If you've ever attended a Filipino-American community gala in Michigan, you know the drill. The event starts two hours late. The food is cold by the time the prayer is finished. And then comes the speeches.

Oh, the speeches.

You sit there, nursing a lukewarm glass of water, as the President of the organization — who has been the President since the Clinton administration — gives a rambling address about the "youth being the future." Meanwhile, the actual youth are sitting at the back tables, scrolling through TikTok and wondering why they paid $75 for a ticket to watch their parents argue over who gets to hold the microphone.

This is the state of many traditional Filipino organizations in Michigan. They are dying, and they have no one to blame but themselves.

The "President for Life" Syndrome

The biggest issue facing these organizations is the refusal of the older generation to step down. We all know the "President for Life." They treat the organization like a personal fiefdom, using it to boost their own social standing rather than serve the community.

When younger members try to get involved, they are met with a wall of bureaucracy and condescension. They are told to "wait their turn" or "learn how things are done." Their ideas for modernizing the organization — like moving away from endless beauty pageants and focusing on mental health, political advocacy, or professional networking — are dismissed as "too radical" or "not what we do."

The older generation wants the youth to participate, but only on their terms. They want us to set up the chairs, run the social media accounts, and buy the tickets, but they don't want to give us a seat at the decision-making table.

The Pageant Problem

Let's talk about the elephant in the room: the obsession with pageants and galas. While there is nothing inherently wrong with celebrating our culture through dance and formal wear, these events often consume the entirety of an organization's budget and energy.

We are facing real issues in our community. We have seniors struggling with healthcare access. We have young professionals trying to navigate the corporate world. We have a mental health crisis that no one wants to talk about because of the stigma.

Yet, instead of addressing these issues, our organizations are spending thousands of dollars on sashes, tiaras, and hotel ballrooms. It's a performance of community, rather than the practice of it.

Building Our Own Tables

The older generation often complains that the youth don't care about their heritage. They ask, "Why aren't the young people joining our organizations?"

The answer is simple: We do care about our heritage. We just don't care about your organizations.

The next generation of Filipino-Americans in Michigan isn't waiting for permission to lead. We are building our own spaces. We are creating professional networks, mental health support groups, and political advocacy coalitions. We are organizing food drives and cultural workshops that don't require a $100 entrance fee.

We are taking the best parts of our culture — the bayanihan, the resilience, the joy — and leaving behind the toxic politics and the ego trips.

If the traditional organizations want to survive, they need to do more than just hand over the microphone. They need to step off the stage entirely and let the next generation lead. Until then, we'll be at the back tables, building the future they keep talking about.