What Does Manong Mean?

One of the first photos Uncle sent home from California

Manong is an Illacano title of respect which roughly translates to “older brother.” The term “Manong Generation” refers to the young men who left the Philippine Islands in the 1920’s and 30’s in hope of improving the economic situations for their families. For members of Philippine society, the interests of the family are the priority rather than the interests of the individual.

“…the Manongs — Filipino American pioneers who came to the states in the 1920s — a generation of men who, because they loved their families so much, braved the coldness of the new world in search for an extra penny and a glimmer of a significant life.”

~R. Bong Vergara, MSW, MA[i]

The Manong’s sole objective was to find employment. They wanted to earn money to send home to their mothers and fathers so that mortgages could be paid off or farm land purchased. This sacrifice would improve the lifestyle of the entire family. Most Manongs planned to return home as just as soon as they had earned money enough to enable their families to live comfortably.

Many Manongs were laborers and farm workers whose move to the U.S. was prompted by the passage of the Immigration Act of 1924. This Act excluded Japanese immigrants from obtaining U. S. citizenship. Farmers in California and cannery operators in the Pacific Northwest and Alaska who had depended on cheap Japanese labor began recruiting workers from the Philippines after the Immigration Act was past.

Kung may intinanim, may aanihin
~ Tagalog proverb
(“If you plant a seed and nurture it, you will reap the harvest in the future.”)

ENDNOTES
[i] Vergara, R. Bong. “A significant life: A eulogy for John Delloro” FuedArt, June 12, 2010 http://feudart.com/2010/06/12/a-significant-life-a-eulogy-for-john-delloro/