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Significant to associate with lower class Filipinos - pressured to go to the US to find opportunities to provide for their families

Barred entrance from most Asian countries and used Filipinos to replace Chinese and Japanese laborers that were forced out due to immigration laws.

American Imperialism is the source of everything - disposability, sugar cane plantation, unavailability of access to land

Reflections:

Alyssa: Feel bitter - Philippines and US relationship allows for people to flow, shouldn't have to leave or aspire to be American for a better life

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- Sakada women were the bearers of culture (https://usa.inquirer.net/11139/filipina-sakada-film-series-debuts-honolulu)
- Were contracted workers, Filipina/os paid less than Japanese counterparts
- Women often took care of their children while they worked
- Women came to the US and challenged gender norms from the Philippines (challenged maria clara stereotype finding more independance)
- Farmers striked against their lardlords
- Which gave inspiration to the delano grape strike

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Also cared their children while working the fields.
Filipinas brought the culture & educated
The last sakadas that came over in 1946 (Sakada '46) included more women, children, and relatives of previous sakadas. Some of these sakadas also had American colonial education.

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HONOLULU - Filipina, a 15-minute short film about Apolonia Agonoy Stice and her plantation worker parents, made its debut on the first night of 5th Women of Wonders film festival hosted by the nonprofit Hawaii Women in Filmmaking.

The short film comes from a three-part film called The Sakada Series, created by filmmaker Maribel Apuya.

"Apolonia was the perfect subject because she has a very inspiring story," Apuya explained. "She was unique in her time in that she was a trailblazer. She had the unique Filipina American values that her parents taught her. She was very grounded in respect and also understood the American Dream."

It took some persuading before Stice agreed to become part of Apuya's film, but she does not regret the experience as she now has something to leave behind as her legacy and something for her grandchildren and later generations to have and view.

"I'm so glad I did it because after the filming was made, my grandchildren appreciated being Filipino," Stice stated.

Grounded in her Filipino values, Stice embodies the American Dream. She became a Dole Scholar because she wanted to be educated and form her own identity while staying true to her Filipino roots. She served in the Peace Corps in the Philippines and married someone outside of her family's ethnicity. For Apuya, Stice represented a unique person from her generation. "All that to me felt very compelling as a filmmaker. It didn't stray from the overall concept of The Sakada Series," Apuya shared. "When we finally did the film, her story gives value to the other two men stories because she is the product of this dream of a better life."

Whenever people speak about the sakadas, the focus usually revolved around the male plantation workers. "It makes sense why the sakadas were always featured because women didn't technically work in the plantation. They did afterwards, but it was the men who did the first immigration," Apuya explained.

Still, Apuya wanted to create strong, multidimensional, multi-ethnic female protagonists in her stories. She hoped to create documentaries that featured women and embody the women's perspective.

"Women are the carriers of culture and they are behind the scenes. That is something that I discovered and I would love to hope that the audience can take away the women's perspective and the strength of a woman, which is something I have discovered along the process, which goes to show how I myself had been kind of been used to seeing men in film," she said.

Apuya wants to use Filipina and the rest of The Sakada Series to promote Filipino culture and educate students. Through the film, she hopes that the younger generation will understand the value of respect that Stice has embodied throughout her life.

Apuya's film relates well to the second generation Filipino Americans while also speaking to the contemporary and modern audience. Apuya wanted her film to show ties of immigration, immigrant values, and assimilation.

Apuya pointed out: "Our world is so digital now and I want kids to take these values. Especially The Sakada Series, it's for the general public; it's about culture and roots, which I feel is so important."

Agreeing, Stice hopes that Filipinos of all generations and backgrounds will appreciate their Filipino ancestry and realize that they have a lot to contribute to the community.

"It's my hope that they will appreciate their ethnicity, see the traits and characteristics that make us Filipino, including respect for elders and taking care of their elders," Stice stated.

Apuya stresses the importance of learning about other cultures and where people come, in building respect and understanding, bridging all of society's divides.

