By: Gephine Fernandez and Nino Llanera

Once just a website discussing topics relevant to Pilipino-Americans - from Kaba Modern and the JabbaWockeeZ on MTV's America's Best Dance Crew to YouTube’s Pilipina comedienne HappySlip - BakitWhy.com had evolved into an entity that Pil-Ams all over can claim as their own. Today's generation of Pilipino-Americans is a diverse group whose interests span a variety of topics, and BakitWhy.com became a place that we all saw ourselves represented in, making us comfortable enough to kick off our tsinelas (slippers) and say, “I’m home.”

The mainstream news sites of the U.S. and the Philippines were not enough to satisfy the young Pilipino-American mind, be it that the news was irrelevant to us or the site was aesthetically unpleasing. In the first two years of existence, BakitWhy.com realized that we weren’t just a media group: we are an outlet. A place that Pilipino-Americans think of when they want up-to-date news and stories on what's happening stateside and in the Philippines, without the clutter or even language barriers that other news sites might bring. A place that represents us and lets us share our thoughts with our community.

One example of BakitWhy.com’s evolution is the way it brought the Philippine election, inauguration, and presidency of Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III to the young Pilipino-American demographic. Some of us watching (or not watching) the coverage on The Filipino Channel (TFC) or GMA (Greater Manila Area) may not have understood what was going on, but BakitWhy provided Pilipino-Americans with opinions, discussions, and translations of President Noynoy’s speeches, enabling us to take part in the changes occurring in our bayan (country).

BakitWhy.com continues to give its readers the power to affect change in our communities - by informing us of events, charities, and benefit concerts hosted by organizations, whether collegiate Pilipino-American, national, or worldwide, and Pilipino artists. We’ve proved that BakitWhy.com isn’t only a place to read and learn about the Pilipino lifestyle and community, but a place that IS the Pilipino lifestyle and community. It represents all of us through the simple phrase, “Bakit Why?”

As BakitWhy 3.0 becomes a reality, the ways in which we’ll empower today’s Pilipino-American to be “BakitWhy” have become empowered as well. Pilipino-American organizations nationwide will be able to interact with each other in ways unlike any before. Rachel Wagoner, Director of Product Development, said that BakitWhy 3.0 can be compared to the neighborhood parks around NYC. 

"I remember visiting neighborhood parks in NYC, seeing the people come together, chatting with friends, listening to the street music, stopping by local vendors… this is what we are providing online for the Pil-Am community – a neighborhood so that we can get to know each other better, share our experiences, and enjoy what we have to offer each other.”
 
Besides being the neighborhood that today’s Pil-Am community turns to, BakitWhy.com also aims to be that neighbor we turn to.
 
“We want to be a part of their lives as that reliable neighbor you can always turn to for a cup of sugar. From wanting to find out what’s going on in Pil-Am entertainment or wanting to support Pil-Am businesses, we aspire to be integrated into their lives, to be the first Pil-Am resource they can turn to.”
 
BakitWhy.com’s mission is to consolidate and represent the multi-generational and diverse Pilipino American community nationally through online resources and media. As Rachel said, we are here to bring the community together and show that there are many different sides to being Pil-Am and to celebrate our diversity. And our new design, layout, and features of the site were all made to enhance just that.
 
So after hours of sleepless nights and numerous Starbucks visits, the BakitWhy staff welcomes you home to your neighborhood: www.BakitWhy.com.

Related Links:

• Milestone Series, Part 1: BakitWhy.com's First Steps
• Milestone Series, Part 2: A Team Gathers
• Milestone Series, Part 3: Boots on the Ground
• Milestone Series, Part 4: Dancing Right Into The Mainstream Eye
• Milestone Series, Part 5: The 2.0 Transformation
• Milestone Series, Part 6: Hello Team!
• Milestone Series, Part 7: The BakitUp++ One-Year Anniversary
• Milestone Series, Part 8: 3 Regional Conferences, 2 Weeks, 1 Common Identity