Ilocano people

Two theories are prominent among historians regarding the spread of what historians call the Austronesian peoples.

• A theory posted by the anthropologist Henry Otley Beyer, known as the Wave of Migration Theory, posits that from 300 to 200 BC[6] a migration of Austronesian speaking people from the island of Borneo arrived on the shores of northwest Luzon. They were supposedly the most recent of the three waves of migration to the Philippines known as the Malays. Before the arrival of these people, the inhabitants of northwest Luzon were a different Austronesian speaking people called the proto-Malay group, consisting of the modern Tinguian, Isneg, Kalinga, Kankanaey, Bontoc and other tribes collectively known today as the Igorot. Prior to the arrival of the Igorot were the people known today as the Aeta or Negritos. Different studies show that the Ilocanos came to the Northwestern Luzon along with the Kalingas, Apayaos, and Tingguians.[7] Over time, the Malay people intermarried with the proto-Malay and/or Aeta people, and it is their descendants who lived along the coasts of Northwestern Luzon that the Spanish first came in contact with and called Ilocanos.
• Nowadays, the most commonly accepted theory is the "Out of Taiwan" model. In this model, it is suggested that the ancestors of today's Austronesian peoples originated from migrations from the island of Taiwan during the Neolithic period.

While Spain applied the term barangay to the settlements in the Ilocos region upon contact, the Ilocano people called their towns, íli, and a smaller group of houses, purók.[8]

These residents of the íli were organized in a class society. At the top of the class system was a chief or agtúray or ári and his family. The ári earned his position due to strength, wealth and or wisdom.[9] This position could also be inherited and usually reserved for a male; however, in the event that no male heir was available, a strong female heir was accepted.[10]

If the heir was found to be weak by the íli, then another ári family would be put in place and the former ári family could fall down in class. Together with a community of elders called amáen or panglakáyen íli, the ári administered justice and governed the daily lives of the íli and led his/her people to war if necessary.

Below the ári were the wealthy babaknáng, or Maharlika in Tagalog, some of whom could easily move into the position of ári. Their wealth was maintained by their control of trade with primarily the Chinese, Japanese, Igorots, and the Tagalogs. Goods often traded were rice, cotton, gold, wax, iron, glass beads, honey, and stoneware jars called burnáy.

Below the babaknáng were the kailianes, a class that helped the ári in sailing, working his/her fields, and preparing for celebrations. In exchange, the kailianes were given gifts directly from the ári.[11]

The katalonan were below the babaknáng and the kailianes and they were tenant farmers who consisted of the majority of the population in an íli. They largely practiced wet-rice agriculture which included rice and taro as well as dry agriculture that included cotton.

At the bottom of the pre-colonial Ilocano society were the ubíng and below them, the tagábu, also called "adípen". The ubíng were servants while the tagábu were slaves. The tagábu acquired their status through unresolved debt, insulting a member of the babaknáng or ári, by being prisoners of war, or even inheriting the debt of their ancestor.[12]

An Ilocano woman and man wearing kattukong and annangá, circa 1820s.

Both Ilocano men and women grew their hair long, but tied it up in different ways. Some women twisted their hair to create a bun, while some men twisted their hair and hid it under a turban like wrapping called a bangal or potong. The patterns and colors of the bangal had many meanings. For example, red potong indicated that the wearer had killed, while a striped pattern indicated that the wearer killed at least seven people.[13] In addition to the bangal, farmers and fishermen also wore a gourd hat called a kattukong[14] on sunny or rainy days. The kattukong was made from a hollowed and dried calabash gourd or tabúngaw in Ilocano with a woven interior made of anahaw, nipa, bamboo, and/or rattan. Also often worn during rainy days was a cape called a annangá, also called "lábig" or "kalapiáw", which was often made of nipa palm leaves.

