04/01/2026
Currently doing research and fundraising for the "Patrick Salaver" Documentary short film I am Producing/Co-Directing. In this process, we've found so many documents, letters and newspaper clippings about my family and their contributions to the FilAm Community/American History. One of Patrick’s first role models in life was his mother (my grandmother), Estrella Echavez. From his earliest years, he watched her organize, advocate, and serve.
Estrella Echavez was born in Dipolog City, Philippines, the fourth of ten children. An excellent student, she earned a full scholarship to Silliman University, though her senior year was interrupted by the Japanese invasion in 1942. She and many others fled to the mountains of Negros Oriental. Estrella eventually returned to Dipolog and joined the underground resistance against the Japanese. On July 4, 1946, Estrella was honored by the Republic of the Philippines for her courage and service in the resistance against Japanese occupation.
In 1953, she immigrated to San Francisco with her four children, including Patrick, under the Luce–Celler Act of 1946, which allowed up to 100 Filipinos annually to immigrate to the U.S. and obtain citizenship.
She rebuilt her life with very little materially, but with abundant education, wit, and musical gift. She worked as a secretary, played organ for multiple churches, directed choirs, taught piano, and did taxes on the side to support her family. She founded and presided over the Philippine-American Cultural Foundation, which produced Filipino cultural events throughout San Francisco, and secured a significant city grant to serve the Filipino aging community in South of Market.
Estrella supported Dr. Antonio Ragadio, president of the Filipino Dental Association of Northern California, in a campaign to allow foreign-trained dentists to practice in California, which culminated in the passage of Assembly Bill 537 in 1969.
Documented in her own words, she worked closely with Assemblymember Willie Brown to help push the bill across the finish line. The legislation was a long-fought victory for the Filipino community, who had been barred from practicing despite their qualifications because California required graduation from a U.S.-accredited dental school.
In 1970, the California State Senate recognized Estrella for her untiring efforts to serve the Filipino American and broader Asian American community in San Francisco, an honor that may mark her as the first Filipina in the United States recognized for community service.
And after Patrick founded P.A.C.E., it was Estrella who helped them secure the inner-city council grant that made it possible to tutor Filipinos in the Bernal Heights district. Watching his mother, Patrick learned early that service was a calling. And that a single life, lived with purpose, reaches further than it knows.
If you'd like to contribute to the film or follow us on Instagram, every follow and donation helps: https://patsalaver.com/the-film/
