Maui County Council recognizes October as Filipino American History Month; votes 8-0 with one excused

The Maui County Council on Oct. 24 adopted Resolution 25-200 recognizing October as Filipino American History Month and honoring the contributions of Filipinos to Maui County. Councilmember Gabe Johnson moved the resolution and Councilmember Keani Rollins Fernandez seconded it; the council recorded 8 ayes with one member excused.

Community leaders, labor organizers and residents gave testimony in support before the council took action. Sharon Zalsos Panag, who identified herself as a community member, a United States veteran and a director with the Maui Filipino Chamber of Commerce and the Maui County Veterans Council, urged the community to be counted at the ballot box: “Let’s vote. Let’s vote. Let’s be counted.”

Michelle Santos, representing the Maui Filipino Community Council, described Filipino culture as “fulfilling” and said she is committed to “the perpetuation of our culture.” Camie Yamamoto, executive director of the Hawaii Worker Center, told the council that her organization has worked “side by side with Filipino workers fighting for the right to housing and livelihood before, during, and after the Lahaina fires,” and said she hoped the resolution would help amplify Filipino voices in recovery planning.

Eric Arquero, executive director of Kai Bingan Lahaina, thanked councilmember Johnson for introducing the resolution and framed Filipino-American history as “built upon stories of struggle and perseverance.” Steven West, division director of ILWU Local 142’s Maui division, and other labor leaders also testified in support, saying Filipino workers’ history in plantation labor and recent recovery efforts warrant recognition.

Alice Kahanui, president of the Konakukai Filipino Association and a Molokai community advocate, called out the Filipino values of kapwa and salamat and described the resolution as an effort “to assert visibility and counter erasure of the Filipino experience and contributions to our island and Maui Nui.” Christian Galapon, a Lanai resident and board director of the Maui Filipino Chamber of Commerce, urged leaders to consider how “actions, words and decisions will be remembered,” and Nelson Salvador, who said he helps Filipino fire recovery efforts in Lahaina, asked the council to ensure Filipino workers’ concerns remain part of recovery planning.

Councilmember Johnson read the resolution in full before the vote; the recitals cited historical events and local demographics included in the text read at the meeting. Those recitals noted, among other figures, that people of Filipino ancestry comprise roughly 28% of Maui County’s population and larger shares in Molokai and Lanai; those figures appear in the resolution text as read aloud during the meeting.

The council adopted the resolution during the Oct. 24 session. Following the vote, several testifiers were invited to come forward for a group photo with council members.

The action signals formal county recognition; it does not create a new program or funding commitment. The resolution directed that certified copies be transmitted to a list of community organizations and individuals identified in the document.