The Spanish conquistador Juan de Salcedo explored the northern regions of the Philippines in 1571, where he traveled to the Ilocos region (among other places), colonizing the North, and establishing several Spanish municipalities, including Villa Fernandina known as Vigan City in the present time and Tagudin.

In 1660, Andres Malong, a chief of San Carlos, Pangasinan or Binalatongan as it was called then, allied with the people of Zambales in an effort to remove the Spanish colonizers and subdue those who supported Spain. Malong was formerly employed by the Spanish to help colonize non-Christian towns and villages in Pangasinan, however, as Malong subjugated others, he realized he could also overcome the outnumbered Spanish.

With his Zambales allies, Malong crowned himself the king of Pangasinan and sent out letters to all the chiefs of the Ilocos Region, Pampanga and Cagayan Valley and demanded that they too align and recognize Malong as their king and kill any Spaniards among them. If they did not, Malong warned that he would invade and punish them for not joining his cause.[15]

Unlike Pangasinan and the Zambales, The Ilocos at the time was a region that the Spanish invested its soldiers and missionaries in and routinely secured. Towns such as Vigan, Ilocos Sur and Tagudin, Ilocos Sur were quickly conquered by the Spanish encomiendas, fortifications and Catholic churches quickly established to subjugate the Ilocano people into the Spanish Empire. The Spanish were swift in this process to stake their claim on the region's gold trade with the Igorots.[16] They sought to prevent Chinese and Japanese pirates and different European powers such as the Dutch or English from taking these trade routes. Considering this relatively recent history with the Spanish and primarily under the influence of Catholic missionaries, many of the Ilocano chiefs rejected Andres Malong's offer.

Ilocano merchants in the mid-19th century.

In response to their rejection, Malong sent a Zambales chief named Don Pedro Gumapos, who had recently conquered the Pampanga region with 6,000 men, to invade the Ilocos as well as Cagayan regions. Gumapos and his men were met with only 1,500 Spanish loyalist Ilocanos under the command of the alcalde mayor of the region and even missionaries. As such, the Zambales and Pangasinese army quickly defeated them and marched as far north as Vigan, Ilocos Sur where they sacked and burned the Spanish stronghold and nearby villages. With many of the Spanish missionaries and colonial authorities in Ilocos evacuated and/or in retreat, Malong then asked Gumapos to assist him in Pangasinan, where the Spanish were beginning to advance on him. As Gumapos and his troops traveled back down through Narvacan, Ilocos Sur, they continued to raid Ilocano towns and villages for supplies. Ultimately, the people of Narvacan responded with guerrilla tactics aided by their Tinguian allies.[17] This retaliation by the Ilocano people was devastating and caused more fatalities on Gumapos' army than with the Spanish lead Ilocano forces.

As the invading army headed south, they sacked and/or burned the coastal towns of Santa Maria, Ilocos Sur, San Esteban, Ilocos Sur, Santiago, Ilocos Sur and Candon, Ilocos Sur. When they finally approached Santa Cruz, Ilocos Sur, Gumapos encountered a Spanish led army who had just finished reconquering Pangasinan and captured Andres Malong. Despite learning of Malong's defeat, Gumapos led his army to battle. Gumapos and his army were defeated after two large battles. After being captured, Gumapos was sent back to Vigan, Ilocos Sur where he was executed by hanging.[18] The Ilocos Region would not see another revolt against the Spanish until 1762.

The Basi Revolt, “also known as Ambaristo Revolt,” erupted on September 16, 1807 in the present-day town of Piddig, Ilocos Norte. Led by Pedro Mateo a “cabeza de barangay” of Piddig and Saralogo Ambaristo an Ilocano and Tinguian and composed of townspeople from Piddig, Badoc, Sarrat, Laoag, Sinait, Cabugao, Magsingal and other towns of Ilocos, they marched under their own flag of yellow and red horizontal bands and made their way southward towards the provincial capital of Vigan to protest against the abuses of the Spanish colonial government.

