Presented at our follow up forum, "Filipinos in New York: Why We Matter," this presentation provides demographic profile of Filipinos in the Metro New York region, along with policy issues the Fil-Am community is concerned with. The presentation ends with a call to action for Fil-Ams to register and vote during election day.

1. Filipinos in New York
Why Should We Vote?

2. Who are We?
○ 3.6 Million Filipinos in the U.S. in 2012
○ 8% or 276,000+ live in the Tri-State Area
○ The Filipino American population in the Tri-State
area (NY-NJ-CT) constituted the third largest
concentration of Filipinos in the United States in
2010.
○ Filipino Americans are:
○ The Fourth Largest Asian Subgroup in New York
○ Live mostly in New York City (62% of New York’s
Filipino population reside in NYC)
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2010 Census, 2012 American Community,
Survey 1-Year Estimate

3. Who are We?
○ Between 2000 and 2010, the
senior population posted the
fastest growth among all age
groups in the Filipino American
community.
○ A high proportion of Filipino
American children and youth are
of mixed race
○ The foreign-born make up a
majority of Filipino Americans in
the Tri-State
○ A significant number of Filipino
American immigrants are
undocumented, and they
constitute an especially
vulnerable group.
Source: FAHSI Community Needs Assessment, 2014.

4. Potential for Political Force
○ A majority of foreign-born Filipino
Americans in the Tri-State have
become naturalized U.S. citizens—
those who are eligible tend to vote!
○ Studies of the voting behavior among
Asian Americans at the national level
indicate that Filipino Americans have
a relatively high voter registration
and voter turnout rates.
○ Yet, very few Filipino Americans have
been elected to public office (and
very few run for office) in the Tri-State
area.
Source: FAHSI Community Needs Assessment, 2014.

5. AAPI Voting Practices
No votes
=
No
Political
Power!

6. What do we care about?
The Issues, Local and National

7. Immigration
○ As of 2013, about 68 percent of the 1.8
million Filipino immigrants in the United
States were naturalized citizens, in
comparison to 47 percent of the total
foreign-born population.
○ However, waits for visas are long: the
Filipino brother or sister of a U.S. citizen
would have to have applied 24 years ago
to have it processed now.
○ A significant number of Filipino American
immigrants are undocumented-- an
estimated 280,000 undocumented
Filipinos resided in the U.S. in 2010, the
largest number among the major Asian
American groups.
○ Only 1 in 4 eligible, undocumented
Filipinos living in the U.S. has applied for
the Deferred Action for Childhood
Arrivals, or DACA, as of March 2014.
Sources: Migration Policy Institute, State Department Visa Bulletin, March 2016; FAHSI Community Needs Assessment, 2014;
International Business Times

8. Health and Healthcare Access
○ At least 1 in 10 Filipino Americans in New York and
New Jersey had no health insurance.
○ High costs, lack of comprehensive care were big
barriers
○ Barriers to Access:
○ Lack of awareness of what social services are
available
○ Role of stigma and Hiya (shame) in inhibiting
people from accessing services, especially mental
health & sexual/reproductive health services
○ Diabetes, lack of health insurance, heart disease,
and depression are of major concern for Tri-state
Fil-Ams, but lack of data available on how it
impacts us specifically
Source: FAHSI Community Needs Assessment, 2014.

9. Social Security & Medicare
○ An unofficial survey conducted by a coalition of Filipino organizations and
community groups across the U.S. shows that about 100 Filipino American
professionals retire every day.
○ Many Filipino American seniors are unaware of the services for which they
are eligible.
○ e.g. the need to register for Social Security
○ Social isolation prevents seniors from plugging into resource networks
○ While Fil-Am seniors can take Social Security retirement benefits and savings
anywhere in the world, Medicare coverage does not extend overseas.
○ Until Medicare extends coverage to them outside the U.S., Filipinos who want to retire in the
Philippines will need private medical insurance.
Sources: New America Media, FAHSI Community Assessment, 2014

10. Housing
WHERE DO WE LIVE?
○ 56% of Filipinos live in Queens with the other
28% in Manhattan and Brooklyn, and the
remaining 16 % in Bronx and Staten Island
○ In Queens we settle largely in these
neighborhoods:
○ Elmhurst, Woodside, Briarwood - Jamaica
Hills, Elmhurst - Maspeth, Queens Village,
Jamaica Estates - Holliswood, Jamaica,
Pomonok, Flushing Heights-Hillcrest,
Jackson Heights, and Bellerose
HOMEOWNERS:
○ We have a 39 % homeownership rate which
is slightly higher than 32 % for all households.
○ 41 % of Filipino households pay thirty percent or
more of their household income
RENTERS:
○ 40 % of Filipino households spend more than thirty
percent of their household income on rent and
utilities, compared with 53 percent of all
households that rented. This rate for Filipinos rose
significantly from 32% in 2008
Source: http://www.aafny.org/cic/briefs/filipino2013.pdf

11. Gentrification and Tenants
○ For many low income Filipinos, that live in New
York City especially in Queens, gentrification is
often a huge issue. They are being slowly
pushed out of their affordable apartments and
homes.
○ Gentrification may bring new businesses to
your neighborhood but depending on socio-
economic status one could also be facing
eviction.
○ All renters should know to contact a housing
attorney or call 311 in order to be briefed about
your rights as a tenant. Your situation can differ
depending on what type of housing you have.
GENTRIFICATION = the process of renewal and
rebuilding, which result in the influx of the middle class
or affluent people into deteriorating areas; this often
displaces poorer residents

12. Student Debt
○ Fil-Ams have a higher median household income
than the general population, but skyrocketing
tuition costs combined with cuts to public funding
for financial aid programs, and other economic
uncertainties challenge our access to education.
○ Economic sustainability and growth after
graduation has lagged since the Great Recession
‘07-’08.
○ 2/3 of bachelor’s degree recipients graduate with
outstanding loans averaging $27,000.
○ Student debt cuts ability to purchase valued big-ticket
items (houses, cars) that are also vital to the economy.
○ Perkins Loan ended in 2015
○ Obama’s Feb 2016 budget proposal submitted
to Congress:
○ Increase in Pell Grant for academic year 2017-
2018 (*changes every year)
○ “America’s College Promise” - 2 years of free
community college to “responsible students”
○ Special funding initiatives for Minority Serving
Institutions (MSIs) and HBCUs
○ Streamline FAFSA to eliminate “confusing
questions”
○ Bonus funding for accelerated tracks
○ Modifications to loan forgiveness and repayment
programs to alleviate student debt burden
Sources: Pew Research Center, 2014 and Asian American Federation Profile of NYC’s Filipino
Americans, 2013 Edition; National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators

13. Let’s Talk About It
Personal Narratives from the Community

14. RJ Mendoza-Nadal
LGBTQ and Civil Rights
Bureau Community
Liaison to the Brooklyn
District Attorney’s Office
Marivir
Montebon
Author and Editor,
OSM! Magazine
Iris Zalun
Voting Rights Organizer at
the Asian American Legal
Defense and Education
Fund (AALDEF)

15. So How do I sign up?
First,
confirm
that you
can vote!
Unsure? Check
www.canivote.org

16. Fill out the
appropriate
sections
with your
information!

17. To vote in the primaries,
you MUST select a political party!