The celebration honored the 80th anniversary of Filipino President Manuel Luis Quezon’s death. Quezon was the first democratically-elected president of the Philippines and is responsible for the Philippines gaining independence from the U.S. He stayed in Saranac Lake for two summers after he contracted tuberculosis and ultimately died at Camp Massapequa on Lower Saranac Lake in 1944. During his presidency, which continued into his stay in Saranac Lake, Quezon carved out a legacy for himself as one of the Philippines’ most beloved leaders.

The day’s celebrations featured speeches from several dignitaries in the Harrietstown Town Hall, followed by performances by the Montreal Filipino choral ensemble Panday Tinig, Montreal Filipino dance group the Golden Maidens and the KAoS Dance Collective from New York City, directed by Nikaio Bulan Sahar Thomashow, who grew up in Saranac Lake.

Part of Main Street was closed for a Filipino street fair. A model of a colorfully-decorated Filipino jeep, known as a “Jeep-ney,” made by inmates at Adirondack Correctional Facility, was set up on the street. A variety of bands and dance troupes performed at Berkeley Green.

In the afternoon, attendees toured the Historic Saranac Lake Laboratory Museum, where HSL set up a video tour of Camp Massapequa where Quezon died and other exhibits showing various items related to Quezon, including diary experts from Quezon’s last days.

Members of the Filipino American Community of the North Country, who serve Franklin, Essex, St. Lawrence and Clinton counties, pose with their food cart on Main Street Saturday during President Quezon History Day in Saranac Lake. They were serving halo-halo, the unofficial national dessert of the Philippines. They made sure the reporter was first in line for halo-halo after he took the photo. (Enterprise photo — Galen Halasz)

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Honoring a legacy

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The festivities kicked off around 11:30 a.m. at the Harrietstown Town Hall with the U.S. national anthem, sung by local Filipino American Lisa Keegan. Although Keegan said that she was “not a singer,” she led the entire room in belting out the “Star Spangled Banner” to get things going.

Panday Tinig, a Filipino choral ensemble from Montreal, Canada, performed the Philippines national anthem and the Canadian national anthem.

The Brown Sugar Band plays at the Berkeley Green in Saranac Lake for President Quezon History Day Saturday. (Enterprise photo — Galen Halasz)

Filipino American Community of the North Country President Marco Cabillan said a prayer for the celebration to be a “safe and joyous occasion for the Filipino American; Filipino Canadian community” and prayed for “the bonds of friendship between our nations (to) continue to flourish by sharing culture and heritage.”

Historic Saranac Lake Executive Director Amy Catania said she was glad that HSL was finally doing something to celebrate Quezon, after not exploring that history until recently.

“Through this project, we have gradually come to understand a little bit about the complex history and the vibrant cultural diversity of the Philippines and five-and-a-half million Filipino people who call the United States and Canada home today,” she said. “We now count as friends some of the Filipino Americans and Canadians who proudly call the Adirondacks and this region home. When we pay attention to history, a door swings open.”

Sol Kapunan, a leader in the Albany Filipino community and founder of the nonprofit Kalayaan 1521 Council in Albany, talked about the personal significance of the event for him. His family is from General Santos City in the southern Philippines, which Quezon himself sent General Paulino Santos to establish in the 1930s. The street where Kapunan lived as a child was named Luis Quezon Avenue.

Quezon’s many achievements are still cherished by Filipinos to this day, he said.

Filipino Americans Maria and Michelle, from Albany and Saranac Lake respectively, pose on Main Street in Saranac Lake while celebrating President Quezon History Day Saturday. Michelle is a nurse at Adirondack Medical Center in Saranac Lake. (Enterprise photo — Galen Halasz)

“My family went to the south of the Philippines to establish not only a family, but it went on for generations, and until now, we are reaping the benefits of his mission,” Kapunan said. “We have to let everyone know President Quezon is not just a president, he was not just there to sit. He was there to establish something.”

Kapunan went on to describe how Quezon created the first real relationship between the U.S. and the Philippines. Prior to his election, he had been the Philippines resident commissioner in the U.S., and he “continued that friendship,” Kapunan said.

Before his presidency, Quezon had long fought for independence from the U.S., which had been in control of the Philippines since acquiring the country from Spain after the Spanish-American War. As the Philippines were plunged into the thick of World War II, he persisted in that advocacy.

“But that is not something negative,” Kapunan said. “It introduced something really special. We became allies. And the reason that Kalayaan 1521 is here today in front of you all is because we want to continue building allies. We wanted friendship — that friendship — to continue. And today is a big celebration of the Filipino and American friendship.”

He said he hoped the spirit of President Quezon History Day would outlast the present moment and reach far into the future.

Nikaio Bulan Sahar Thomashow’s dance company, KAoS Dance Collective perform their original piece “As the Roots Undo” at the Harrietstown Town Hall for President Quezon History Day Saturday. (Enterprise photo — Galen Halasz)

“It’s for the community. It’s for posterity. It’s for our children to cherish and celebrate,” he said.

Harrietstown town Councilor Tracy Schrader was the first of several speakers to mention how during World War II, Quezon saved 1,300 Jewish people from Nazi persecution by welcoming them into the Philippines, even while other countries, including the U.S., closed their doors.

