Jo Koy, Jon Jon Briones and Shay Mitchell Join Filipino Forces 3rd Annual Feast and Fiesta

For Filipino Forces, the three-year-old organization and event held in Los Angeles each year in May, building community comes naturally due to the strong cultural and ancestral foundation already intact for our current generation to continue shaping. The event, celebrated during Asian American Pacific Islander month, propels a shared pride and palpable push of our creative spirit, by harnessing the Filipino-American community’s energy and eagerness to connect. 

This building of community on our ancestral roots was apparent in the abundance of fresh takes on barongs and Filipiniana, styled with streetwear, luxury labels, and family heirlooms that floated through the private West Hollywood home where this year’s Filipino Forces was held. It was apparent in the impromptu FaceTime rapper and actor Guapdad 4000 held with his lola and young cousin to show them the crowd that had gathered. And it was apparent in comedian Jo Koy’s address to dinner guests when he repeated how happy his mom would have been to witness such a celebration. 

It was proof of our power to be declarative about our identity, amplifying it as a force for joy, care, and creativity.

“I’m in awe of how much it has grown—both in scale and in spirit,” says Rembrandt Flores, founder of Filipino Forces about the event, who along with myself, Raissa Gerona, Lena Salatinjants, Marisa Pizarro, and Shay Mitchell, co-hosted the 40-person dinner and 100-plus after-party that pulsed with music by Achilles Aurelius and naturally segued into well-into-the-early morning karaoke. 

The event, first launched in 2023 as a heartfelt intention to honor Filipino excellence, has rapidly evolved into a highly anticipated evening that brings together founders, trailblazers, and cultural figures across tech, fashion, finance, beauty, music, media, and entertainment, over a four-course feast of Filipino cuisine. Los Angeles-based restaurant Sampa returned for the second year to serve chef Josh Espinosa’s signature sinigang soup dumplings and kare-kare tamales. “I want to continue putting Filipino food on the map and uplift our culture,” says Espinosa. “It’s an honor to be living my dream and cooking for people I look up to.”

While Sampa delivered a gorgeous dinner, brand partners Nike, Revolve, TruNiagen, Mostra Coffee, Wanderlust Creamery also returned, serving bibingka lattes (Mostra) and ube ice cream (Wanderlust). Aleali May, Rocky Barnes, Jo Koy, Guapdad 4000, Sean Malto, Samantha Dueñas, Chef Lord Maynard Llera, Puey Quiñones, Tracey Cunningham, Brittany Hampton, Reggie Lee, Eugene Cordero, Jon and Teo Briones all dined on Sampa and sipped themed cocktails (think: Tita’s Favorites, tequila, coconut, and pineapple; and The Old Kabayan, whiskey, lemon juice, simple syrup), created by Diageo. 

“In this group, we have people from all over: East Coast, West Coast, the Philippines, and Canada. Filipino Forces gives us the opportunity to come together, from all over and from different families, in one place, for one night to celebrate what ties us together every day, our Filipino heritage,” says Mitchell. 

At a time when attempts to sow division and perpetuate polarization are commonplace, reinforcing unbreakable community and connection feels paramount. Through adversity, Filipinos push forward with an unparalleled ability to create and find lightness through song, dance, humor, food, community, and love. Filipino Forces cements this bond of indestructible joy while continuing to build toward the future.

“I hope to bring together Filipinos from around the world, those making an impact both locally and internationally, and create space for them to connect, collaborate, and celebrate our shared heritage,” says Flores. “There’s something incredibly powerful about gathering brilliant minds who, though shaped by different experiences, are all rooted in a shared homeland. I can only imagine the magic that would unfold in a room like that.”