PIDCI History and Mission

The Philippine Independence Day Council, Inc. (PIDCI) is an umbrella organization of Filipino American associations based on the East Coast. It is principally dedicated to promoting Filipino cultural heritage and traditions through the celebration of the Philippine Independence Day. Hence, the name. But there is more to PIDCI than its name implies.

Since 1990, Filipino American organizations have come together to plan, design, and prepare for an all-day parade, cultural show and street fair along Madison Avenue in New York City that showcase the sounds, the spectacle, the history and cultural heritage of the Filipino people.

The Independence Day Parade started out as one of the many initiatives of the Philippine Consulate General in New York and turned out to be a huge success. It was later widely considered a regular annual project of many Filipino organizations, and a red-letter mainstay in the calendars of many Filipino American homes. Such was the impact and success of the Philippine Independence Day Parade that predictably everyone wanted to take part in it one way or another.

This led the Filipino community to realize that the Independence Day celebration itself had become a point of unity and cooperation among Filipinos. The requirements of sustaining this activity were enormous. But the potential benefit of a more unified Filipino community was obviously worth the effort towards institutionalizing the Philippine Independence Day celebration. Thus, the idea of establishing an organization dedicated to the promotion of Filipino cultural heritage through the Independence Day celebration and to the empowerment of the Filipino community was conceived.

In October 2001, at a meeting called by Consul General Linglingay Lacanlale of the Philippine Consulate General of New York, community leaders voted in a referendum to establish PIDCI and elected those who would undertake the organizational process. Elected were: Sofia Abad, Roger Alama, Lolita Compas, Ramon Constancio, Angie Cruz, Loreto Elgo, Elice Flores, Nilda Jaynal, Nimia Lacebal, Rudy Nicolas, Juliet Payabyab, Honesto Quijano, Cora Reyes, Arnie Rosario, Reuben S. Seguritan, Francis Talangbayan and Lee Vargas.

The frenetic incorporation process culminated on February 14, 2002, when the PIDCI was officially issued its certificate of incorporation as a not-for-profit organization. It was granted tax-exempt status on October 17, 2002.

PIDCI then proceeded to elect its first set of officers. Elected were: President – Reuben S. Seguritan; Vice President – Lolita Compas; Secretary – Angie Cruz; Treasurer – Cora Reyes; Auditor – Honesto Quijano. Chosen Grand Marshal was Fe Martinez while Nena Kaufman was PICC overall chair.

The vision of PIDCI was crystallized in the purpose clause of its Certificate of Incorporation. The purposes of PIDCI, while inevitably related to one another, may be broadly defined as follows: (a) the promotion of Filipino cultural heritage; (b) the reinforcement of mutual cooperation among Filipino American organizations; and (c) the preservation of the rights and interests of Filipino Americans.

The promotion of the Filipino cultural heritage was accomplished through the Independence Day Parade, the Diwa ng Kalayaan pageant, the Grand Marshal Gala, the cultural programs and the Independence Day Ball and Cultural Night. The annual parade has been attended by tens of thousands including top public officials from New York City and New York State and from the Philippines.

While the Independence Day celebration has remained a priority, PIDCI has considered itself an advocate for the empowerment of the Filipino community in the U.S. Its incorporators envisioned PIDCI as an organization aimed to empower the Filipino community.

As an advocate of Filipino rights and interests, PIDCI has been fairly successful in providing relevant and timely information and support where it is needed most. In cooperation with the Philippine Consulate, it has conducted advocacy forums on the rights of immigrants and orientation seminars on new arrivals.

Participation in the above activities by its member organizations has strengthened mutual cooperation, unity and collaboration in the community.

As PIDCI continues to expand its membership, it is raring to explore opportunities to serve the Filipino community. The Filipino community can look ahead with pride and anticipation as PIDCI takes on a more active part in working for the well-being of migrant Filipinos in the U.S.

The presidents of PIDCI since its incorporation are: Reuben Seguritan (Founding President), Roger Alama (2003-2004), Nirma Lacebal (2004-2005), Gani Puertollano (2005-2007), Raul Estrellado (2007-2008), Gerry Austria (2008-2009), Bernie dela Merced (2009-2010), Joji Jalandoni (2010-2011), and Fe Martinez (2011-2012).