PAFCOM: A Generation Shaped by Culture

Thirty years after it was founded in Jersey City, New Jersey, the Philippine-American Friendship Committee, Inc. gave itself a new name: the Philippine-American Friendship Community, Inc. The name change is the clearest indication yet that PAFCOM has grown significantly and risen in influence across the Tri-State area. According to 2018 U.S. Census data, the Filipino American population in New Jersey is over 143,000. Today, PAFCOM is the largest not-for-profit Filipino American organization in the state—led by inspired community leaders with bold, practical ideas, and powered by legions of engaged members from New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut. It is a village, a community that has taken responsibility for encouraging Filipino Americans to speak up, be heard, and take action.

Services and Programs

The services provided by PAFCOM are wide-ranging:

Preserving Filipino cultural heritage
Helping Filipinos assimilate into mainstream society
Fostering closer relationships between Filipino Americans and other ethnic communities
Keeping Filipino Americans connected to the homeland through forums and discussions
Developing well-focused plans to assist the elderly, people with disabilities, youth, the LGBTQ community, and families in need to improve their quality of life

In essence, PAFCOM strives to always be there for the community.

A Dynamic Presence

Filipinos are a dynamic presence in America—making their voices heard in the corridors of power, in schools, in media and entertainment, in business boardrooms, and in health care. PAFCOM has supported this growth as a collaborative movement, grooming the next generation of Filipino Americans to continue the work started three decades ago.

Youth play meaningful roles in many PAFCOM activities, including mentoring programs, voter registration campaigns, the “Taste of the Philippines” at the soup kitchen, the Pusong Pinoy Health Fair, and the annual Friendship Parade and Festival—where Filipino cultural heritage, food, and crafts are showcased. Family-oriented events like annual picnics provide opportunities for games and fellowship.

PAFCOM also provides programs for seniors, such as cultural immersion trips with discounted tickets and free transportation to Broadway shows and museum exhibits. To promote heart disease and stroke prevention, the organization coordinates health-centered activities such as walkathons, senior dances, massage therapy, and nutrition forums.

Responding in Times of Crisis

In these unprecedented times, we are all learning how to survive the COVID-19 pandemic. Many health care providers have risked their lives caring for the sick, often working extra-long hours without access to food during their shifts. In collaboration with Jersey City’s Filipino American-owned restaurants and local businesses, the PAFCOM family provided and delivered 80 meals weekly—along with care packages containing toiletries. In total, 640 meals and 200 care packages were distributed over eight weeks to dedicated and hardworking frontliners at Christ Hospital and Jersey City Medical Center.

Living the Culture

PAFCOM has a strong history of fostering identity within the community and will continue to keep Philippine culture alive in America.

Text by: Cristina Pastor
Edited by: Connie Uy and Ledy Almadin

OUR STORY

29 Years of Excellence in Community and Social Services

Going stronger with the passage of time and firmly rooted in Jersey City, the Philippine-American Friendship Community, Inc. (PAFCOM) is a tax-exempt, non-profit organization composed of committed and dedicated Filipino-American community leaders from the Tri-State area of New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut.

Founded in 1990, PAFCOM was primarily established to organize an annual parade and festival every June in Jersey City, New Jersey, in celebration of Philippine-American Friendship Day. Through this event, the founders sought to enhance the public’s understanding of Filipino culture and activities while serving the community—earning recognition for Filipino Americans as an important ethnic group in the United States. Underlying this mission was the desire to help Filipinos integrate into mainstream American society, especially during the early 1990s, PAFCOM’s formative years.

As the Filipino-American population in Jersey City grew, PAFCOM’s leaders recognized the need to expand beyond cultural celebrations to include socio-cultural, charitable, and educational initiatives. In its second decade, the organization began offering supportive services for Filipino families, youth, veterans, and seniors. Jersey City has the highest concentration of Filipinos of any city in the U.S. Northeast, and in response, PAFCOM created its Community Development Center (CDC).

The organization provides intergenerational services that foster traditional family and cultural values. For example, in March 2004, PAFCOM staged the community theatre production Looking for Williams, featuring a diverse, intergenerational cast. Other programs have included weekly Zumba and yoga classes, senior dances, walkathons, safe-home initiatives, family bowling days, volleyball tournaments, golf outings, and health fairs. Youth-focused activities such as basketball clinics, teen theater, and painting workshops are held each summer. To prepare the next generation of leaders, PAFCOM has also sent qualified teens to the Lyndsay Meyer Leadership Training Camp.

These services span across ages, generations, and cultures. PAFCOM also promotes and sponsors drug-free activities through Community Development Block Grants and support from Jersey City’s Municipal Alliance.

The Philippines is renowned for its diversity and artistry, and PAFCOM leaders have drawn on this pride to showcase the best of Philippine fashion, music, dance, and film. Each year, prominent Filipino designers, singers, dancers, actors, and actresses have been featured at PAFCOM’s grand parades and festivals.

The past 29 years of PAFCOM’s work reflect its resilience and strength. Like any growing organization, it has faced obstacles, endured hardships, and overcome frustrations. Through these challenges, PAFCOM has only become stronger.

A turning point in PAFCOM’s history came on September 3, 2014, when its Constitution and By-Laws were amended, leading to a reorganization of its leadership. Beginning in 2015, the role of Overall Chair was replaced with a Chairman of the Board, President, and President-Elect—positions that continue to guide the organization and shape its future.

As PAFCOM looks ahead, its mission, vision, and goals remain focused on benefiting the residents of Jersey City—especially youth and seniors—while preserving and promoting Filipino cultural heritage.