by Jonathan Gramling

The term PAMANA has a duality of meaning for the Filipino organization that carries its name. PAMANA stands for Philippine-American Association of Madison and Neighboring Areas. But in the Tagalog language, the major Filipino language used in The Philippines, Pamana means heritage or legacy. And that is fitting given PAMANA’s mission to keep the Filipino culture alive for young people of Filipino descent who may not have the opportunity to spend time in The Philippines with relatives.

PAMANA got its start back in 1984.

“PAMANA started with students from the UW-Madison Dept. of Agriculture who came from the University of the Philippines Los Baños,” said Ernie Jamandre, a board member who has been iknvolved since PAMANA’s inception. “PAMANA evolved to neighboring areas of Madison where a lot of Filipinos who are married to Americans lived, places like Beaver Dam, Janesville and Sun Prairie. Back then, it was a little bit social and cultural to meet a lot of people from The Philippines. At that time, there were only about 100 Filipinos who lived in this area. So it was a very informal organization at that time.”

Around 2010, the members of PAMANA decided to make it a more formal organization.

“We formed the organization with a 501(c)(3) status,” Jamandre said. “With the growing population of Filipinos in Madison, we felt we needed an organization, especially with the younger ones because with our children, we would like to relay the culture and heritage of the Filipino people.

PAMANA is an entirely volunteer organization. As such, the energy has ebbed and flowed over the years. But when Omar Dumdum joined the board and became the secretary and communications, he helped energize the group due to his organization and communications expertise. First up, was everyone getting on the same page in terms of what PAMANA was all about. PAMANA member  Paul Ohlrogge who used to work for UW-Madison Extension approached the PAMANA leadership about doing a workshop in February 2025. The board said that they needed a community visioning exercise. So that is what Ohlrogge facilitated for the group.

“We discussed some of our concerns and issues and what we wanted the organization to do moving forward,” Dumdum said. “And one of the items was communication. ‘We need more information and updates on what PAMANA is doing so that the community will be informed.’ And then we figured out that instead of the traditional paper newsletter, why not leverage online social media. We put out a newsletter last year and I think it was received very well. It’s not just putting out a newsletter, it’s also increasing our membership, increasing the base. Even those who were not members, we put them in our contacts data base. That was one way that we actually are able to keep our community informed. ‘Hey we’re doing this.’ We also got feedback, so it’s not just a one-way street. We encourage feedback and so we receive emails a lot. ‘Hey there’s this event. Can you also feature it?’ At least for me, communication shouldn’t just be one-way. The feedback that we got also drove us to improve our programs.”

Out of the visioning exercise came four key areas that the PAMANA board wanted to work on.

“Number one is how can PAMANA look at strengthening its programs and participation,” said Rollie dela Cruz, PAMANA’s president. “There were suggestions like reaching out to people and having more programs and activities that are needed by the community. With that, we have programs and participation in social services at the same time. Number two is how can PAMANA develop a stronger partnership in Wisconsin, connecting with different Filipino organizations, even the local agencies including FASO. Several years had passed since PAMANA had connected with them. And we’re trying to reach out to different local organizations and events like Make Music Madison. The third issue is helping improve the public perception of PAMANA. Communication is the crucial part. We are very grateful for Omar because of the constant updating of our website and newsletter and communication with others. And we try to connect with different groups in the locality to improve the membership and present the direction or the programs of PAMANA. And the fourth issue is how to enhance the legacy and increase the membership. The legacy was important because many of our Filipino families with children have limited or no knowledge or background on their Filipino cultural heritage. So we have several programs related to language and culture. We’re going to try and develop a summer program for the young ones especially to learn the language, culture and values so that we can retain these values in our community.”

For Vhanie Teggatz, a board member, the last issue area is very important to her and her family.

“Based on my experience — I have two kids who were born abroad — when we came here to Madison, the first thing we did was find a family,” Teggatz said. “As teenagers, my kids were having identity crisis because they were born abroad and they have parents who are Filipino and American. I want to help my kids live abroad without dealing with ‘who am I.’ When I first came here, I found my community where my kids would feel safe, that I belong to that community even if I am living abroad. That is one thing why I am here with this community, not for popularity, not for position. I want to help my kids. I want to help my community.”

PAMANA is community.

“There are a lot of new Filipinos who just got to Madison, Wisconsin,” said Mary Kerr, PAMANA’s vikce-president. “PAMANA serves as their community  when they aren’t in their own homeland. We want to make sure that every Filipino here will feel the same type of community that they have back home in the Philippines. So having that presence and having that outreach with the community, we want to make sure that they know that we exist, are here and are able to continue the legacy and pass on the heritage and culture of Filipinos. So we don’t want them to be alone in Wisconsin. We want them to know that we are here and are ready to assist, to be a community for everyone.”

And that sense of community goes beyond the boundaries of Dane County.

“We are carrying on the Filipino culture with the Filipino Americans in Wisconsin,” Kerr said. “And it is not just in Wisconsin. There are a lot of attendees who live outside of Wisconsin in places like Illinois, Iowa and even Florida. These are great things that are happening within the organization. Last year, we introduced a dance group courtesy of the ladies here. They are dancing Filipino cultural dances. Now we call it the Caroling Choir because were not just singing for Christmas, but also for Make Music Madison on June 21^st. We’re showing our culture, sharing Filipino song traditions not only with Filipino Americans, but also in the larger community.”

It is a community that is committed to improving the lives of Filipinos in South Central Wisconsin.

“We are trying as much as possible, especially for our Filipinos who just arrived or have no relatives here, we want them to feel at home,” Dumdum said. “PAMANA will be their home away from home. We want them to feel that they have a family here in Wisconsin and neighboring areas.”

Next Issue: Interfacing with the Larger Madison Community