Historical accounts said in the year 1786, It began as a result of the people’s frustration over the “Basi”  (the local beverage of the Ilocos, where it has been consumed even before the Spanish conquest) Wine Monopoly imposed by the Spanish Colonial government and prohibited the private manufacture of basi, forcing Ilocanos to buy from government stores. It was a draconian colonial policy that deeply impacted both the economy and the culture of the Ilocanos.

Even before the arrival of the Spaniards, Basi was an important part of the Ilocanos' society and culture. Drinking Basi plays such a great importance in Ilocano culture, from marriage to childbirth and to death, it is a part of their ritual, tradition, and daily life; It's also one of the things that brings happiness to Ilocano people especially the masses despite the cruelty of colonialism. Basi was a major industry in the Ilocos Region at that time, therefore in addition to the grief of Ilocanos had also lost their livelihood, in other words, they had been robbed of their happiness as well as an essential part of their culture and heritage.

Fueled by these abuses, the wine-loving Ilocanos were then prompted to start the uprising in Piddig town and later spread in the northern and southern towns of Ilocos province. On September 28, 1807, Ilocano forces on their way to the capital "Ciudad Fernandina de Vigan" were assassinated by Spanish forces while crossing the Bantaoay River in San Ildefonso, Ilocos Sur, resulting in the deaths of hundreds of Ilocano forces. Those who survived the battle were hanged and their heads pierced with wooden poles and flagged by the Spaniards as a warning to anyone who wanted to strike and fight against the Spaniards.

The Basi Revolt lasted for 13 days and almost liberated Ilocos from colonialism. The series of unrest also led the colonial government to divide the province into the now Ilocos Norte and Ilocos Sur. Despite failing to attain their ultimate goal of liberation for Ilocanos, the Basi Revolt succeeded in inspiring future movements for justice and freedom in Northern Luzon.[19]

In 1901, the region came under American colonial rule, and in 1941, under Japanese occupation.

During 1945, the combined American and the Philippine Commonwealth troops including with the Ilocano and Pangasinan guerillas liberated the Ilocos Region from Japanese forces during the Second World War.

Several modern presidents of the Republic of the Philippines hailed from the Region: Elpidio Quirino, Ferdinand Marcos. Marcos expanded the scope of the original Ilocos Region by transferring the province of Pangasinan from Region III into Region I in 1973, and imposed a migration policy for Ilokanos into Pangasinan;[20] He also expanded Ilokano influence amongst the ethnic peoples of the Cordilleras by including Abra, Mountain Province, and Benguet in the Ilocos region in 1973,[21] although these were later integrated into the Cordillera Administrative Region in 1987. A third "Ilocano" President, Fidel V. Ramos, hailed from Pangasinan.

Ilocanos were also among the victims of human rights violations during the martial law era which began in September 1972, despite public perception that the region was supportive of Marcos' administration.[22] In Ilocos Norte, various farmers from the towns of Vintar, Dumalneg, Solsona, Marcos and Piddig were documented to have been tortured,[22] and eight farmers in Bangui and three indigenous community members in Vintar were "salvaged" in 1984.[22]

Ilocanos who were critical of Marcos' authoritarian rule included Roman Catholic Archbishop and Agoo, La Union native Antonio L. Mabutas, who spoke actively against the torture and killings of church workers.[23][24] Others were student activists student activists Romulo and Armando Palabay of San Fernando, La Union, whose torture and death in a Military camp in Pampanga would lead to then being honored as martyrs of the fight against the dictatorship at the Philippines' Bantayog ng mga Bayani memorial.[25] Another prominent opponent of the martial law regime was human rights advocate and Bombo Radyo Laoag program host David Bueno, who worked with the Free Legal Assistance Group in Ilocos Norte during the later part of the Marcos administration and the early part of the succeeding Aquino administration. Bueno was assassinated by motorcycle-riding men in fatigue uniforms on October 22, 1987 – part of a wave of assassinations which coincided with the 1986–87 coup d'etat which tried to unseat the democratic government set up after the 1986 People Power Revolution.[26][27]

Ilocandia is the term given to the traditional homeland of the Ilocano people, which constitutes present-day Ilocos Norte and the northern portions of Ilocos Sur, hence in early history and early Ilocano inhabitants of the region called their place as “samtoy”, from “sao mi toy”, which literally meant "our language here" in Iloco Language.