" The Sakada Series was inspired because of my background. My grandfather was a sakada in the plantation and I was just inspired by this idea of a better life and what my grandfather and grandparents did for me. I wanted to capture that, and I felt like I had the access to it and so that's why I did it."

The Sakada Series recently won the Impact Docs Award for bringing the spotlight on creativity, grit, and determination.
The next film screening of Apuya's The Sakada Series at the DisOrient Asian American Film Festival of Oregon from April 19-22 in Eugene, Oregon.

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'Filipina' of Sakada Film Series, debuts in Honolulu

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HONOLULU - Filipina, a 15-minute short film about Apolonia Agonoy Stice and her plantation worker parents, made its debut on the first night of 5th Women of Wonders film festival hosted by the nonprofit Hawaii Women in Filmmaking. The short film comes from a three-part film called The Sakada Series, created by filmmaker Maribel Apuya.

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Second of Five Part Series
By Romel Dela Cruz

In the first article Tata (another title of respect for male elderly in Ilocano) Juan "Johnny"Farinas Yadao was introduced as one of the last four Sakadas in Paauilo. He died on June 25, 2012. The article was also a historical account of the circumstance that brought him and his peers and their predecessors to Hawaii beginning in 1906 and ending in 1946. It also provided a glimpse of the situation that existed in the sugar plantations when he and his companions arrived in Hawaii in 1946.

Tata Johnny was born in 1923 in Sinait; Ilocos Sur, Philippines a small town located approximately 250 miles north of Manila. He was the sixth child of Felix and Urbana Yadao. Like many in their town and the surrounding countryside, the family eked a living from the land raising garlic, tobacco, onions, and vegetables. As the eldest of the children, the family depended on him greatly for his labor and for this reason he attended school only until the fourth grade.

He was nineteen years old when World War II began in the Pacific on December 7, 1941 and following the quick defeat of American and Filipino forces by Japan, Japanese soldiers occupied the entire Philippine archipelago including his hometown. Like most civilians he experienced the many hardships of War including firsthand the cruelty of the invaders when once he was detained and asked to reveal what he knew about the identify of town mates who were members of the guerrilla forces and the location of their campsites which in failing and refusal to do so resulted in a brutal beating.

After almost four years of Japanese occupation the War ended on September 1945. Life returned to some normalcy but the challenges even in the aftermath remained difficult and painful and so it was welcome news when word got around that the Hawaii Sugar Planters Association (HSPA) has returned once again to the Philippines in nearby Vigan the capital city of Ilocos Sur to recruit workers for Hawaii. The War has taken a toll on all Filipinos and Tata Johnny was not an exception. He wanted a change for a better life and so the prospect of being a farmer for the rest of his life did not excite him but the possibility of travel and a job earning American dollars in Hawaii and a new life intrigued him.

Tata Johnny like many other young men his age have heard inspiring stories from sakadas called "hawayanos" who have returned home from Hawaii. These pioneers spoke of the opportunities for jobs and money to be made and the "beauty" of the far away land called Hawaii lying somewhere in the Pacific Ocean. Like them he wanted to savor the same opportunities that he had heard so much, in fact, his own father was a "hawayano" who came to Hawaii in 1924 and then returned home three years later after fulfilling his contract with enough earnings to build a house and buy land for his family.

At the same time and for the same reasons that Tata Johnny wanted to come to Hawaii, his own father was entertaining the same thoughts and when the latter informed his family of his decision to return to Hawaii, one more time, and Tata Johnny expressed the same sentiment, his father tried to persuade him otherwise insisting that he was "too young" and explained about the difficulties of plantation work and life, but to no avail. Tata Johnny was determined to come to Hawaii as well and so together they applied and both were accepted at the same time by HSPA and assigned to work for Hamakua Mill Company (HMC) in Paauilo.

