Renton proclaims Filipino American History Month as about 7,000 residents identify as Filipino

Renton Mayor Armondo Pavone designated October as Filipino American History Month at Monday's council meeting, after a City Hall reception attended by Consul General Henry Bensurto Jr and Puget Sound Filipino community groups.

Renton, Washington has formally designated October as Filipino American History Month. Mayor Armondo Pavone made the designation during Monday's city council meeting, and Berliner Pub owner Dennis Mascarinas accepted the proclamation, the City of Renton said in a release published on 27 October.

According to the city, roughly 7,000 of Renton's 109,800 residents identify as Filipino, more than 3% speak Tagalog, and close to 3,000 residents were born in the Philippines.

"Growing up in a Filipino family, I learned how much it means to bring people together and make them feel at home," Mascarinas said.

A City Hall reception

Before the council meeting, City Hall welcomed members of Renton's and the Puget Sound region's Filipino community for a reception. The mayor and council were joined by members of:

• Association of Filipino-American Engineers of Washington
• Filipino American Community of Renton (FILAMCOR)
• Filipino American Educators of Washington
• Filipino Chamber of Commerce of the Pacific Northwest
• Filipino Community of Seattle
• Filipinotown
• Asian Pacific Cultural Center

Consul General Henry Bensurto Jr thanked the city for recognising the Filipino community. "This history, this heritage, is evaluated and known, to make sure that whatever our community has achieved through time is really recognized," he said.

Reynaldo Pascua, a former commissioner of the Washington State Commission on Asian Pacific American Affairs (CAPAA), spoke about his work with Governor Bob Ferguson to remind the country of the Filipino American leaders involved in the farm workers movement. Governor Ferguson declared the 2026 Filipino American History Month theme in Washington State to be Filipino Farmers History Month.

This was the city's second year hosting a Filipino American History Month reception and its third year formally honouring the month with a proclamation. A city bulletin from the first celebration recorded Mayor Pavone's original designation, with Mayor's Inclusion Task Force members Violet Aesquivel and Rolly Polintan accepting that proclamation.

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