Filipinos have been in the United States since the 16th century, yet many of their stories remain untold. For the past year, Positively Filipino has been running a series on notable Filipino Americans who have made their marks in this country. There are hundreds, or maybe even thousands more, that need to be added to this story, and we need your help. If you know of a Filipino American who deserves to be included in this line-up, please send us their names and any supporting documents you may have to pfpublisher@yahoo.com. For now, we are including only those who are currently active and visible in the media and the community, regardless of their religious, sexual or political orientation. Thank you.

Jade Butay, Labor Director

Butay is the Hawaii Director of Labor and Industrial Relations (DLIR). He assumed office on December 5, 2022, the term ending on December 7, 2026. He is the highest-ranking Filipino American in the cabinet of Hawaii Governor Josh Green. DLRI is responsible for ensuring and increasing the economic security, well-being and productivity of Hawaii’s workers. He has over 20 years of experience working in state government and business. “Growing up in the Philippines instilled hunger and inside of me, a desire to succeed,” says Butay. “It taught me the virtue of hard work, shaped my childhood and built my character.” The son of immigrant parents from San Nicolas, Ilocos Norte adds, ‘’It’s extremely important that the Filipino community is at the table. I need to make sure our voice is heard and ensure it is not out of the picture when critical decisions are made. It’s an important responsibility that I do not take lightly.”

Evelyn Pelayo Abello, Honorary Consul, Alaska

Evelyn Pelayo Abello *(Source: Facebook)*

Abello served for 30 years as Investigations Director with the Alaska State Commission on Human Rights, was a clinical mental health therapist for behavioral health programs in Anchorage for 11 years and has served or volunteered in various cause-oriented groups in Alaska.

Thomas Tolentino, Nonprofit Leader

Tolentino is an executive leader, consultant, and project manager who has worked in management for over 20 years. He is the Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer at The Statue of Liberty – Ellis Island Foundation. He has analyzed potential opportunities and worked through complex technical and business challenges to create value through innovative efficiency and technology planning. He has been involved in multiple industries and worked for organizations such as The New York Academy of Sciences, Aton Pharma Inc, and Time Inc. He has helped companies at various stages of growth, from startup to established environments. He is also Board President of Angel Island Immigration Station Foundation. Tolentino is a first-generation Filipino American. His parents met at the University of Santo Tomas in Manila. In 1964 his mother came to New York for her medical residency; his father followed the next year.

Niña Mata, Illustrator

Award-winning author-illustrator Mata, a proud Filipino American woman, has just released her authorial debut Girls to the Front during Women’s History Month. It is a nonfiction middle grade anthology that celebrates Asian American women. The decision to change her career trajectory from an illustrator to author came at a difficult time for her and the world in 2021, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. She felt she could contribute to changing the narratives of anti-Asian and anti-Black hate that plagued America. She was inspired by the Stop AAPI Hate and Black Lives Matter movements to conjure on with the book. “I was feeling down seeing videos of the police brutality on George Floyd, and all my fellow Asian Americans being racially attacked back in 2021, that I thought there needed to be something positive to empower our communities. I wanted to show my authentic self and writing this book showcasing the achievements of Asian American women was what I knew I could contribute,” Mata expressed in a recent interview with AsAmNews.

Fr. Raymond Parcon, Jesuit Priest

Fr. Raymond Parcon *(Source: Jesuits.org)*

Born and raised in the Philippines, Parcon met the Jesuits while studying at Ateneo de Davao University for his mechanical engineering degree as an undergrad. After college, he served briefly in local politics and then came to the United States to pursue graduate studies in software engineering at National University. After working in a variety of positions in sales engineering for a few years, he went back to school to pursue graduate studies in cyber security at National University before joining Jesuits West. As a novice Parcon accompanied Yu’pik communities in Alaska, worked with the Jesuit Restorative Justice Initiative (JRJI) by visiting detention centers and prisons in California, and worked as a prison chaplain at San Quentin State Prison. After professing first vows, he studied social philosophy at Loyola University Chicago while volunteering as a hospital chaplain at Loyola University Medical Center. For his regency, Parcon was missioned back to San Quentin State Prison. He gave the Spiritual Exercises retreat of St. Ignatius of Loyola to people behind bars, was chaplain for the English and Spanish choir, ministered to people on death row, and provided pastoral support to corrections officers. He also was active with the Catholic Prison Ministries Coalition. He studied theology at Regis College at the University of Toronto, earning a Master of Divinity degree while serving as a deacon and spiritual director at Our Lady of Lourdes Parish. During his summer breaks, he accompanied refugees from Africa, the Middle East, and Ukraine through the Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) in Malta and Romania. He was ordained on June 8, 2024 and is posted in Orange, California.