He was 23 year old and single when he and his father boarded the SS Maunawili on February 28, 1946, from Port of Salomague situated about 15 miles away from Vigan. They were ferried by launches to the ship, which was anchored a few miles out at sea because the local pier was too small and shallow to accommodate the vessel. Upon loading the entire cargo of 1500 sakadas, the ship proceeded along the northwest coast of the island of Luzon and then eastward into the Pacific Ocean arriving 14 days later in Honolulu to deposit workers assigned to Oahu and finally the Big Island. The SS Maunawili crossed the Pacific four times from January to April 1946 and transported the last 6000 sakadas to Hawaii.

Immediately after arriving in Paauilo, he began to work in the cane fields of HMC as a "hoe hana" and "cut cane" man. At the time and unknown to him, there was another sakada heading for Hawaii whose migration status differed slightly from his. The individual was not a worker but the daughter of a sakada who like Tata Johnny had just arrived in Hawaii. As serendipity dictates, they were destined to be partners for life.

Buenaventura " Ventur" Rivera, like the father of Tata Johnny, came to Hawaii in the 1920s and like the former returned home after making enough money to start a family, which now consisted of his wife Maria, and six children. The family lived in Bangui, Ilocos Norte about 40 miles north of Ilocos Sur. He also heard of the recruitment efforts of the HSPA to recruit workers and for the same reasons the Yadaos did; he applied and was accepted for a return trip to Hawaii.

Unlike in the past however when HSPA targeted single men, this time the sakadas, if married, were encouraged to bring family members along. Tata Ventur embraced this opportunity but he shipped ahead of his family because the HSPA determined that the wives and children of the workers would travel separately on a different ship and on a later date. It is possible, but unverified, that he and Tata Johnny and his father were even on the same voyage of the SS Maunawili that departed on February 28, 1946. Upon arrival, Tata Johnny and his father came to the Big Island and Tata Ventur headed to the pineapple fields of Haiku on the island of Maui.

After Tata Ventur departed, the task of preparing the family for the voyage to Hawaii fell solely on his wife. The children included a boy and five girls including the youngest still nursing on her breast. The eldest was Veronica who was thirteen years old. She remembered the preparation her mother made for the voyage. Unsure if there would be enough food for her brood during the voyage, her mother cooked rice, boiled eggs, and steamed fish and prawns and wrapped each in banana leaves stashed in a card box, which she indicated, was not completely consumed and still edible when they arrived in Hawaii. From theirr hometown of Bangui, the family was transported on a lumber truck to Port Salomague where her father departed a couple of months earlier.

The Riveras sailed for Hawaii on the second of two voyages of the SS Marine Falcon on June 19, 1946. Unlike the worker sakadas who traveled on the SS Maunawili, this time the voyagers were loaded on a brand new ship that was built for war duty but not completed before the war ended, It was commissioned by the HSPA which felt that the families of the workers were entitled to better and safer accommodations for the voyage to Hawaii. Altogether the passengers on board including the Riveras numbered 182 women and 424 children.

Nana Veronica or Veron for short remembered the Falcon departing sometime in the afternoon after the family was transferred by launches to the side of the ship where they had to climb on board by ladder ropes with assistance from crewmembers. They were assigned to the lower deck of the ship with their own personal cots and soon after the ship set sail, the entire family began to experience seasickness including dizziness and vomiting. They were encouraged to go up to the top deck for fresh air and a different view, which resulted with minor relief but not much during the entire trip.

SS Marine Falcon which transported spouses and children of Sakada's to Hawaii 1946

She recalled the meals served during the voyage, which was a feast, compared to the simple meals of only rice and "dinengdeng' or vegetables stew with occasionally a little fish or meat, which she was accustomed. She recalled telling her mother of her fascination with the food that was served and how "naimas unay" or "very delicious" the food that she tasted for the first time in her life that included a variety of meat products, fruits including apples and oranges, pastries and ice cream. Years later she compared the food she ate during the voyage with the buffet that she help prepare and serve for many years later as a waitress to the guest at the Mauna Kea Beach Resort.

