iLaing3 Ilokano Immersion Trip

iLaing 3 is a group of students of all ages dedicated to reclaiming and perpetuating the native language of our ancestors: Ilokano. We represent a diverse group of 1st, 2nd and 3rd generation Filipino-Americans. Some of use grew up with Ilokano at home but were encouraged to speak in Tagalog or English. Some of us grew up without any exposure to our native tongue and are returning now to rediscover the benefits of our cultural awareness. Some of us are taking class with our sisters or grandmothers!

We have the unique opportunity of attending a two-week Ilokano immersion program in August 2018 through the Ilocos Sur and Norte regions in the northern Philippines. While we are sponsored by Philippine Airlines, the Philippine Consulate General of Hawai'i and the Filipino Community Center in Waipahu, we still need funds to help cover costs of travel.

We will be producing a book of our reflections, poems, photographs, and experiences in both English and Ilokano to share as a gift in return for your support. The book will also be used as a text for future Ilokano classes.


Loss of language is loss of culture. The use of English and Tagalog as the primary national languages has caused generations of young people to be separated from their native tongues and the cultural richness that lives within their language. Many students are still forbidden from speaking indigenous languages in school, leading parents to stop speaking to their children in their native tongue altogether.

90% of the Filipino community in Hawai'i comes from the Ilocos region and 25% of the population of Hawai'i is of Filipino descent. The need for Ilokano language skills in the medical field, the courts, social services, and in schools, is an absolute necessity. We are lucky to live in a place that appreciates language diversity, now we need to continue to support the growth of practitioners on a professional level.

We are students, teachers, artists, social workers, sons, daughters, grandsons, and granddaughters. What has brought us together as a group is our commitment to studying our culture and its relevance in the face of a rapidly globalizing world.

We are reaching out to our community for your support.

The funds will be used towards the following costs:

- Transportation to & from the Philippines - $874/person. We are trying to raise enough to give everyone ~$200 off of their ticket

- Printing & binding of final book - $400

Agyamanak unay-unay and Mahalo to our professor Dr. Aurelio Agcaoili, the FilCom Center, Laoagueños of Hawai'i, Candonians of Hawai'i, the Consulate General of Honolulu and all the other supporters of our studies.