a very tough question to ask any 1st generation asian american is to interrogate why their family emigrated in the first place and almost always United States' historical dominance or interference in the asian region is an extreme motivator for that reason

even more important is to understand the stories we were told as children, that the move was "to find a better life" elides the true motivation of why our families moved

the Philippines' emigration story varies from person to person, but common to them all is this thread of the United States dependent on the body of the Filipino to do menial work, whether in the factory, in the home, or on the battlefield