00:00:26.240 - 00:02:05.430

Oh, what about? And if you had, I would like at least. What are you doing with my wife? Yeah, You no longer e Where were you living before? I mean, I'll start. Um how long have you been living over here? I'll

00:02:05.430 - 00:02:34.800

ask that question again. One person for root man with the future ahead is the word man on mean? My longest term use for Darrelle leads in terms of respect and endearment. It's a kind of it's a Filipino word denoting respect for the elderly. Uh, Filipinos living

00:02:34.800 - 00:03:21.120

in Chinatown. Uh, they live in usually very small rooms. High rents. Oh, yeah. It's the largest Filipino community in Oakland. Was centered here in Chinatown. 1972. Redevelopment. Moved in old living quarters. Were Thorne down on Lee to be replaced by new office buildings and high rise

00:03:21.120 - 00:05:42.060

luxury apartments like these. The matter Thanks. Adult. Hundreds of residents had to move. Oh, no. Do you have No, no, no. Yeah. Okay. What? Please, Talking way thing. What is the only way? Okay, e e

00:06:02.340 - 00:06:48.740

on there? Yeah. Yeah. Wow. Okay. Models. Aspect of the nutrition program is a supportive services where we are able to expand on, you know, different types of needs. If they have to go to these agencies Social Security, medical, whatever the case

00:06:48.740 - 00:07:22.920

may be to be able to escort them and help them and understanding problems that they might have. Mhm. Okay, probably I am no longer healthy because people did this. Yes, sir, I am to frown. We are too proud off having those young generation of today that

00:07:22.930 - 00:07:46.160

made this for you here in the United States. Yes, sir. Self supporting is very hard. I am not going toe ask in Penny to my mother and my father's family. Uh, did you get myself through hard work off level? I scraped the floor, I script. I

00:07:46.160 - 00:08:10.440

watched dishes and watch parts just to earn my own education for that only, but seemed to be an unusual project. Young people looking out for the welfare of older people. What kind of benefits do you think are derived from the exchanges? The social exchanges between the

00:08:10.440 - 00:08:27.050

young and old in your group? Well, recently, a lot of the young people have been able to become more aware off our history and be able to see the types of conditions that, uh elderly were faced with. And we feel that in learning and in helping

00:08:27.050 - 00:08:45.960

along and understanding these types of things were able to know more about our type of culture and our ethnic background where we can, you know, as a organized group help and see some of these basic changes happen within our communities. Like to ask a medial question.

00:08:46.640 - 00:10:28.370

Meet you all were discovered. Me. Joe, What does the word man on mean? My longest term use for Darold leads in terms of our respect and endearment. It's a kind of it's a Filipino word is a Filipino denoting respect for

00:10:28.370 - 00:10:57.780

the elderly in terms of elderly Filipinos living in Chinatown. They live in usually very small rooms, high rents. Um, they're just department, um, units there. Dilapidated, very poor living situation. Um, just a room with no kitchen. You know, their substandard living conditions. For decades, the largest

00:10:57.780 - 00:11:21.760

Filipino community in Oakland was centered here in Chinatown, 1972 redevelopment. Moved in old living quarters were Thorne down on Lee to be replaced by new office buildings and high rise luxury apartments like these. As a result, hundreds of residents had to move reluctantly. Many Filipinos relocated

00:11:21.760 - 00:11:40.460

in scattered parts of the city, cut adrift from friends and familiar surroundings and isolated from the Filipino community. It became apparent that Ah housing issue was brewing and that some of the senior citizens were beginning to get eviction notices because they lived in an area which

00:11:40.940 - 00:11:59.000

redevelopment was trying thio revamp in terms of building new buildings and things like that. So the youth were concerned about trying to find a solution to their low cost housing needs. It took a couple of years, but we were able to have our efforts resultant in

00:11:59.000 - 00:12:16.690

a hotel. Well, as far as the renovation aspect of the project. Like first hand, the building was very old. It was just about on the condemned. This city condemned lists, and we had the walls and ceilings were all fall apart. Just about had to complete, you

00:12:16.690 - 00:12:34.150

know, completely restored. But that meant, you know, pulling up new sheet rock boards. You know, lowering ceilings allow the you know, bath tubs in the bathrooms were sufficient enough to meet the needs. You know the tenants. So we had to build a new shower stalls, install

