Helping Filipino Americans get in touch with their roots

Drawing the young: The Philippines has long been interested in attracting Filipinos in the US to come and add to the economy, but its incentives have mostly drawn retirees or immigrants catching up with relatives. Today, they are honing in on young Filipino American professionals who live on TikTok and Instagram.— AP

As the head of her own marketing agency in Los Angeles, Shaina Renee Manlangit has made it a mission to elevate Filipino American talent and culture. But, it occurred to her last year, she still had never actually been to the Philippines.

Knowing there were other young Filipino Americans who felt that gap, the 28-year-old promptly “cold-emailed” the Philippine Department of Tourism. That led to her visiting the country in March for the first time.