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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.
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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.