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
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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.