During the voyage she remembered the death of a passenger whose body was wrap in white sheet and laid on a board which following a short service was tipped downward into the ocean. She also recalled the birth of a male child during the voyage who was named Pacifico, which at the time she did not know the significance that reflected his place of birth: the vast, peaceful, and blue Pacific.

When the Marine Falcon arrived in Honolulu fourteen days later on July 1, the family was required to stay in quarantine before being allowed to depart and reunite with her father in Haiku, Maui. Living in plantation provided dwelling, she attended Haiku Elementary School and then Maui High School. In 1949 at age 16 and a sophomore, she dropped out of school to help with her family's finances. Out of school and a workingwomen, with her own spending money, she appreciated her newly found status and freedom.

Meanwhile, in Paauilo the Yadaos lived together with two other Filipino men in plantation housing in what was referred to as New Camp. Both were in manual labor work at HMC. During the holiday season in 1950, Tata Johnny visited with relatives on the island of Kauai. At the same time Nana Veron was also visiting in Kauai and a chance meeting between the two took place at a Rizal Day Dance gathering and as the saying goes "the rest is history."

From the very beginning when the Filipinos first arrived in Hawaii, Rizal Day was a very important occasion that was celebrated with great fanfare on December 30 to honor the legacy of Jose Mercado Rizal who is considered to be the foremost of all Filipino patriots. He is credited as the soul and brainchild of the revolution that eventually toppled Spanish colonization of the Philippines, which began in 1521 and ended in 1898. The significance of December 30 corresponds to the date that Rizal was executed by a Spanish firing squad for treason attributed primarily to writing poems and books that exposed and criticized the Spanish government of corruption and unfair treatment of the Filipino people.

Mutual interest was instantaneous following the chance encounter and the relationship blossomed aided by activities related to the preparation for Rizal Day celebrations that took place all year around until the day of the special event. The primary activity was the conduct of a contest to select a a queen and her court that would preside over the festivities.

The contest began with the recruitment of young Filipina women in the community to sell tickets for the celebration and related events and to auction food and bake goods to the highest bidders at dances and parties for the purpose of raising funds to support Filipino civic projects. The contestants who agreed to participate were called "candidatas" or "candidates" and the individual who raised the most money was crowned as Miss Filipina. The others in descending order-based on money raised earned supporting titles related to the major regions or the Philippines or as the case during the War as Miss Corregidor and Miss Bataan to highlight the famous battle zones in the homeland during the War.

When Tata Johnny and Nana Veron met for the first time during a Rizal Day dance on Kauai in 1949, she was recruited to be a Rizal Day "candidata" for the following year celebration in Kauai although she resided on the island of Maui. Her place of residence gave her some edge, as she was able to sell tickets not only in Kauai but also on her home island of Maui including the islands of Molokai, Lanai and even the Big Island. During her visits outside of Maui, she was accompanied by her mother and Tata Johnny as escorts, which not only allowed her to sell the most tickets and win the crown as Miss Filipina but a monetary prize of $1,000, but more importantly, the companionship cemented the relationship of the couple that eventually led to marriage in 1952.

Filipinos celebrate Jose Rizal Day - December 30 in Honolulu, Hawaii, in 1918

As tradition dictates, Tata Johnny with the assistance of his father traveled to Maui to ask for her hand in marriage which her father objected strongly at first indicating that she "was too young and inexperienced at age nineteen and furthermore that his family knew very little about the character of the suitor. The older Yadao countered that the couple were in love and although he would not be able to provide for the "sabong" or dowry as was customary, he vouched that his son was unmarried and he was a hard worker who would take care of Nana Veron with "honor and respect." The wedding took place on the Big Island on October 18. 1952 with the ceremony conducted at the Lady of Lourdes Church in Honokaa followed by a huge reception that was attended by many at the Paauilo Hongwanji Social Hall.

