Read on Twitter
For the next 2 weeks (Oct 1 - 15), we simultaneously celebrate #HispanicHeritageMonth and #FilipinoAmericanHistoryMonth. These 2 groups are inextricably linked. Here's a thread 
Latinos and Filipinos share a colonizer: Spain. This brutal legacy also left us with many cultural similarities.
Throughout the colonial period Spanish was the official language of government, education, and trade. Spanish words and their derivatives have made their way into the islands’ national language, Filipino/Tagalog.
Latin America and the Philippines have lots of dishes in common: flan, lechĂłn, chicharrĂłn, tamales, and adobo. https://remezcla.com/lists/food/filipino-latino-dishes-in-common/
The most common last names in the Philippines are all Spanish: Santos, Reyes, Cruz, Garcia, Mendoza, Torres, Vargas, Castro, etc. https://www.tagaloglang.com/most-common-filipino-surnames/
Cultural influences go both ways with some Filipino traditions & drinks (like tuba aka coconut wine) being found in Colima, Mexico, due to the Spanish trade ships that traveled between Mexico & the Philippines twice per year for more than two centuries.
In 1965, Filipino farm workers initiated a grape boycott that led to the creation of the United Farm Workers union. Filipino activist Larry Itliong is one of the co-founders of the UFW along with Cesar Chavez & Dolores Huerta. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/why-it-is-important-know-story-filipino-american-larry-itliong-180972696/
Further reading: In The Latinos of Asia, @anthonyocampo addresses the puzzle: Are Filipinos in the United States becoming Asian American or Latino? He highlights how Filipino American identities can change depending on the communities they grow up in and the people they befriend.
(Disclaimer: Much of the info in this thread is taken from an article I wrote 6 years ago titled "10 Reasons Latinos and Filipinos Are Primos")
