Filipinos Find Home in Daly City

Town Square: Cherry Amores scans Filipino recordings at a music store at Serramonte Center in Daly City, home to the largest concentration of Filipinos outside Manila. For much of the community, the mall serves as a central gathering place. Photo by Joe Manio

By Bert Eljera

It's 10 a.m., and a line is starting to form at the Manila Bay Cuisine, a fast-food restaurant at the Serramonte Center. Adobo, minudo, kare-kare, dinuguan and other Filipino delicacies are arrayed invitingly at the counter.

At one table, Christilyn Cordoves and Elsa Lai are digging into their early lunch of steaming rice, barbecue, and sinigang. Over coffee at a nearby table, Tony Tolman and his buddies in the Thursday Club are swapping stories about the Philippines.

At the Camelot Music store, Cherry Amores is checking out new CDs from Manila. Huddled on a bench outside the Burger King restaurant, World War II veterans, Felix Antonis, 74, and Ignacio Soriano, 79, are lamenting how hard it is for the elderly to live in America.

In most Philippine towns, people go to the plaza to chat and get caught up with the news. Whether it is to eat, shop, meet friends, or simply gripe, Serramonte Center is where Filipinos in Daly City, Calif., congregate. For Filipino Americans, the Serramonte Center is that plaza in a city that is now home to the largest concentration of Filipinos outside of Manila.

"When people talk of Daly City, they talk of Filipinos," said Lloyd Bumanlag, a Filipino American who sits on the city's planning commission. "I've seen Filipino movies in which a character would say: "If I go to America, I'd go to Daly City.'"

Over the past two decades, Filipino immigrants have flocked to Daly City, transforming the bedroom community into a mini-metropolis with a distinctly Pacific flavor.

About eight miles from San Francisco's downtown, Filipino restaurants dot the city's shopping strips. Bagoong, tinapa, daing, kamote, and kamoteng kahoy-staple foods in rural Philippines-are readily available in dozens of Oriental stores. Pilipino songs blare from music stores.

In churches and schools, Filipinos are a big presence. According to the 1990 census, the Filipino American population in Daly City is estimated at 25,000, about 27 percent of the city's 93,000 residents. Recent statistics also reflect those numbers. The Daly City Chamber of Commerce estimates that in 1994, the city's population was 99,000-now placed at more than 100,000-with Filipinos constituting 27 percent. Other California cities-Delano, Watsonville, Stockton, and Lathrop-may have had large Filipino populations in the past. Regional centers, such as Los Angeles-Long Beach, San Francisco-Oakland, Cerritos-Artesia-Norwalk, and New York-New Jersey, continue to have a large number of Filipino residents, but no city has grown as fast as Daly City due to Filipino immigration.

Between 1970 and 1980, for instance, Daly City's population increased 17.3 percent, rising from 66,922 to 78,519. The growth rate was three times that of the entire San Mateo County.

The city's growth rate remained at about 17.5 percent through the next decade, while the number of Filipino immigrants nearly doubled, from 14,421 in 1980 to 24,950 in 1990.

This growth has been translated into political and economic muscle. Mike Guingona, Daly City's current mayor, is Filipino American. He got married last week and is now on his honeymoon in the Philippines. "This city has been good to us," said Rolly Recio, a realtor who moved to Daly City from San Francisco in 1975. "We can raise our children well, acquire property, and not be exposed to hostility and discrimination. We're free to pursue our American Dream."

Why Daly City? Most significant is the city's proximity to San Francisco, where most jobs are, Recio and other Filipino immigrants say. "You don't have to cross any bridge," Recio said. "You stay in your car 10 to 15 minutes, and public transportation is readily available."

Cordoves and Lai said Daly City is close to their jobs in San Francisco. "It's hard to find a job anywhere else," said Cordoves, 39, a nursing assistant at Laguna Honda Hospital. "I prefer to stay here." "Daly City is close to everything-the airport, San Francisco, San Jose," said Lai, who works at a Bank of America branch on Market Street. "There are lots of Filipinos here, too."

