In 2009, the United States Congress proclaimed October as Filipino American History Month to celebrate the luxurious culture and diversity of Filipino-American families. As we reflect on our heritage this month, it is imperative that Filipino Americans wake up to the Democratic era that has clouded the vision of our community for too long.
For decades, Democrats have exploited Filipino-American communities. They dazzled us with celebrity endorsements and manipulated our emotions by painting Republicans as racists and bigots. While Democrats claim to support Filipino-American families, they also overtax us, deepen our welfare dependency, and undermine our parental rights in the education system.
Bidenomics and Bidenflation have done significant damage to the American family. Economic stresses have left many households facing an impossible choice between food and gas supplies and basic monthly expenses. The Biden administration’s reckless taxes and spending, including $80 billion for the IRS, pose a threat to Asian American compact business owners who are at risk of additional audits. A proposed “liability tax” on homebuyers disproportionately harms Asian Americans looking to buy a home.
Progressive policies have led to skyrocketing crime rates, leaving Asian Americans feeling unsafe in their neighborhoods. Moreover, Democrats’ support for racial preferences in college admissions enables discrimination against Asian-American students. The harsh reality is that the Democrat policies we have been told are in our best interests have actually undermined our prosperity and well-being.
I was born in Sariaya, Philippines and I am the proud son of Filipino immigrants. I met my wife Jessica, a Mexican-Filipino American, when we were both students at the United States Military Academy at West Point. After graduating, Jessica and I entered dynamic duty as officers in the U.S. Army. We have both answered the call to serve our nation, which has already provided our families with life-changing generational opportunities.
Jessica and I started our family in her hometown of Cincinnati, Ohio. We are proud of our Filipino heritage and every day we instill in our children the same values that shaped us. As a family, we shared a common faith in God, a commitment to difficult work, a love for family and a sense of duty to our country. These values, deeply rooted in the Filipino-American experience and instilled in us by our parents, are not merely a reflection of Filipino or conservative values; they are a celebration of basic American principles.
It is because of these values that I have aligned myself with the Republican Party for as long as I can remember, and why I am currently running for election to the U.S. Congress from Ohio’s First Congressional District. As a Filipino American, I am on a mission to facilitate the American family and revive the American dream that has blessed so many of us throughout history.
The Republican National Committee actively engages with the Asian American community by welcoming up-to-date members to the Opportunity Party. In the last cycle, the RNC established community centers across the country, fostering relationships with the Asian American community. The party’s commitment to inclusivity is not up-to-date – it has a long history of reaching out to Asian American communities and removing barriers with Asian American leaders.
In 1959, Hiram Fong became the first Asian American to serve in the Senate, and in 1964 he received delegate votes at the presidential nominating convention. In 1971, Republican Carlos Camacho became the first elected governor of Guam. This trend continued with Jay Kim, the first Korean-American elected to Congress in 1992, and Elaine Chao, appointed by President George W. Bush in 2001 as the first Asian-American woman in the cabinet.
Most recently, in 2020, Republicans Young Kim and Michelle Steel became two of the first Korean American women elected to Congress, demonstrating the party’s commitment to diversity and representation.
In 2024, we have a real opportunity to make concrete progress in restoring the middle class, promoting the American family, and expanding the tremendous contributions of Asian Americans to our great country. That’s partly why, as the son of Filipino immigrants, I would be honored to have the opportunity to serve our great nation as the youngest member of Congress elected by the GOP and the only Filipino-American currently serving in the Republican Conference.
