Outstanding Filipino American pioneers take center stage at the “Building Communities: A Tribute to our Manongs and Manangs” event in San Francisco. Photo from Positively Filipino

Filipino American pioneers were recently honored for their life-long careers, sacrifices and accomplishments that opened doors of opportunity for the Fil-Am community.

They took center stage at the “Building Communities: A Tribute to our Manongs and Manangs” celebration, which returned to San Francisco Public Library’s Koret Auditorium in its second year.

The Aug. 24 event, organized by Positively Filipino magazine on Aug. 24, was attended by Consul General Neil Frank Ferrer, Daly City Councilmember Juslyn Manalo, South San Francisco Councilmember Buenaflor Nicolas and other Fil-Am community leaders.

The inaugural 2024 ceremony recognized 12 individuals in various fields, including politics, community activism and martial arts.

2025 honorees

This year’s ceremony saw 10 awardees from various fields, including technology development and immigration law.

Here are the 2025 honorees:

• Amy Agbayani, PhD, civil rights trailblazer and educator (Hawaii)






• Diosdado Banatao, technology developer, entrepreneur, philanthropist, and venture capitalist (California)






• Cynthia Bonta, community activist and civil rights advocate (California)






• Gloria Caoile, labor rights fighter and community leader (Nevada)






• Michael Dadap, guitarist, composer, conductor, and Filipino folk art advocate (New York)






• Jorge Garcia, heart surgeon, cardiologist, hospital founder (Asian Hospital and Medical Center (AHMC)), and author (Washington D.C. and Manila)






• Jon Melegrito, community activist and writer (Maryland)






• Linda Nietes-Little, cultural gatekeeper and entrepreneur (California)






• Robert Ragsac, retired aerospace engineer and FilAm history chronicler (California)






• Reuben Seguritan, immigration lawyer, community leader, and author (New York)

Speaking at the event, Consul General Ferrer thanked the honorees for representing Filipino heritage with utmost prestige.

“We owe the high regard and positive image that Filipinos and Filipino Americans enjoy today to the pioneering Manongs and Manangs, he said. “Through their hard work, sacrifices and unyielding spirit, they opened doors of opportunity and laid the foundations for Filipinos across generations.”

“The strength of our community is rooted in their struggles and triumphs,” he added.