The mounting population pressure due to the substantial population density during the mid-19th century caused the migration of the Ilocanos out of their traditional homeland. By 1903, more than 290,000 Ilocanos migrated to Central Luzon, Cagayan Valley, and Metro Manila. More than 180,000 moved to the provinces of Pangasinan, Tarlac, and Nueva Ecija. Almost 50,000 moved to Cagayan Valley; half of them resided in Isabela. Around 47,000 lived in Zambales and more than 11,000 in Sultan Kudarat.

Later migrations brought Ilocanos to the Cordilleras, Mindoro, Palawan, and Mindanao provinces[29] of Sultan Kudarat, North Cotabato, and South Cotabato.

The Ilocano diaspora continued in 1906 when Ilocanos started to migrate to Hawaii and California. They are called the “Manongs”[30] or “Sakadas”, the first generation of Filipino immigrants to the United States of America, primarily in California and Hawaii. In Iloco, the term "manong" is loosely used to refer to an elderly gentleman. Sakadas "imported ones" “lower-paid workers recruited out of the area” and a term for “migrant workers” in and from the Philippines, doing manual agricultural labor. Within the Philippines, sakadas work in provinces other than their own. In the 20th century, Filipino men were imported by the Hawaiian Sugar Planters' Association to work in the sugarcane and pineapple fields to Hawaii as "skilled laborers" from 1906 to 1946 mainly from the Ilocos region of the Philippines to seek their fate, or “gasat” in Iloco, for a better life for themselves and their families.

The Hawaiian Sugar Planters' Association approved a plan to recruit labor from the Philippines in April 1906 and asked Albert F. Judd to represent them. The first Filipino farm laborers in Hawaii arrived in December 1906 from Candon, Ilocos Sur, aboard the SS Doric (1883).[31]

Ilocanos composed the largest number of expatriates in the United States, though most are bilingual with Tagalog. There is a significant Ilocano community in Hawai'i, in which they make up more than 85% of the Filipino population there.[32]

Prior to the arrival of the Spanish, Ilocanos were animists who believed in spirits called anito who were either bad or good, male or female. The anito ruled over all aspects of the universe. For example, “Litao” were anitos of water, “Kaibáan”, also called “Kanibáan”, were anitos of the undergrowth in a forest, and “Mangmangkik” were anitos of trees. The Mangmangkik were often feared for causing sickness when a fellow tree was cut down. To appease the Mangmangkik before cutting down a tree, the following chant was made:

Bari Bari.

Dikat agunget pari.

Ta pumukan kami.

Iti pabakirda kadakami.

This chant calls on the Mangmangkik and beseeches them not to curse the people cutting the tree down.[34] Similar chants and phrases are uttered to appease the Kaibáan when hot cooking water is thrown out into the yard for disposal. The Kaibáan can be befriended, giving luck and blessing to the person. Likewise, if a Kaibáan is angered, illness and in some cases death would plague the person's health and family.

Other ways anitos were respected and appeased were through offerings and sacrifices to idols on platforms called a simbaan or designated caves where the anito frequents. These offerings, called atang', consisted of various foodstuffs and sweets, as well as cigars and “paan”.

