Finding our roots with The Filipino Story
What does it mean to be a Filipino? Can such a loaded question even be answered?
The Filipino Story has been blowing up recently on social media with animated videos on the history of the Philippines, features and interviews with cultural figures such as Kidlat Tahimik, and stories from global Filipinos rediscovering their connection with the country. They believe three core values exist within us: Bayanihan, Kapwa, and Kabutihang Loob.
Their other series, The Culture Bearers, features people who've dedicated their entire lives to promoting and showing people around the world what being Filipino is all about. In Ask Xiao, historian Xiao Chua answers questions about culture and history from The Filipino Story’s Instagram page.
We wanted to take a look behind the curtain and meet the team behind this impressive production. We talked to Tony Olaes, the visionary behind The Filipino School, a non-profit based in California that started The Filipino Story; Glenda Genio, their administrator; and Mai and Bani Logroño, their storytellers. (Note: Answers have been shortened for clarity.)
YOUNG STAR: Can you tell us how The Filipino School started in 2015?
TONY OLAES: Because I grew up in the United States, all I knew was what was fed to me either by my parents or television. That birthed the idea of a Filipino “school” directed at Fil-Ams like me who just didn't know anything. Whatever we knew, a lot of times, it wasn't good (things) about the homeland.
What other things has The Filipino School been doing prior to The Filipino Story?
TONY: We had classroom sessions from 2015 to 2020. When we started the school, we got a classroom of about 40 who committed to learning (about) our identity over three weekends. We had parents and children, and we knew there was a generational and cultural divide in that room. When that class ended, it was very emotional. The children were saying, “Now I know why my mom and dad are the way they are,” and the parents said, “Now I know why my children are the way they are.”
Meet the small team behind The Filipino Story, the oft-viral digital series wishing to reconnect the global Filipino to our country’s history and culture.
GLENDA GENIO: The school ended up having two flagships. One is The Filipino Story, and one is the Filgrimage. It's a pilgrimage to the Philippines (where we) bring Filipino-Americans. Most of them have not been to the Philippines. They experience the core values and the message we espouse in The Filipino Story. So in effect, it becomes a real-life Filipino Story.
Why did you want to be part of this project?
BANI LOGROÑO: (Mai and I) are filmmakers. We believe in the power of storytelling. One of the greatest stories to tell is who you are (and) who you were born to be. We believe that the Filipino is a bayani. That's what we learned when we were doing our World War 2 films at the beginning of our career: The bayani spirit (exists) throughout the entire story of the Filipino people. It existed with us 5,000 years ago. It exists with us today, and it's going to exist with us 5,000 years from now. Bayani means to love, to serve, and to give without expecting anything in return. That's what we've learned living in the Philippines and doing our documentaries.
That hasn't been passed down to the new generation of global Filipinos. I want the next generation of Filipino-Americans to know that for themselves as they grow up.
The Filipino Story has a distinct animation style. Were there any specific choices you purposefully made regarding the animations and narrations?
TONY: There are no irises. You can't see the whites of their eyes. We did it purposely because we didn't want to focus on individuals. (Our) message was about who we were as a “we culture,” not a “me culture.”
BANI: The eyes are the window to your soul. Everyone in the animated series has the same eyes because we believe all Filipinos share the same soul.
MAI LOGROÑO: It goes back to scriptwriting as well. For each episode, there are about 20-plus draft scripts, because we made sure every word was thoroughly reviewed. We even have the “Tony Test”: Bani has to make Tony cry.
We had to go through that for about three years. We launched The Filipino Story on social media this May but we've been doing this since 2020. (Using an) English voice-over was also intentional because the first target audience was Filipino-Americans. After going through this process, we realized that it's not just for Filipino-Americans, but for the global Filipino.
GLENDA: We have this huge task of creating and communicating a uniting story. History can be divisive. It may be a five-minute episode, but it took years to get everything right so that most, if not all, can relate to it.
Can you walk us through the logistics behind producing The Filipino Story or your other series?
MAI: We are grateful that we don't even have to reach out to (speakers). They are the ones recommending us to (other) people.
BANI: It's like an endless loop of inspiration. They say they're inspired by our work, but our work is because of their work. Our process is kapwa; they tell us who we should interview next.
Has anything surprised you about the feedback you’re getting regarding The Filipino Story?
GLENDA: Nakakataba (ng) puso. We didn't expect the magnitude of how it can affect people. We would see a good comment and (take a) screenshot, and then send it to the group (chat).
MAI: I didn't expect this to grow this fast. Personally, I'm overwhelmed, because as we grow, we get new audiences and we get new feedback. This is just a small team at the moment, so just imagine the pressure on (us) creatives to continue putting out content. But Tony and Glenda's leadership is amazing because they always remind us of the heart of this.
BANI: Discovering The Filipino Story feels like a serendipitous moment. The challenges we face today, many of them stemming from the actions of individuals in power, can sometimes make us question our sense of national pride. It's disillusioning to witness these negative behaviors from our fellow countrymen. However, this first episode serves as a reminder of our deeper roots by revisiting our history. We reconnect with the essence of who we are as Filipinos, a people defined by unity and cooperation. The video eloquently states that being Filipino means to care, to share, and to love—values embodied in the concept of bayanihan. This tradition of collective effort is not just a part of our past, but a vital tool for our present. If we embrace bayanihan today, we can confront the challenges we face and work together to secure a brighter future for our country.
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