Kay Sibal, Actor

Sibal is a Filipino American actor, singer, dancer, musician, and music director. She is currently playing the role of Katherine Howard in the 2025-26 Broadway Production of Six the Musical, beginning on 19 February 2025. Growing up in the San Francisco East Bay Area for the first 13 years of her life, she joined a children’s choir, learned music therapy, traveled the world on summer tours, and fell in love with harmonies. As a first-generation Filipino American, her identity means more and more to her every day. She believes in theater with a purpose: to provide catharsis, awakening, and healing among BIPOC and underrepresented communities. She is a product of UCLA’s School of Theater, Film, and Television.

Marilou McLaughlin, Community Leader

Marilou McLaughlin *(Source: Via Times)*

McLaughlin is a business owner, retired Volunteer Coordinator, and teacher. She received an associate’s degree in liberal arts at Lewis and Clark Community College-Godfrey, in Illinois graduating summa cum laude and a bachelor’s in Sociology degree with a minor in Mass Communications at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. She served on numerous boards like YMCA, River Bluff Girls Scout Council, SIUE Friends of Lovejoy Library, Oasis Women’s Center, National Organization of Women, and Alton Human Relations Commission. She was appointed to Governor Quinn’s Asian Advisory Council and chaired the Race Unity Committee in Springfield, Illinois. McLaughlin received the Alice Paul Award from N.O.W. She also served as President of Filipino American Historical Society (FilAmHisSo) in Springfield for two years.

Alan Bungue, Producer and Host

Bungue hosts the Filipino American National News (FANN), the longest running weekly Filipino American radio show in the U.S. that airs every Sunday from 9:00 – 9:30 p.m on KFAI-Radio, 90.3 FM Minneapolis/Saint Paul and online. He provides a platform for Filipino news, music, community events, and important issues affecting the community through interviews with leaders, artists, activists, athletes, scholars, authors, musicians, and others.

Dr. Angelica Cortez, Founder, LEAD

Cortez, community activist, social entrepreneur, and founder and executive director of LEAD Filipino, brings almost two decades of experience in public policy, advocacy, and community development work to the nonprofit. The organization is dedicated to grassroots leadership, culturally responsive education, health equity, and civic literacy in the Fil Am community. LEAD stands for Leadership, Education, Activism and Dialogue. Cortez is the first senior vice president of Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion for Pacific Clinics, a mental and behavioral health service provider. She also advocates for LGBTQ+ leadership, health equity, social justice, and Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) political engagement. Cortez grew up in an immigrant, working class community in Pittsburg, in the San Francisco Bay Area. Her father spent his early years in the Philippines and immigrated to San Francisco with his family. Her mother came from a blended family of Guamanian, Japanese, Filipino, Dutch, and Irish heritage. “I’m very driven by my cultural heritage, my identity, social groups, and causes but also the intersections of being a member of the LGBTQ+ community,” she said.

Olivia Quido-Co, Beauty Expert

Olivia Quido-Co *(Photo by Filbert Kung)*

Manila-born Quido-Co who battled acne as a teenager is the founder and CEO of O Skin Med Spa. She is also the Vice President for Global Partnership at the Miss Universe organization. Her resilience and determination paid off as word spread about her talent and work ethics, which later earned her the Woman of the Year award, one of the Top 100 Filipinos in the USA, AARP's Top 8 Woman Entrepreneur in LA, and a Mayor's Award for Entrepreneurs in Los Angeles. “When I came here, I just wanted to find work, but I decided to go into beauty because I loved it. My passion is always about taking care of people, making people feel better, and I do that by treating their skin,” she said in an interview with Forbes.com. Quido-Co also started her own show entitled Beauty by O, where she taught beauty tips for ten years on ABS-CBN before transitioning to live stream on Facebook due to COVID. As a California-licensed esthetician, she started by leasing a spare room in a beauty salon in Artesia, California in 2003. Now her spa has two branches, a wide range of skin treatment services, and has become the medical spa of choice among Filipino beauty queens and other celebrities.

The Magazine

FilAms Among The Remarkable And Famous, Part 70