The marriage mirrored the change within the Filipino community that began to occur with more frequency in the 1950's which was triggered of by the arrival in 1946 of intact families that included more young women of marriageable age such as Nana Veron. It signaled the coming end of the gender imbalance cited earlier among Filipinos that existed in the past and which contributed to the slow social and economic mobility of the Filipinos in the islands. In due time the marriage of couples like the Yadaos multiplied and contributed to the birth and rapid growth of a new and more permanent Filipino generation, not foreign born, but locally born and raised.

This situation was enhanced further by the fact that unlike previous sakadas, the newcomers of 1946 were young men who were more educated and articulate than their predecessors (important factors that will be discussed in later articles) and most were already married with young children in the homeland. With new immigration laws for the purpose of reuniting Filipino families, which were not previously offered, the population of Filipinos began to swell. Additionally, when single men were not able to find a bride in Hawaii, the new laws also allowed for them to return to the homeland easily to marry and soon their spouses and offspring would soon join them in Hawaii as well.

Beginning at about the time that the Yadaos married, these developments ushered the condition, which set in motion the progress that modern day Filipinos today enjoy in Hawaii. Later in 1965, more liberalized immigration laws allowed other (not original) sakada family members to bring and reunite with their own family members which led to chain reaction results that continue to this day. In addition, other laws were adopted that encouraged the migration of highly educated Filipinos in valued professions (i.e. medical field) to come not only to Hawaii but to other parts of country. These events has made the Filipinos the second largest racial group in Hawaii today with 198,000 or 16% of the total population which almost doubles if part-Filipinos are included in the count according to the 2010 US Census.

The wedding of Juan and Veronica Yadao of Pa'auilo at the Lady of Lourdes Church in Honoka'a on 10/18/1952

Immediately after their wedding the Yadaos settled in the home that Tata Johnny and his father occupied since 1946 after their housemates volunteered to find other housing to assist the newly married couple. In 1953, the first of three children, Letty was born, followed by John Jr. in 1955 and then Tommy in 1961. Recognizing that the well being of the growing family needed additional funds to supplement the earnings of Tata Johnny who has since been promoted from manual laborer to truck driver, Nana Veron joined the legion of other women all along the Hamakua coast in 1965 to work at the newly opened Mauna Kea Resort in Kawaihae. She started in the housekeeping department and then transferred into the dining room as a waitress.

Her most memorable experience at work was the time the resort introduced efficiency measures by requiring all food servers to implement computerize ordering and preparation of restaurant tabs. Already in her 60s and having left school at 16 and involved in the homework of her children only till the primary grades, she was unprepared and under duress and not sure that she would be successful in making the transition. Unlike her young co-workers who were high school graduates and computer literate who took only a few days to learn the system, for her, it was a stressful time. She remembered one of the young co-workers telling her, " Nana don't be afraid, the computer is only a machine, take your time and don't be afraid to make a mistake." She took the advice and with great pride she mastered the system and considers this experience as one of her major accomplishments in life.

After 35 years with Mauna Kea Beach Resorts, she retired in 1999 with the hope of enjoying retirement with Tata Johnny who retired 11 years earlier. At this time in their lives they were most proud of the role they played in the educational achievements and professions of their children. Letty was a social worker; John worked in the visitor industry and Tom a branch manager for Verizon Telephone in Honolulu. The grandchildren and grandchildren or "apokos" numbered 12 and both were looking forward to the slower life of "pensionados" and visiting the homeland and other places, but suddenly in 2005 Tata Johnny suffered a debilitating stroke compounded by dementia and Alzheimer's that turned their world upside down.

From 2005 until his death on June 25, 2012 Tata Johnny was completely bedridden unable to speak and although still somewhat aware of his surroundings; he was totally frustrated by his inability to perform independently any of the functions of daily living. He was totally dependent for his care 24 hours a day from Nana Veron. Placement in a nursing home and care home was considered but rejected because of the high cost but more importantly because she considered it her duty to care for Tata Johnny in the same home that they have live in together and raise their family for 60 years.

