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mr. MAYOR: Northern California's `Little Manila' gets it's first Filipino. American mayor
As a law student Mike Guingona by his own admission was "mediocre." That was during the day. At night he excelled. He was a bartender, earning his way through the University of San Fransico, working at one of the Wildest dance night clubs in the city, the Oasis. But there was value for Guingona because in the experience, he was something worth learning.
"I learned alot about life and about work," Guingona told the Filipino Express. "I learned that if you give good service and work hard, you're rewarded. It was one of those life lessons that has certainly come in handy in politics."
These days, Mike Guingona is trying to remember how it all came together. So are others who have watched him go from Daly City youth to Daly City Mayor. Just two weeks ago, at age 34, Mike Guingona, the young Daly City councilman became the first Filipino American mayor of the city known as "Little Manila."
For years, many Filipinos have tried to govern the suburban city that lies in the shadow of San Francisco by day, and rests in a shroud of fog by night. You'd expect some attempt to govern, considering the town was nearly one-third Filipino with almost 30,000 residents. But time and time again Filipinos ran for office and lost.
"Government was just a bunch of guys who'd held the job forever," Guingona reconnected. "One was in there 17 years, another 25, two people (were there for) 12 years. They all took turns being head guy."
Meanwhile, Filipinos were shut out. One day in 1992, on his 30th birthday he wondered where all the Filipinos were. "I was a lawyer by then, hanging out with some of my other buddies from the Filipino American Bar Association," Guingona recalled. "I had always been the type who wanted to lead, in high school, at my college fraternity. Leadership has it's rewards. I've always been the guy who wanted to make things run according to my own special work ethic. My friends knew that. They all said, go for it. So...