Convenient transportation is also a factor. Freeways and mass transit systems connect Daly City to the East Bay and North Bay areas. San Francisco International Airport is just nine miles away. San Jose and Silicon Valley are 45 miles to the south.

The city is served by the Bay Area Rapid Transit system (BART), which has stations in Daly City and Colma; the San Mateo County Transit District (Sam-Trans); and the Municipal Railway of the City and County of San Francisco (Muni).

Another advantage of residing in Daly City is housing, which is relatively affordable compared with San Francisco and other Bay Area cities, according to recent studies by the Daly City Chamber of Commerce. As of last year, the average price for a single-family home is $242,000, and $149,000 for condominiums and townhouses. New housing units range from $100,000 to $500,000.

But in the 1960s and early 1970s, homes were selling at about $40,000-quite affordable for Filipino immigrants who endured crowded living conditions in tiny apartments in San Francisco.

Recio, who arrived in 1971, said San Francisco was-and remains-the port of entry for Filipino immigrants to the West Coast. Many would stay in San Francisco for about two to three years, save enough money for a house down payment, and then move to Daly City.

San Francisco is a natural gateway, a sort of way station for Filipino immigrants, said Tolman, a member of the Thursday Club, a group of Filipino retirees who meet once a week at the Serramonte Center. "San Francisco is the starting point," Tolman said. "You're close to your job, there's easy transportation, and you can stay with relatives or friends and save [money]."

TRADING STORIES: Members of the Thursday Club, an informal group of Filipino retirees, get together once a week for food and talk at Serramonte Center. Photo by Joe Manio

Pete Aguilar, a Thursday Club member, said he has lived in San Francisco, then Daly City, for 10 years, and now lives in San Bruno. Many of his friends have gone the San Francisco-to-Daly City route, too, he said. This migration from San Francisco has pretty much been the story of Daly City.

The first big jump in the city's population occurred after the 1906 earthquake that devastated San Francisco, according to Bunny Gillespie who, along with her husband, Ken, are Daly City's official historians. A dairy farmer at that time, John Daly, after whom the city was named, provided food for the refugees, Bunny Gillespie said. W. Powell, owner of the Colma Lumber Co., also provided temporary shelter to the fire and quake victims.

"The truly great effect of the earthquake lay in the movement of people rather than in physical damage," Samuel C. Chandler wrote in his 1973 book, Gateway to the Peninsula: A History of Daly City. "For days and weeks, the people came from their demolished homes or from the unburned parks and streets where they had gone to escape the quake and the fire."

Land developers sold land to refugees who could afford it and, in time, the refugees became residents of the area which later became Daly City and Colma. The refugees liked the area and decided to stay. With assistance from the government and some developers, they built homes and crisscrossed the area with roads.

They brought street cars and businesses from San Francisco and turned the village, then known as Vista Grande, into a thriving town.

On March 11, 1911, the residents voted to form a city and gave it a new name: Daly City, in honor John Daly, who was credited for the growth of the town.

In the 1860s, when he was 13, Daly came to California from Boston by way of Panama, along with his mother, said Chandler, a former Daly City librarian, in his book.

Daly's mother died on the trip. Daly survived by doing odd jobs for the dairymen of San Mateo County. At 15, he got a job carrying mail from Millbrae to Belmont in San Mateo County's version of the Pony Express. He later worked on a dairy ranch until he got enough money to start his own dairy business.

Daly got married twice. He acquired the Holenworth Ranch, one of the largest at the time, in what is now known as the Top of the Hill. Within a few years, his ranch house and barns were among the largest buildings in San Mateo County.

In 1907, shortly after the 1906 earthquake and fire that devastated San Francisco, Daly broke up his dairy and sold all the land, except for about four acres between San Jose Avenue and Mission Street, where he built a small house surrounded with flower gardens.

Daly moved his family to San Francisco, where he died Jan. 1, 1923, at the age of 81. Until his death, Daly remained active in building the city that sprang from his lands.