“Atang” is also offered to the deceased during prayers for the dead or on “Pista Ti Natay” ,“Undas” or All Soul's Day. Plates of food prepared for an atang consist of delicacies such as suman, dudul, linapet, baduya, patopat or balisongsong (snacks made from sticky rice or rice flour); busi (caramelized popped rice); linga (black sesame seeds); sticky rice with coconut milk; and bagas (uncooked rice) shaped in a crucifix and topped with fresh eggs. The food may also be accompanied by bua ken gawed (betel nut and piper leaf), apog (lime powder), basi (fermented sugarcane wine), and tabako (tobacco). These offerings are placed in front of a photo of the departed and/or image of Jesus, Mary, or the Holy Family during wakes and anniversaries in homes or in front of the graves, after which the family and/or mourners of the deceased may also offer prayers. [35]

Ilocanos believe that the soul has not yet left the world of the living during the wake and still needs sustenance, hence the offering of food as they transcend onto the afterlife. It is also believed that the soul returns to the land of the living after the 9-day wake and must be welcomed back. In instances when the deceased appears in a dream or when a family member suddenly experiences unexplainable sickness, atang is performed as an appeasement ritual for the deceased who may have been offended or disturbed. It is also interpreted as asking the deceased to intercede for their loved ones, and thanking them for warning against bad omen through dreams. Clearly, the significance of the atang for the Ilocanos goes beyond the remembrance and honoring of the dead loved ones. It connotes their view of life after death and the relation of the living to the departed.[36]

Another practice that survived well into the 19th century was 'sibróng', associated with human sacrifice and headhunting, sibróng was a prevalent practice in the Ilocos region. The person who carried out the executions was called the 'mannibróng'; this term now means 'thief' in modern Ilocano. Before the death of a community leader or a member of the Principalía, the dying person would lift his hand raised with a certain number of fingers. The number of fingers raised would be the indicator of how many people would have to be killed in order to accompany the dying to the afterlife. In other cases, the people chosen by the mannibróng would have their fingers cut off instead of being executed. Síbrong can also refer to the practice of placing a human head in the foundations of the building to protect the structure from damage.[37][38]

Pinakbet, one of the staples of the Ilocano diet.

Ilocanos boast of a somewhat healthy diet heavy in boiled or steamed vegetables and freshwater fish, but are particularly fond of dishes flavored with “bugguong”, fermented fish that is often used instead of salt. Most people are unaware that Ilocano cuisine arose out of necessity. Due to the severe conditions of the region, Ilocanos had no choice but to make do with what they had, including the bitterest bitter gourd! Ilocandia is known for its strong culinary traditions all around the country. It's an island-strewn, salt-loving, porcine-dominated regional cuisine known for its delectable dishes.

Ilocanos have unwavering loyalty for its “sukang Iloko” (sugarcane vinegar), bugguong (fish or shrimp paste), bawang (garlic), and meats with a crispy finish. They always find ways to turn the most basic of ingredients into something spectacular, whether it's with naughty-sounding vegetable names or artery-clogging meat dishes.

Ilocanos often season boiled vegetables with bugguong monamon (fermented anchovy paste) to produce pinakbet, dinengdeng, inabraw, buridibod and many others local dishesh. Local specialties include the abuos, soft white larvae of ants, and "jumping salad" or tiny, live shrimp with kalamansi juice.

Dinakdakan[40] made from masskara or grilled pig's head parts and offal, blended with lasoná or sibuyas and pig's brain, Insarabasab[41] made out of chopped flame grilled pork mixed with chillies, lasoná or sibuyas (onion) sukang Iloko (vinegar) and other spices, Ilocos Empanada [42]an orange-tinged “glutinous rice flour with atsuete” fried dish stuffed with vegetables or green papaya, skinless longganisa, and egg., Bagnet a pork belly boiled and deep fried until it is crispy “chicharon” , Poqui Poqui made of eggplant, tomatoes, and eggs., Igado a strips of meat, liver, and other internal organs such as kidney, heart, and intestines, this dish reflects the influence of the Spanish cuisine, from “higado”., Pinapaitan[43] (composed of cow or goat innards and bile), Sinanglaw[44] (beef innards, tendon, face and bile), and Dinardaraan[45] (dry pork blood stew) are another popular dish among among Ilocanos and Filipinos.

