Filipino community celebrates culture at FW grocery store

Published 5:13 pm Wednesday, March 11, 2026

The region’s Filipino community filled Island Pacific Seafood Market on Feb. 28 at the Federal Way location’s Kanta Kado Panalo event.

Live music from local musicians, street food from Chef Aryan Rivera and pastries from Chef Janjie Ocoma — along with Bingo and raffles hosted by celebrity Giselle Tongi (aka G-Tongi) — made the grocery store come alive.

Every table was packed with families balancing food and Bingo boards, and people wound their way through the aisles to find space to dance.

Raffle winners got to win a Philippine Airlines ticket, which just started serving the SEA airport in 2024.

Host Giselle Tongi (aka G-Tongi) had many requests for selfies throughout the evening herself. Visiting from her home in Los Angeles in her current role as the Director of Communications and Community Partnerships of Island Pacific, she has an extensive career as an actress, producer and community leader in both the Philippines and the U.S.

“People are so hungry to have an opportunity to celebrate our culture,” Tongi said. “Communities of color are looking for a safe space … not to feel othered, but to be celebrated.”

Live music brought that feeling of celebration front and center. The performers included members of local band Barriotix, which typically features cultural icon Roger Rigor, although Rigor unfortunately wasn’t able to attend that night.

Rigor is a former VST and Company member – a group that defined the Manila Sound in the 1970s in the Philippines. The Filipino Community of Seattle describes Rigor as “a language, culture and history curator and teacher.” Rigor taught in Seattle for decades and is active in many local organizations.

Amidst the joy of the event, the community also took time to fundraise and spread awareness around community organizations including Tanggol Migrante that have been working to advocate for justice both in the United States and in the Philippines.

Many attendees have felt the impacts of the current presidential administration’s immigration crackdown, including experiencing detainment personally. Multiple people attending the event were recently released from the Tacoma’s Northwest ICE Processing Center, including Maximo Londonio (known to the community as Kuya Max), who told the Mirror he is one of the founders of Families of Filipinos in Detention (FFIND).

Londonio came to United States at age 13 and is a lawful permanent resident with a wife and three daughters who are all U.S. citizens. On the way home from a vacation, he was detained and taken to the Tacoma detention center, where he was held for approximately two months, including close to a month of solitary confinement, according to reporting by the International Examiner.

In addition to advocating for community members facing detention or deportation, the organizations that make up the Tanggol Migrante network are also speaking out against the Philippines government, specifically the local consulate that they say are not meeting their duty to help those who have been detained. The consulate denies this.

Despite the current challenges facing the community, the scene at Island Pacific Seafood Market was full of joy — and of course, food.

Chef Aryan Rivera told the Mirror he set up the street food station to feel reminiscent of actual vendors in the Philippines to bring a sense of nostalgia for attendees.

A wide range of options included pinoy hot cake, fishballs, coconut pie, jelly drinks and more.

The Island Pacific Seafood Market also has permanent hot food options and Filipino brands like Philhouse and San Honore Bakery.

The grocery store will feature some other exciting food-related events coming up soon to highlight regional dishes during Filipino food month in April.

Rivera said he appreciates the opportunity to “highlight the fact that Filipino food is gaining a name in the global culinary cuisine,” including on competition shows like “Master Chef.”

“It’s the best time to highlight our cuisine,” Rivera said.

Store Director Gomer Sinio moved up to Federal Way from Northern California to open the store and has seen some immediate success, exceeding sales starting the first month, he said.

Seeing the positive response from the community has felt “overwhelming” in a good way, he told the Mirror.

At Kanta Kada Panalo, he said, “it’s like a family reunion from different places in the Philippines” and just feels like everyone is “gathering together as a family.”

Island Pacific has 21 stores and the Federal Way location at 31811 Pacific Hwy. S. is the first one in Washington state.

Editor’s note: Details of live music performers have been updated.