The Philippine-American Chronicle

The Philippine-American Chronicle was a bi-weekly Seattle newspaper that was published from 1935-1936. Some of the topics the paper addressed were lives of Filipino laborers, various union campaigns, the solidarity of the Filipino community. In specific, the Philippine-American Chronicle provided information regarding local Cannery Workers and Farm Laborers Union (CWFLU), American Federation of Labor (AFL), as well as different acts passed that would affect the Filipino immigrant community.

Moreover, Philippine American Chronicle harbored so much information that cratered towards farm and cannery laborers. The paper acted as a resource and informant for Filipino-Americans within the America's tough labor society. Other issues that the paper addressed were the demands for higher wages, the formation of Filipino unions, as well as the desire for better working conditions. The paper would print articles and speeches during every campaign encouraging Filipino unity and full support to the CWFLU. The articles published in the Philippine American Chronicle shows political organization within the Filipino community in Seattle. It also showed how determined the CWFLU was in uniting Filipino laborers in order to fight for better wages and working conditions.

Since the paper had only a life span of two years, a major topic that was discussed in the paper was the passing of the Repatriation Bill by the House of Representatives. An estimated of 15,000 to 30,000 Filipinos were interested in returning to the Philippines due to trouble adjusting to American life or difficultly finding work. The main significance of the paper was to educate, inform, and unite Filipinos about the current labor crises and problems occurring throughout the U.S.

In addition, the paper also related information from the Philippines to Filipino-Americans. At least two articles about current events in the Philippines appeared in almost every issue of the paper. Three of the most pressing issues were the new constitution of the Philippines, the defense of the Philippine Islands form China and Japan, and trade relations between the Philippines and America.

The Philippine-American Chronicle had a very pro-constitution stance, where the proposed Philippine constitution, amendment, bills, and commentary were published. In a sense, the Philippine-American Chronicle enabled the Fil-Am community to participate and generate thoughts of the political concerns of the home country. Other issues that the paper covered were the Japanese and Chinese threats, American presence and protection, trading relationships with the U.S., and usage of Philippine raw materials. In addition to labor, Philippine, and national news, there were articles written in Tagalog as well as news various universities in Washington.

Furthermore, the inclusion of these articles and topics gave the Filipino living in Seattle information about the state of labor, and most importantly, a sense of community. The information published brought awareness to many Filipinos regarding equality, rights, immigration, and status. The Philippine-American Chronicle is only one of many papers published by Filipinos, and it reflects the progress of Filipino-American communities.

By: A.T.

Sources:
Stotts-Johnson, Rache. "The Philippine-American Chronicle." The Labor Press Project.
http://depts.washington.edu/labhist/laborpress/Philippine-American_Chronicle.htm