"He was a good friend of the growing city," said Bunny Gillespie, the Daly City historian. "There was some controversy about the city being named after him, but it was put to a public vote and his name won." When Daly City marked its 50th anniversary in 1961, the dairy and pig farms of Daly's days were long gone and the city's main thoroughfare, John Daly Boulevard, ran through the farmer's former ranch. The years after World War II saw a building boom in the city. In 1945, a San Francisco company, Harry Doelger Inc., bought land south of San Francisco's Lake Merced and built homes for more than 22,000 people.

The Gellert brothers, Fred and Carl, also purchased land from the early settlers, and converted 950 acres into a thriving community built around the Serramonte Center.

Before 1939, there were 2,054 homes throughout the city. By 1990, there were 30,201 housing units, according to census data.

As the city's population grew, the ethnic composition also changed dramatically. In 1970, whites were the majority in every Daly City neighborhood. By 1990, Filipinos became the majority in the Hillside and Serramonte neighborhoods.

The Gillespie's St. Francis Heights neighborhood-where Recio also moved into-was one of those which saw some of the most dramatic changes.

When the Gillespie's bought their home 40 years ago, St. Francis Heights was an all-white neighborhood of Irish and Italians, Ken Gillespie said.

"Three of four were World War II veterans," Ken Gillespie said. "They were moving from rental properties in San Francisco, able to buy homes through government loans."

Homes were selling for about $28,000 then, according to Bunny Gillespie, 69, a former journalist. Now, the standard three-bedroom, two-bath homes cost about $250,000, she said.

Ken Gillespie said that when Asians-mostly Chinese and Filipinos-began buying homes in their neighborhood, many of the white folks were eager to sell. "It was not white flight, but the opportunity to make money," he said. "It was a case of, "Wow, I can make 10 times of what I paid for this house.'" Bunny Gillespie said Filipinos were welcomed to the neighborhood, and they themselves made some friends right away. "Filipinos are a community of smiles," said Bunny Gillespie. "They are very family-oriented, religious people, and keep their homes beautiful."

Ken Gillespie said he has learned some Pilipino words, and had planned several times to visit the Philippines with some Filipino friends.

Recio, on the other hand, said he had detected some subtle discrimination from some whites, who were selling their homes at the time he moved into the St. Francis Heights neighborhood.

"They will not tell you directly, but I believe-and this was supported by some studies-that there was some resistance in accepting the new immigrants," Recio said.

However, he said, "There was no major backlash. We were free. We could live anywhere." Recio, who ran unsuccessfully for the city council twice, is typical of the Filipinos who moved to Daly City in the 1970s.

A business graduate from the University of the East in Manila, he was one of the Filipino professionals who came in large numbers after 1965.

He worked as bookkeeper in a garment manufacturing company in San Francisco and, in 1975, bought a house on Highgate Drive in St. Francis Heights.

At one time, the three-bedroom, one-bath house had 11 people living in it, as Recio's parents, sisters, and relatives of his wife followed them to Daly City. "I should have installed a Statue of Liberty in my house," Recio said with a smile. "They all passed through there."

Most other Filipinos did the same thing. Often by necessity, they followed relatives and friends to Daly City. In time, they became the largest ethnic group.

In the Jefferson Elementary School District, 2,719 of 8,129 kindergarten to sixth grade students are of Filipino descent. Of 8,129 middle-school students, 2,719 are Filipinos as of October 1995.

In the Jefferson Union High School District, 28.3 percent, or 1,508 of the 5,328 students are of Filipino ancestry. At Westmoor High School, Filipinos make up 38.1 percent of the student population of 1,776.

Since about 80 percent of Filipinos are Catholics, most Catholic churches in Daly City and the nearby communities of Colma, South San Francisco, and San Bruno, have seen an explosion in new members.

At Holy Angels Church, which serves Colma and Daly City residents, Father John Clogerty, the parish priest, said about 70 percent of the 3,500-member congregation are Filipinos.

"They have energized the parish," Father Clogerty said. "They brought a great faith and that has influenced the community."

