Published October 2026 · By Team Sinigang
We named our studio after a sour Filipino soup for a reason. Team Sinigang is a Filipino family: a dad, a mom, an 8-year-old, and an 18-year-old who just left for college nearby. October is Filipino American History Month, and as a Pinoy household making games in Los Angeles, it means a lot to us. Here's why it's in October, a few stories worth knowing, and how we're celebrating.
On October 18, 1587, the first recorded Filipinos in what's now the continental United States came ashore at Morro Bay, California. They were "Luzones Indios," sailors aboard the Spanish galleon Nuestra Señora de Esperanza. That's more than 430 years of Filipino history in America, a lot longer than most people realize.
October is also the birth month of labor leader Larry Itliong, and that's no coincidence either.
If you know Cesar Chavez, you should know Larry Itliong. In 1965, Filipino farmworkers led by Itliong walked out of the vineyards around Delano, California, and started the Delano Grape Strike. Chavez and his union soon joined them, and together they built one of the most important labor movements in American history.
California now honors Itliong on his birthday. The Manongs, the generation of Filipino farmworkers who came before him and stood with him, deserve to be remembered right alongside him.
The Filipino American National Historical Society (FANHS) started the observance, and the first Filipino American History Month was celebrated in 1992. Congress recognized October as Filipino American History Month in 2009. FANHS deliberately calls it history month: it's about the real events and people who shaped America, not only food and festivals. (Although we'll happily talk food, too.)
That history includes the Filipino and Filipino American veterans of World War II, who received the Congressional Gold Medal in 2017, the farmworkers in the fields, and generations of nurses, sailors, and families who built lives here.
Our most ambitious browser game is set during the real Battle of Mactan on April 27, 1521, when Datu Lapu-Lapu's warriors drove back Magellan's forces. It's Philippine history from before any Filipino reached California, and it's where a lot of our pride starts. Play it free.
The sour tamarind soup that named our studio. Our recipes page has sinigang sa sampalok, bulalo, nilaga, and tinolang manok. Serve hot with rice. Always.
The Filipino American National Historical Society is the best place to start. Ask your lolo or lola for their story, too. Some of the best history isn't written down yet.
Whether you're Pinoy, part Pinoy, or just Pinoy-curious: happy Filipino American History Month. Mabuhay! 🇵🇭
— Team Sinigang