ABSTRACT
Hometown associations have proliferated among Filipino immigrants in Hawaii since the arrival of increasing numbers of Filipinos after the liberalization of United States immigration laws in 1965. These organizations either have been started a new or represent revivals of previously inactive groups. Awareness of their growing numbers seems to have given rise to a desire on the part of immigrants who share a common specific locality of origin to establish and to maintain ties with one another through formal organization. From a review of various lists of Filipino voluntary associations compiled by the Oahu Filipino Community Council, the Filipino 75th Anniversary Commemoration Commission, and the Philippine Consulate General in Hawaii, it seems that there were 62 Filipino hometown and provincial organizations on the island of Oahu in 1981. The bases of membership of Filipino regional that is, hometown or provincial organizations reflect the nature of both the historical and present processes of immigration to Hawaii.