Another food that is popular for many Ilocanos is “marunggay”. It is a good condiment for meat soup called la'uya (e.g. tinola) or it can be mixed with the famous dinengdeng, a soup made of mainly vegetables with prawn aramang or armang. Most households grow this tree in their backyards and usually offered free for all the neighbors who may want them. Many Ilocanos from Hawai'i are fond of eating them. The Ilocano people are also known to be the first ethnic group in the Philippines to eat the larvae and eggs of abuos (weaver ants). The practice has since been infused as well with other ethnic groups in northern Luzon.[46]

Ilocano animistic past offers a rich background in folklore, mythology and superstition (see Religion in the Philippines). There are many stories of good and malevolent spirits and beings. Its creation mythology centers on the giants “Aran” and her husband “Angalo”, and “Namarsua” (the Creator).

One of the most well-known Ilocano literary works written in Iloco is the “Biag ni Lam-Ang”(The Life of Lam-Ang), an epic poem about the fantastic life and escapades of an Ilocano hero named Lam-ang. "Biag ni Lam-ang" is a testament in the Ilocano literature, It reflects values important to traditional Ilokano society; it is a hero's journey steeped in courage, loyalty, pragmatism, honor, and ancestral and familial bonds. The Ilocano writer Elizabeth Medina is probably the most remarkable living Ilocano writer in the Spanish language.

Ilocano culture revolves around life rituals, festivities, and oral history. These were celebrated in songs “kankanta”, dances “salsala”, poems “dandaniw), riddles “burburtia”, proverbs “pagsasao”, literary verbal jousts called “bucanegan” (named after the writer Pedro Bucaneg, and is the equivalent of the Balagtasan of the Tagalogs), and epic stories.

The Ilokano people had their indigenous writing system and script known as “kur-itan”. There have been proposals to revive the kur-itan script by teaching it in Ilokano-majority public and private schools in Ilocos Norte and Ilocos Sur.[47]

Pre-colonial Ilocano people of all classes wrote in a syllabic system known as Baybayin prior to European arrival. They used a system that is termed as an “abugida”, or an alphasyllabary. It was similar to the Tagalog and Pangasinan scripts, where each character represented a consonant-vowel, or CV, sequence. The Ilocano version, however, was the first to designate coda consonants with a diacritic mark – a cross or virama – shown in the Doctrina Cristiana of 1621, one of the earliest surviving Ilokano publications. Before the addition of the virama, writers had no way to designate coda consonants. The reader, on the other hand, had to guess whether a consonant not succeeding a vowel is read or not, for it is not written. Vowel kudlits interchange between e or i, and o or u. Due to this, vowels "e" and "i" are interchangeable and letters "o" and "u", for instance "tendera" and "tindira" (shop-assistant).

Even before the coming of the Spaniards, the Ilocano people of Northern Luzon were already crafting tools and objects that describe their culture and civilization. Prior to the Spanish colonization that westernized the Ilocano people, the Ilocanos already invented the Dadapilan (a tool use for crushing sugarcane). Other cultural items includes tilar (native loom), dulang (low table), abel/inabel[48] (textile), burnay[49] (native jar), almiris, (mortar), maguey products, panday (blacksmith), and sag-ut (cotton yarn). The Ilocanos of Northern Luzon are one of the ethnolinguistic groups of the Philippines that was colonized by Spaniards but preserved some of its indigenous arts.

