PH Consul General in Honolulu Lauds Filipino American Youth for Trailblazing a Statewide Filipino History and Culture Course

In a file photo, Consul General Emil Fernandez is shown with student collaborators of the Filipino Curriculum Project, led by Marissa Halagao (third from right) last February 17, who presented developments on the then-proposed Social Studies course on Filipino history and culture to be offered to public high schools in Hawaii.

HONOLULU 03 November 2023 – Consul General Emil Fernandez lauded the Filipino Curriculum Project (FCP) for its successful efforts in ensuring the approval of a statewide high school Social Studies course on Filipino history and culture. 

“This is indeed an achievement that our Filipino American youth can be proud of.  With Filipinos as the largest ethnic group in the State of Hawaii, including its public schools, I am confident the course will make a positive impact in further advancing Filipinos’ identity, representation, and empowerment,” Consul General Fernandez said.  

The Consul General also noted that the Hawai‘i Department of Education is the first school district in the United States to approve a statewide high school Social Studies course on Filipino history and culture. 

Spearheaded by then Punahou School sophomore Marissa Halagao in 2021 and now a freshman at Yale University, high school students from private and public high schools across Oahu supported the project and collaborated with educators to design the course. 

Officially designated as CHR 2300 Filipino History Culture by the Hawaii Department of Education, the course focuses on six thematic units: identity; Philippine history; culture and connections; Filipinos in Hawaiʻi and in the United States; Philippines in an interconnected world; and community engagement and civic action. 

The first two schools to launch the Filipino History Culture course will be Farrington High School and Waipahu High School, whose student populations are majority Filipino.

Students may register for the class this fall, and classes will begin in Fall 2024. Professional development for educators to teach the class or integrate content into their curriculum will be offered by University of Hawai‘i professors and community members, and is tentatively planned for June 3 to 6, 2024.

For more information on the Filipino History Culture course and the Filipino Curriculum Project, contact Marissa Halagao (founder) or Raymart Billote (co-director) at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., or visit www.filipinocurriculumproject.com. END

For more information, visit  https://www.honolulupcg.dfa.gov.ph, https://www.facebook.com/PHinHonolulu/, https://twitter.com/PHinHonolulu or https://www.instagram.com/phinhonolulu/.