The parish's staff is mostly Filipino, including its assistant pastor, Father Arturo Albano, and the principal of the Holy Angels Catholic School, Sister Therese Improgo.

Nearly 70 percent of the school's 320 students are Filipinos, Sister Improgo said.

"Because of our strong faith, we believe and support in quality Catholic education," she said. "It's part of our culture, and parents are willing to make sacrifices."

SUNDAY RITUAL: Zaks Valera-Dizon, age 11, and his grandparents, Mariano and Demetria Valera, relax outside of St. Andrew's Church in Daly City after Sunday mass. About 80 percent of Filipinos are Catholic. Photo by Judi Parks

Their Catholic faith has made it easier for Filipinos to be accepted by the community, said Father Clogerty, whose parish includes Irish and Italian members.

"They don't have to construct new churches or schools," Father Clogerty said. "The transition was very easy."

Yet other Asian immigrants have encountered some problems because of their religion. In Southern California, for instance, Vietnamese immigrants ran into some community opposition when they tried to build Buddhist temples in some neighborhoods.

At Holy Angels Church, next month Filipinos are planning to hold a Santacruzan, a traditional May festival in the Philippines honoring the Virgin Mary.

The festival includes a beauty pageant featuring young Filipina women. Money raised from the festival will be donated to the church, according to Tito Rangasajo, a member of the Filipino American Club, which is organizing the event.

Councilwoman Madolyn Agrimonti, who was Daly City's mayor last year, said immigrants have contributed to the vibrant culture and economy of the city.

"It's wonderful," said Agrimonti, the first Latino to sit on the council. "It's a touch of what the world is about."

She said Daly City will continue to draw immigrants because of its affordable housing, excellent mass transit system, and its small-town feel-despite its recent growth. "We have the best of both worlds," Agrimonti said. "A small-town feeling with the convenience and amenities of the big city."

But as it continues to grow, it would become increasingly more difficult to provide basic services to the people, Agrimonti said. Some big city problems have started to appear.

Street gangs have sprung up, including within the Filipino community, said Officer Bob Payne of the Daly City Police Department.

About a dozen Filipino gangs have been identified-with Royal Pinoy Brotherhood, Flipside Crew, and Vigilantes among the largest. They have been involved in assaults, robberies, and drive-by shootings, Payne said.

"It's a problem," Payne said. "On the school level, we do preventative programs, particularly among fifth graders."

The police department has a juvenile task force of four officers, including a Chinese American and two women. There are five Filipino Americans on the city's 114-member force, Payne said.

Ultimately, however, Daly City can only truly become a home for Filipino Americans through the efforts of the Pinoys themselves, said Bumanlag, the planning commissioner. Pinoy is a term of endearment among Filipinos.

He said one project that has been in the works for the past couple of years is a proposed cultural center, which will showcase Filipino American heritage.

"It will be like a plaza area where people can meet," said Bumanlag, a marketing and communications consultant. "It will have a performing arts center, similar to Japantown." Japantown in San Francisco consists of about two blocks of shops, restaurants, galleries, and theaters showcasing Japanese art and cuisine. It is the site of the annual Cherry Blossom Festival.

"We should get people excited about it," Bumanlag said. "We need City Hall to move. This will be great not just for Filipinos but for Daly City."

It's not by accident that Daly City has become home for many Filipinos in the United States. It has the qualities of a Philippine island: misty mornings, bright sunshine, the blue waters and roaring waves of the Pacific Ocean nearby.

"It's like I'm back in the Philippines," said Christilyn Cordoves, treating herself to halo-halo, a Filipino milk shake of fresh fruits and nuts, after her lunch at the Serramonte Center's food court.

"Capitals of Asian America" is AsianWeek's series on cultural centers around the country. This month, we explore five major capitals representing different ethnic groups in celebration of Asian Pacific Heritage Month. This week: Daly City, Calif.: Filipinos At Home in America Next week: Los Angeles: The Changing Face of Little Tokyo May 17: Westminster, Calif.: Little Saigon May 24: Monterey Park, Calif.: Little Taipei May 31: San Francisco: The Chinatown Legacy