WASHINGTON, D.C. (The Adobo Chronicles) – For decades now, Filipinos living in the United States have been lumped with the ‘Asian’ demographic subgroup by the Census Bureau. That is about to change starting with the 2020 population census.

The bureau announced today that it has decided to reclassify Filipinos to ‘Pacific Islander,’ citing several significant reasons:

1. The Philippines is an island nation that is not connected to the main Asian continent.
2. The country sits in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, in close proximity to other Pacific Island nations like Fiji, Guam, and the countries of Polynesia.
3. Its tropical weather is very similar to the rest of the Pacific Island nations.
4. The Philippines uses the Latin alphabet (ABCDE) , unlike other Asian countries which use logographics  like kanji, hanja and hangul (漢字).
5. Most important of all, unlike their Asian counterparts in China, Japan, Korea and Vietnam, the Filipinos do not use chopsticks.  They use silverware or eat with their hands.

Filipino communities in places like Daly City, Honolulu and Jersey City immediately praised the decision by the Census Bureau.

So beginning in 2020, Filipinos will identify as P.I. — Pacific Islanders from the Philippine Islands (P.I.)