Cerritos’ first Fil-Am mayor leads its first PH Independence Day rite
Cerritos Mayor Mark Pulido presents a City Proclamation to descendants of Filipino heroes Jose Rizal, Gen. Artemio Ricarte and Ladislao Diwa. From left, Rene Rizal, Romeo Ricarte and Marvin Diwa. PHOTO BY LAWRENCE C. OCHOA
CERRITOS, California – This city that’s proud of having Asians as the majority of its residents, with a predominance of Filipino Americans, now has another “feather on its cap.” Last Saturday, June 14 it sponsored the city’s first official celebration of Philippine Independence from Spain.
Cerritos is located some 19 miles south of Los Angeles. Filipinos make up 15 percent of its 50,000 residents. Mark Pulido, the city’s first elected mayor of Filipino descent, led the Philippine Independence Day ceremonies along with Consul General Leo Herrera Lim and his staff. Other elected officials of Filipino ancestry were also present: Bellflower Mayor Sonny Santa Ines, Carson Mayor pro temp Elito Santarina, Artesia Councilmember Victor Manalo and ABC school Unified School district Board member Armin Reyes.
“I visited the Lincoln memorial recently and I embraced fervently our foremost President in his vision of one America for all,” Pulido emotionally told more than 300 attendees. He lauded the contributions of Filipino immigrants to this country, from the first settlements in the 1760s in Louisiana, to the farm workers in Hawaii, cannery workers in Alaska and the “manongs” in Delano and the professionals who came in the ‘60s.
Ethnic pride reverberated throughout the day, with performances ranging from young local singers, dancers from the Philippine cultural school, Filipino Senior Citizens of Cerritos, and Whitney High school club, Kaibigan (Pulido’s alma mater). Pulido served as UCLA Student Body President, among all honors received in his student and political life. His parents have been residents of Cerritos for more than 50 years.
Pulido awarded the descendants of Filipino heroes and revolutionaries, including those of the national hero Dr. Jose Rizal, revolutionary Gen. Artemio Ricarte and Ladislao Diwa, one of the founders of the Katipunan that initiated the Philippine Revolution against Spain in 1896.
Their descendants, who are active in local community programs or veterans services, are Rene Rizal, Romeo Ricarte and Marvin Diwa. Pulido presented them with Proclamations from the Cerritos City Council.
Keynote speaker Consul General Leo Herrera-Lim lauded the achievements of the mayor and exhorted the celebrants to use their political will to elect him to the U.S. Congress. “He represents hard work and dedication to this country; Filipinos have the numbers to elect him into office.”
One of the newest members of the Philippine Consulate in LA, Deputy Consul General Imelda M. Panolong was thrilled to see the excitement of Cerritos community folks.
“Even before coming to LA, I was informed that LA has one of the busiest communities that we have — my expectations were more than met, ” she told INQUIRER.net. Panolong attended the event with Cultural Officer Wilma Bautista and other consular staff.
Panolong was impressed that other cities in Southern California have equally prominent Filipino American events such as the “Lotus Festival,” taking place on July 12th to the 13th, in Echo Park organized by the LA City Parks and Recreation Department.
Pulido’s mother Esther Pulido, a retired artist from Los Angeles was happy to see the Cerritos celebration in her lifetime. She and her husband have a successful realty business in the city. “I came to this country when I was a little girl and has been a resident of Cerritos for 52 years,” she said. “This has been my dream, that my city would come to recognize the Filipino American identity and its contributions to this city.”
Gloria Perlas Pulido, the mayor’s wife, wearing a beautiful deep red Philippine-inspired terno, came to celebrate with their two children.
In his speech, Pulido assured the local community that he would support and promote the spirit of diversity in the city council and pledged to make a difference in the lives of residents by “listening, hearing and acting in a thoughtful, responsive manner.”
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