Roman Ventura has been involved in the Filipino community in Philadelphia since moving to the city in 2012. He is currently serving as the president of the Filipino Executive Council of Greater Philadelphia (FECGP) since 2021, with his term concluding in July 2025.
In addition to his role as president, Ventura actively participates in various Filipino organizations, including being a Rondalla member for Philippine Folk Arts Society, Inc. (PFASI) and part of the Filipino American Choir at St. Augustine Roman Catholic Church in Old City. His commitment to the community is further exemplified through his involvement with the Filipino American National Historical Society – Pennsylvania chapter (FANHS PA).
Originally from Los Angeles, Ventura moved to Philadelphia in 2012 to pursue his studies at Drexel University, where he earned a degree in Chemical Engineering. During his time at Drexel, he was an active member of the Filipino Intercultural Society of Drexel University (FISDU), which helped him connect with fellow Filipinos and engage with his culture. His journey introduced him to a vibrant faith community, particularly within the St. Augustine Roman Catholic Church, where he found a home away from home.
Through his work with the FECGP, Ventura has fostered collaborations among various Filipino organizations, enhancing the support available to Filipino Americans. His participation in the choir at St. Augustine was a natural extension of his passion for cultural preservation and spiritual connection.
What initially inspired you to get involved with the Filipino community in St. Augustine?
I think it was the fact that I found the community that made me feel reminiscent of family. One of the nice parts about coming to St. Augustine was hearing Filipino music and participating in the different spiritual activities we also practiced back home or in our cultures. Especially being the president of the FECGP, I found that it’s also a place where my people congregate and where they happen to gather. And for me, it makes sense to also be there with them.
You’ll see that a lot of them are not just because they’re older, it’s because they feel like my tito or tita (uncle or aunt), they feel like a ninong or ninang (godfather or godmother) that are going to take care of me. And they show it. They do it through hospitality through the meals after mass. When I first started going, I was a broke college student, and I’m here by myself in Philadelphia. I didn’t really have a lot of food on the table, so I would go to St. Augustine because they would have a luncheon right after the 11 a.m. mass.
So, I got to meet people and interact and have a chance to also connect with folks who have similar mindsets and have similar values to myself, and I connected with them and have a chance to share a little bit more of that aspect of my life. The Filipino community at St. Augustine has been loving and welcoming and understands the Filipino and Catholic values that we hold.
What drew you to the choir, and how long have you been a member?
I have been a member since 2017. I had periodically been joining the Filipino American Choir for the first couple of years, and I was participating in choir concerts and then Sunday masses. It’s interesting because back home, where I grew up, I actually wasn’t part of the music ministry, and instead, I was part of the liturgical ministry doing altar serving and lecturing. It allowed me to kind of practice my Tagalog a little bit. Because, since a lot of the songs were also in Tagalog, it would allow me to learn a little bit how, [and have a] better pronunciation, and learn some words that maybe I don’t know.
Especially because we also do songs in Bisaya. We did a couple in Pangasinense and a couple in Ilocano as well. So, we have a very diverse language, just like the Philippines. We’re very diverse. Even at church, there’s the Ilocanos, Cebuanos, Pangasinense, Kapampangans, Bicolanos, people from Mindanao, Waray, and Chavacano. So, many different languages, even amongst the Filipinos.
And because of that, some of the music that we get to use is varied as well. So, it was a nice way to interact with some of the Filipino languages that I don’t necessarily would do in my normal day job. And I get to also do it as a part of my worship and ministry. To serve the church and to serve the people.
How does faith impact the lives of Filipino immigrants in Philadelphia?
I think for a lot of people, one of the first places they try to go visit is church. You go to visit a new city, or you move to a new place. One of the first things that you’re going to find, other than, you know, where I subscribe myself for being a resident, is where is my faith community going to be, where can I seek mass every Sunday and potentially find community with other Filipinos.
I traveled to Europe for work. In Belgium, I visited the local church, and I happened to find a Filipino tita (aunt), who invited me to come join and have coffee at a cafe after mass. So, even there, it was nice to connect with people because you can quickly find like-minded Kababayan (fellow Filipino or fellow countrymen) who are like, “Oh, you’re a part of my family.”
How does the FECGP’s mission align with the needs of Filipino Americans in Philadelphia?
Our organization’s mission concerns the collaboration efforts of all of our member organizations. As such, each of our organizations is tailored to different parts of what is needed [by] Filipino Americans.
If it’s something about geographic location, they can join the Filipino American Association of Bucks County or Montgomery County. Or if they’re interested or have kids that want to play sports, maybe they’re joining the Filipino American Community Athletic Association. Maybe they’re wanting to learn dances or learn to play the bandurria, so they’re joining the Mutya Filipino Dance Company or the Philippine Folk Arts Society, Inc.
The members of the FECGP itself also happens to be very closely working in collaboration with the Philippine Consulate General in New York. For instance, on October 26th, we’re going to be doing consular outreach mission, so that way people that need to renew Philippine passports or reacquire their citizenship to become dual citizens.
Can you share any examples of events or collaborations between FECGP and St. Augustine?
Yeah, so there are a number of different organizations in the Filipino Executive Council of Greater Philadelphia. There are 23 organizations. We do collaborative efforts between our collective communities. So that way, we’re pulling our efforts together.
One organization that is part of the council is the Filipino American National Historical Society, Pennsylvania chapter or FANHS PA. They are the ones that are hosting the Kamayan (eating with hands, usually in a communal feast) that’s happening on October 20th for Filipino American History Month. We’re working with the Filipino American Choir at St. Augustine’s to co-host the event. Because it falls on the day that the choir usually does the meals. The third Sunday in October is when FANHS is partnering with the choir to be able to do food and doing it as Kamayan.
Frequently, we work very closely with the pastor and the teams at St. Augustine for the administration because we also utilize Carr Hall as a meeting spot for the community. It’s one of our centralized locations and it’s also known as one of the main homes for FECGP. Usually, we’ll have our meetings there every other month to conduct the council business and ensure that all the organizations are meeting. It’s a nice, centralized point, not too far from Jersey, because then Jersey people can come right over the bridge. And also, the other people coming in from other counties, Bucks, Montgomery, Delco, and Chester. So, definitely, we see and interact very closely with the St. Augustine community there.
What do you hope to see for the future of the Filipino community in Philadelphia?
Specifically, within the St. Augustine community, I think we will continue to see Filipino faithful, no matter what their background is, whether they came as immigrants or if they were born here and they’re coming to learn the culture or those that know the culture and just want to interact with it. We will constantly see Filipinos at St. Augustine.
From the council’s perspective, the population of Filipinos in the Greater Philadelphia region is growing. There, we see that there are opportunities for these individuals to connect with all the member organizations of the Executive Council, whether it be certain interest groups or regional interest groups.
I think we will see many people getting involved, and maybe they don’t want to. That’s perfectly fine. We are going to do our best to continue having that option open. In case they want to do it, we’re never forcing anyone to participate, but we’re saying, “Hey, the door is open.” And we’re going to keep that door open, as a community, to serve our Kababayans.
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