and beyond by providing them with tools and skills to better serve their constituencies. Participants include AAPI leaders from around the country, including past and current elected and appointed officials.

For Mosca, her role on the AAPI LEAD board is both personal and political.

“To me this is an important personal and political responsibility to make sure we have a voice and are included at the decision-making tables,” she said. “There are less than 200 Filipinos elected/appointed across the country. We know that in order to continue to build the bench and support our communities, we must have a voice and make room and road maps for others to continue the work.”

Critical issues

She emphasized that Filipino Americans face the same critical issues as other Americans – from housing and healthcare costs to wage stagnation – and that the caucus serves to amplify these shared concerns.

“In Nevada, Filipino Americans are mostly nurses, teachers, small business owners. The issues that impact them are the same as the issues that impact Nevadans: from high home and rental prices, the lack of state social services due to a lack of diversified revenue generation, to continuing to work towards an effective educational system in our state,” Mosca said.

“We deserve national attention because what impacts Las Vegas is going to impact the rest of our country, but typically happens here first. By having a Caucus, we can show that these issues impact (us) as well and that these are issues that impact us equally,” she added.

Mosca also pointed to Nevada’s political influence, given its status as the first western state to vote in national elections and its large Filipino population. “What Filipino voters decide here have national implications for all elections,” she said.

Mosca has been instrumental in expanding Filipino leadership beyond traditional strongholds, noting that Nevada now has a strong AAPI advocacy organization and a youth committee to train future leaders.

“I am very proud to be the first Filipina to represent in our legislature, but I know I will not be the last,” she said. “We continue to find, train and support community-dependent individuals to support their work to help more people.”

Filipino heritage

A proud daughter of a Filipino immigrant father and a mother with deep Navy family roots in the Philippines, Mosca credits her heritage for her approach to leadership. “My Filipino heritage is the backbone of my political journey and leadership style: I do this work for the community, for policy that supports our community and to exemplify what is possible.”

In 2008, Mosca graduated summa cum laude from Boston University and moved to Las Vegas to teach 5th grade in East Las Vegas. She made her classroom theme “Leaders in Training” to empower equitable opportunity for students from a similar background as herself.

In 2022, Mosca was elected to the Nevada State Legislature, becoming the first Filipina to serve in the state assembly.

Looking ahead, Mosca underscored the importance of building the Filipino Caucus within AAPI LEAD to increase influence and leadership representation. She also highlighted the upcoming Oct. 9 Filipino Town opening in Las Vegas as “another way to signal to our community members that they can do anything and that our community is ready for them to lead.”

Beyond the Filipino Caucus, the summit, held July 23–25, featured plenary sessions with members of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, workshops on economic mobility, AAPI history education and the launch of the Asian American and Pacific Islander Digital Textbook, all reinforcing the summit’s goal of empowerment through education, strategy and solidarity.

With Filipino American leaders like Mosca advancing visibility and influence nationwide, the momentum from Atlanta is expected to carry into upcoming national initiatives – and to Las Vegas in October, where cultural pride and political presence will converge.

“Change is slow, but change is coming and I hope that the younger generation gets involved and sees politics and public leadership as one of the most impactful ways to support our communities,” Mosca said.