“It shows what an incredible leader he was,” she said.

Assemblyman Billy Jones, D-Chateaugay Lake, recognized the contributions that Filipinos have made to New York state and expressed his happiness to have a chance to celebrate Filipino culture and heritage. Saranac Lake Mayor Jimmy Williams thanked everyone involved in making the event happen and read a proclamation honoring Quezon made by the village board.

New York state Philippine Consulate General Senan T. Mangalile spoke more in-depth about the history of Quezon. He said that when Japan invaded and occupied the Philippines at the beginning of World War II, Quezon was forced into exile in the United States. That’s how he ended up in Saranac Lake after contracting tuberculosis and coming to the region for the fresh air cure.

The Albany-SINULOG Dance Troupe and Historic Saranac Lake Executive Director Amy Catania pose in the Harrietstown Town Hall during President Quezon History Day celebrations Saturday. (Enterprise photo — Galen Halasz)

Although most people in Saranac Lake may not be aware that Quezon stayed here, a lot more people in the Philippines have heard of Saranac Lake, according to Mangalile.

He said that it was important to remember history.

“The importance of looking back is that it reminds us that we are here and we are what we are today because we stand on the shoulders of giants,” he said.

One of Quezon’s accomplishments was establishing a national language, Filipino. Being an archipelago of 7,641 islands, the Philippines have many spoken languages. Mangalile said when he lived in the country, he could cross a narrow river and be unable to understand the people on the opposite bank. By instituting Filipino as a national language, Quezon wanted to “untie the country into one whole, instead of fragmented parts,” Mangalile said.

Quezon also advocated for women’s suffrage, promoted land reform, created the Philippines parliament and encouraged people’s migration to the less populated Philippines islands for spiritual purposes and to cultivate the land. He also paved the way for a public education system that supported both male and female students, according to Mangalile.

Filipino American Assemblyman Steven Raga, D-Queens, talked about his pride in representing the Filipino community in his district and said that although he was the first Filipino American elected to any level of government in New York, “thanks to Mr. Quezon,” he was “not the first Filipino elected (official) to call New York home.”

The Golden Maidens, a Filipino dance group Montreal whose members are all in their 70s and 80s, took the stage wearing colorful traditional garments and twirling around the stage to jaunty music with a spring in their step.

KAoS, a dance company directed by Nikaio Bulan Sahar Thomashow, performed two original dances.

Thomashow, who brought their dance collective up from New York City for the performance, said that for them, the event had a lot of significance.

“In having grown up here, I feel like as a Filipino American, I was always kind of negotiating parts of myself in order to feel like I could comfortably fit in here, and I never really felt like there was space for all of me,” they said. “It feels so nice to see so many people that look like me, that look like my mother (Lisa Keegan), here.”

Thomashow said it’s important “to find a space where you can invite all of the parts of yourself” and to make a space for others to have that as well. That has been their goal with creating KAoS as a mostly-queer, all-Filipino dance company.

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“Very meaningful”

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Deputy Consul General Adrian Elmer S. Cruz said this event was “very meaningful” for him.

“I lived in Quezon City and that’s why I really wanted to see where our president had stayed in his final years. And Saranac Lake is a very, very beautiful place,” he said.

Maria Pondoc is a Filipino American who lives in Plattsburgh. She has been living in the region for 40 years.

“I really liked the speech — a speaker talked about the history of Manuel Quezon, so I really liked hearing that,” she said. “I’m glad I’m here.”

Yasman Espina, a Filipino American who traveled from Albany with her family for the celebration, said she was excited by the event.

“We decided to just come and see what’s in here; see other Filipinos,” she said.

Catania said that HSL probably won’t be able to make Quezon Day an annual event, but they might do it every five years instead. She hopes to share HSL’s Quezon exhibit with Filipino communities elsewhere.

From left, Regina Josol, Luz French, Brett Uytiepo, Sonia Uytiepo, Sol Kapunan, Maria Citadel Munoz Cruz, Deputy Consul General Adrian Elmer S.Cruz, Consul General Senan T. Mangalile, Assemblyman Billy Jones, Assemblyman Steven Raga, Cheryl Hoyer and Mary Ann Gozen Kapunan pose in the Harrietstown Town Hall before participating in President Quezon History Day Saturday. (Enterprise photo — Galen Halasz)

Filipino American Lisa Keegan of Saranac Lake sings the U.S. national anthem to kick off President Quezon History Day celebrations in the Harrietstown Town Hall Saturday. (Enterprise photo — Galen Halasz)

Sol Kapunan, founder of the Kalayaan 1521 Council, Incorporated for the Albany Filipino community, speaks at the Harrietstown Town Hall for President Quezon History Day Saturday. (Enterprise photo — Galen Halasz)

Historic Saranac Lake Executive Director Amy Catania speaks at the Harrietstown Town Hall Saturday for President Quezon History Day. (Enterprise photo — Galen Halasz)

Filipino American Maria Pondoc of Plattsburgh smiles while waiting in line on Main Street during President Quezon History Day festivities in Saranac Lake Saturday. (Enterprise photo — Galen Halasz)

Pongsky Tenioso hits the high notes at the Berkeley Green in Saranac Lake for President Quezon History Day Saturday. (Enterprise photo — Galen Halasz)