• Gregorio C. Brillantes from Camiling, Tarlac, a multi-award-winning fiction writer and magazine editor, is one of the Philippines' greatest writers in English.
• Onofre Corpuz, from Camiling, Tarlac, writer and former secretary of the Department of Education; 13th president of the University of the Philippines; president of the Development Bank of the Philippines.
• Ramon Magsaysay, 7th President of the Philippines, from Iba, Zambales.
• JB Magsaysay, Pinoy Big Brother (season 1) housemate and grandson of former President Ramon Magsaysay.
• Nicanor Reyes Sr., founder and first president of the Far Eastern University in Manila. He envisioned a school that would promote the teaching of accounting to Filipinos, a profession formerly available only to foreigners. His hometown was Paniqui, Tarlac.
• Ruby Rodriguez from San Marcelino, Zambales is a Filipina actress and a co-host of the television variety show Eat Bulaga! in the Philippines.
• Paulino Santos, from Camiling, Tarlac, a former chief of staff of the Philippine Army during the time of Philippine President Manuel Luis Quezon; founder of Penal Colonies and a Philippine Constabulary Second Lieutenant.

• Anne Curtis, Filipina actress, Her mother is Ilocano from Pangasinan.[77]
• Jasmine Curtis-Smith Filipina actress, younger sister of anne curtis.
• Jhong Hilario, Filipino actor/host/dancer[78]
• Danny Ildefonso a professional basketball player who played in San Miguel Beerman, now Petron Blaze Boosters who won 8 PBA championships and 2 MVP's and rookie of the year award in 1998. He is fluent in Ilocano. He is from Urdaneta City, Pangasinan.
• Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, daughter of *Eva Macapagal, who is from Pangasinan.
• Fidel V. Ramos, 12th President of the Philippines (1992–1998) from Lingayen, Pangasinan
• Carmen Rosales, actress Pangasinan

• John Leo Dato, Filipino-American boxer
• Matthew Libatique, an American Hollywood cinematographer and Oscar nominee, best known for his work with director Darren Aronofsky on such films as A Star is Born, Iron Man 1 and Iron Man 2, Inside Man, Miracle at St. Anna, Gothika, Cowboys & Aliens, π, Requiem for a Dream, The Fountain and Black Swan
• Jasmine Trias, 3rd-place winner in American Idol Season 3.
• Jocelyn Enriquez, singer in the Dance Music Genre who did the hit songs A Little Bit Of Ectasy and Do You Miss Me.
• Benny Agbayani, professional baseball player.
• Larry Ramos (born Hilario Ramos on April 19, 1942 in Hawaii), professional guitar player and singer who was awarded a Grammy for his participation in the 1962 album, Presenting The New Christy Minstrels, and who was a key part of the 1960s American pop band the Association.
• Thelma Buchholdt, J.D., elected member, Alaska State House of Representatives (1974–1982).
• Carlos Bulosan, Binalonan, Pangasinan-born novelist and poet best-known today for his novel America Is in the Heart[79]
• David Bunevacz, athlete.
• Mikey Bustos, YouTube star and Canadian Idol finalist.[80]
• Ben Cayetano, 5th Governor of Hawaii (1994–2002).
• Philip Vera Cruz, labor union leader.
• Emil Guillermo, journalist and 2000 American Book Award winner.
• Gina Ortiz Jones, Filipina-American Iraq War veteran, intelligence officer and politician.[81]
• Ana "The Hurricane" Julaton (from Pozorrubio, Pangasinan) is a boxer. She won the San Francisco Golden Gloves, the California State Championships, was a Diamond Belt champion and closed out her amateur career by winning the silver medal in the United States Amateur Championships. As a professional boxer, Julation is close to the top in winning world titles with the fewest professional bouts. As of 2010, she is a world-title holder of the International Boxing Association and the World Boxing Organization.[82][83]
• Lt. Gen. Edward Soriano, first Filipino American General of the US Army (ret).
• Maj. Gen. Antonio Taguba, second Fil-Am General of the US Army.
• Brian Viloria, light flyweight boxing champion.
• PJ Raval, Fil-Am filmmaker and director of the feature documentary Call Her Ganda about the murder of Jennifer Laude by US Marine Joseph Scott Pemberton.
• Bretman Rock, a YouTube star, his parents were from Cagayan Valley, and now currently living in Hawaii.
• Vincent Bueno, Austrian singer who represented Austria in the 65th Eurovision song contest.