Gov. Jay Inslee (far left) with supporters of SB 5865. (Photo by Devin Cabanilla)
Gov. Jay Inslee signed SB 5865 into law on May 7 — establishing October as Filipino American History Month in the state of Washington. Sen. Bob Hasegawa was the primary sponsor of the bill.
Photo by Devin Cabanilla
Historians have concluded that Oct. 18, 1587 was the earliest documented proof of Filipino presence in the continental United States, according Rey Pascua, a Filipino American community leaders.
October was selected as Filipino American History Month in honor of this documentation.