Kollective Hustle‘s Website Launch Party was lit! The event hosted by Romeo Marques Jr., had your favorite Filipino artists, DJs, and personalities all stopping by to show some love:

• SOSUPERSAM
• Manila Killa
• Kiana V
• Jeremy Passion
• Hirie
• Gabe Bondoc
• Miles Medina
• Jen Deleon
• Illmind
• Guapdad 4000
• Nadine Lustre

The Hustle Mission was the outline for the two and a half hour kickoff event:

• Collaboration Over Competition
• Empower the Emerging
• Inspire and Educate
• Community is Our Strength

Each section mixed interviews and DJ sets with conversations between SOSUPERSAM and Jen Deleon and our very own Roslynn chatting with Guapdad 4000 and Illmind. Plus we were stoked to see Passion and Gabe Bondoc singing the Filipino national anthem, Lemonade together! It was a reunion of half of #CatchingOneLemonade.

Kollective Hustle is all about “uniting the emerging generation of Filipinos in transforming their ideas into action, passion into profession, creativity into careers, and to inspire a global culture of collaboration.” We hope you were just as inspired as we are! Keep up to date with news or get involved at kollectivehustle.com

JR Aquino is a singer/songwriter from Anchorage Alaska who now resides in Las Vegas, Nevada. He was in the Top 44 of American Idol: Season 4 and was a member of Team Ceel-Lo on The Voice: Season 3. He continues to create and produce music to positively impact people all around the world.

In this Hustle With Purpose episode, JR Aquino talks about how we started as a musician, his career journey, and what he’s doing now in his music career.

Follow JR Aquino:

Instagram: @JrAquino

Youtube: @JRAquinoMusic

Facebook: @JRAquinoMusic

Twitter: @JRAquino

Follow Kollective Hustle:

Instagram: @Kollective_Hustle

Facebook: @KollectiveHustle

Youtube.com: @KollectiveHustle

The 35th Annual Friendship Games is presented by myx, Kollective Hustle & KUMU featuring amazing headlining performers like Kolohe Kai, JR Aquino, Cedrice & Nieman. It is the largest student-run Pilipinx American annual event in the nation, hosted by @pasakaibigan of Cal State Fullerton, October 23-24, 2020 at 5 P.M LIVE on CSUFPASA on the KUMU live-streaming app & YouTube. Last year myx & Kollective Hustle helped bring social media superstars Ceraadi & Jeremy Passion to perform for the 5,000+ crowd and the tradition will continue with the best in Filipino talent.

Headlining Artist Schedule: 10/23: Kolohe Kai & Cedrice 8P PDT | 10/24: JR Aquino & Nieman 8P PDT

ABOUT FRIENDSHIP GAMES:

Friendship Games began in 1985 and features over 40 Pilipinx American student organizations from college campuses representing California, Nevada, and Arizona that participate in a day of friendly, but competitive picnic games, performances and to celebrate “S.P.U.F” – Spirit, Pride, Unity, and Friendship. Schools compete for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place trophies. The school that shows the most S.P.U.F is awarded an 8-foot tall trophy!

The very first champion of the picnic games, Kasama, hailed from Mt. San Antonio College.

Thirty-five years later, Friendship Games has become the highlight event of the Pilipinx-American college experience.

Is your organization going to take home the 8-foot trophy this year?

THE PURPOSE

The purpose of Friendship Games is to dedicate a time and place where people of different backgrounds can come together to celebrate and learn about Pilipinx culture. Along with that, many of those who are already a part of the Pilipinx culture can come together to share their own experiences with the rest of the Pilipinx-American community. This is achieved by using many modern ways to integrate as many people possible such as visual arts, vendors, exhibitors, and special performances.

CULTURAL SIGNIFICANCE

1. Spirit, Pride, Unity, and Friendship (S.P.U.F) is a form of celebration derived from many indigenous tribes that are a part of the Philippines. Such tribes would use chant-like expressions to communicate with one another. Schools compete to have the most S.P.U.F and they are mimicking the expressions of these tribes by creating their own cheers. A special tradition that comes along with that is the exchange of gifts so that they can share their spirit, pride, unity, and friendship with everyone.
2. On the day of Friendship Games, the attendees will be able to enjoy and learn about the many aspects of Pilipinx culture. One of the main sources is the different vendors and exhibitors that are present at the event. Attendees will be able to enjoy food as they learn about the Pilipinx-American community at Friendship Games. Through this, attendees will have the option to learn more about Pilipinx culture both at a local and global level.
3. One of the main values in Pilipinx culture is being family-orientated. In our history, laborers were forced to work together to reach one common goal at the end of the day. All the organizations that come to participate help showcase this aspect since they uphold the family value of respecting one another and working together. Everyone is encouraged to participate or learn about the different family values surrounded by Pilipinx culture. This value is demonstrated by competing in S.P.U.F and the five unique picnic games we created.
4. Music and dance play a prominent role in Pilipinx culture. Dancing is a way to tell the story of our culture through various styles; however, at FG, we mostly focus on modern dance. Through roll call and Infinite PASAbilities, FG celebrates the modern style of dance through upbeat performances in a positive environment. In 2019, a cultural aspect was required for all roll call performances. For the halftime show, we do our best to select performances that are relevant to our community. Halftime performers are required to explain their cultural significance in their performer application. American culture has influenced traditional music and it is constantly evolving – just like how Friendship Games is evolving every year.

CSUF PASA Kaibigan’s Mission Statement

The Pilipinx-American Student Association at California State University, Fullerton, is a student based group set out on promoting Pilipinx unity through education, responsibility, and character. This is accomplished with good communication, organization, leadership, recruitment and retention. By teaching Pilipinx culture among the youth, we aim to build Integrity & Friendship, so that one day they themselves can make a difference.

Visit www.csufpasa.com for more information.

Eugene Tejada spent the first part of his career as a bench player for the Alaska Aces, having been drafted in the 2003 rookie class of the PBA draft. He got his big break in 2006 with the Purefoods Chunkee Giants, where he became a candidate for Most Improved Player of the year.

His life changed because of a freak accident on a Mother’s Day game in 2006, when he fractured his c5-c6 neck vertebrae and became paralyzed from the neck down. In his upcoming book, Ready to Rise: From Paralysis to Liberation, Eugene shares his inspiring journey after the accident, with an emphasis in finding his identity along the way.

Follow Eugene Tejada:

Instagram: @eugenetejada33

Ready To Rise book: @readytorise33