When asked if she felt that she was dealt an unfair disposition or that her status was attributed in the Ilocano belief of "gasat" or "fate" which is believe to be predestine from birth, she responded negatively and emphasized that "kasta ti biag" or "such is life." As I interviewed Nana Veron for the entire content of this story alongside the bedside of Tata Johnny when he was still alive, I am certain that he appreciated the effort of his wife to tell their story, but more importantly, although he was unable to speak for himself I sensed through his eyes and expression that he appreciated the devotion and love that his wife bestowed on him then and until the very end.

The Yadaos came to Hawaii as sakadas in 1946 and like most of their counterparts they arrived penniless with only the clothing on their back but they had a lot of hope and dreams for a better life than the one they left behind in the Philippines. They came and met in Hawaii under similar circumstances and they live and enjoyed a long and worthwhile life together. Not only did they succeed with their own personal ambitions but also help built the Hawaii that it is today.

Rdc/10/16/12

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Second of Five Part SeriesBy Romel Dela Cruz In the first article Tata (another title of respect for male elderly in Ilocano) Juan "Johnny"Farinas Yadao was introduced as one of the last four Sakadas in Paauilo. He died on June 25, 2012.

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Kevyn: Filipino workers recruited  in  the Philippines
Saira: From Ilocos and Visayas region, worked primarily on Honolulu island
Manong: Sakada = "outside labor"
Kevin: Sakadas were recruited by the Hawaii Sugar Planter Association (HSPA) (http://www.efilarchives.org/pdf/sakada_alcantara/Sakada_Alcantara_1981.pdf)

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Picture of Ilocos (where some where recruited from)

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https://vimeo.com/124433319

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A Sakada Story, TRT: 9:00
https://www.facebook.com/asakadastory

A short documentary highlighting the life story of 1946 Sakada and Waialua resident, Cipriano Erice, who immigrated to Hawaii in 1946 to work for Hawaii's sugar plantations.

A Film By: Maribel Apuya

A Production of www.BarefootWorkshops.org  in Hawaii

Supervising Producer: Chandler Griffin

Created: September 2015, © Barefoot Workshops & Maribel Apuya

Workshop Format: Two-Week Documentary Filmmaking (private workshop)

Want to screen this film in your community?  Contact the director at maribel.apuya@gmail.com.

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EQUIPMENT USED TO MAKE THIS FILM:

** Each Item listed **

Canon XF100
tinyurl.com/BH-XF100

Delkin Devices 32GB CompactFlash Memory Card 1000x UDMA
tinyurl.com/BH-DelkinCard

Sennheiser Evolution G3 100 Series - Wireless Microphone Combo (A / 516-558 MHz)
tinyurl.com/BH-SennheiserWireless

Sennheiser ME66/K6 - Super-Cardioid Short Shotgun Condenser Microphone Capsule with K6
tinyurl.com/BH-SennheiserShotgun

MZW66 Pro Foam Windscreen for ME66 Microphone
tinyurl.com/BH-SennheiserFoamScreen

Rycote - Standard Hole Softie Windscreen
tinyurl.com/BH-SennheiserSoftie

Pearstone - Camera Shock Mount
tinyurl.com/BH-ShockMount

Audio-Technica 3-Pin XLR Male to 3-Pin XLR Angled Female Balanced Cable - 1.5'
tinyurl.com/BH-3PinXLR

Apple 15.4" MacBook Pro Computer
tinyurl.com/BH-Macbookpro

Glyph Technologies 2TB GPT-50 Quad Interface Hard Drive
tinyurl.com/BH-Glyph2TB

Inqscribe - Simple Software for Transcription and Subtitling
inqscribe.com/

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http://www.philippineshonolulu.org/uploads/HONOLULU%20FILES/Three%20Sakada%20Article%203.pdf

" Despite having arrived only a few months earlier and with little resources and relying primarily on the promise of union assistance and the goodness of earlier Sakadas; these Sakadas refused to go out into the fields to work and instead, they joined the strike with some hesitation but convinced of the importance of their participation. "