00:12:34.150 - 00:12:54.190

on you toilets, putting a adequate heating for that building. Where did the labor come from? For all of this? And was that expensive? Ast faras labor, like all of it, has been volunteered. Different groups. Individuals have come here to volunteer their time and labor. Uh, people

00:12:54.190 - 00:13:17.710

from campuses, church groups, servicemen have come here from off the field. Uh, just, you know, just people from different backgrounds and different races have come here to help this project not only work on the hotel, but music has also brought the young and old together. And,

00:13:17.710 - 00:13:39.550

Malita, what about your food program? How is that working? Well, we're going into our second year of funding. Um, this has the friends have been allocated by the state through the Social Services Bureau in Oakland. Were provided 25 meals a day, five days a week. Um,

00:13:39.560 - 00:13:57.570

we're able to offer the monarchs and as well as other elderly people, a nutritionally balanced meal. And the other aspect of the nutrition program is a supportive services where we are able to expand on, you know, different types of needs. If they have to go to

00:13:57.570 - 00:14:17.560

these agencies Social security, medical, whatever the case may be to be able to escort them and help them and understanding problems that they might have when the kitchen is installed. In all, 22 rooms are occupied. The daily nutrition program will move over from its temporary quarters

00:14:17.790 - 00:14:35.080

in the elite pool hall. One of the Mannings who already has moved into the hotel is Benny Flores. Miss Bautista and other members of the Filipino Youth Development Council began visiting the hall, regularly learning the life stories of these men who had come to America about

00:14:35.080 - 00:14:52.530

50 years earlier. There have been over 31,000 of them. They've been recruited in the Philippines for the American labor market in California and Hawaii. They worked in the fields and in the canneries and in restaurants. Ah, lifelong struggle of hard work at low pay. For the

00:14:52.530 - 00:15:10.690

most part, they were single, forbidden by California law, to marry into the larger society. They also were excluded from buying or owning property. Some of this discriminatory legislation was not taken off the books in California until the 19 sixties, as's faras. You know, Filipinos coming here

00:15:10.690 - 00:15:30.300

in the United States like it was really hard life, like most of the jobs that were taken on fact this about all of it were whether and in the fields US farm workers, a service jobs being dishwashers, busboys, cooks, eso on down the line. Was it

00:15:30.300 - 00:15:50.530

mainly men? Uh, most Filipinos that were immigrated here were men was because of the fact that they saw Filipinos, uh, source of labor. Cheap labor to do these type of jobs. That's why women weren't, uh, brought here in the United States and, uh, living here the

00:15:50.530 - 00:16:12.530

United States. They face many injustices, such like anti miscegenation loss, which didn't allow him to intermarry to a larger society, particularly with Caucasian women. They weren't allowed because of their, you know, status being non citizens allowed to buy real property, you know, and these things manifest

00:16:12.530 - 00:16:31.890

today as far as a lot of senior citizens being properly list and, uh, being without a family. Terri Bautista, her sister Malita M ijo, Galicia and others in the Development Council began looking for a way to help these men. Their decision became Project Man ang. Recent

00:16:31.890 - 00:17:20.520

developments in the Chinatown Manila town area of Oakland have given an added urgency to project man on E o. There is a nutrition program funded by the California Commission on Aging catered and being served five days a week at the elite pool

00:17:20.520 - 00:17:41.330

hall. Were you surprised when young people did this? Yes, sir, I am to frown. We are too proud off having those young generation of today that made this accomplishment in our community. Has it been a struggle for you here in the United States? Yes, sir. Self

00:17:41.330 - 00:18:02.950

supporting is very hard. I am not going toe. Ask in Penny to my mother and my father's family. Uh, did you get myself through hard work off lever? I scraped the floor. I scraped. I watched dishes and WAAS parts just to earn my own education. For

00:18:02.950 - 00:18:24.180

that, only too many people. This would seemed to be an unusual project. Young people looking out for the welfare of older people. What kind of benefits do you think are derived from the exchanges? The social exchanges between the young and old in your group? Well, recently

00:18:24.180 - 00:18:40.480

a lot of the young people have been able to become more aware off our history and be able to see the types of conditions that, uh, elderly were faced with. And we feel that in learning and in helping along and understanding these types of things were

00:18:40.480 - 00:18:53.480

able to know more about our type of culture and our ethnic background where we can, you know, as a organized group, help and see some of these basic changes happen within our communities.