Q&A with Kiko Carcellar

We are very pleased to add a new member to SOMCAN's growing staff. Please join us in welcoming Francisco "Kiko" Carcellar, Jr.! Kiko has a long history of community service and organizing , spanning decades and continents. In his youth, he was involved with the popular movement to topple the former Philippine dictator Ferdinand Marcos. He continues to fight for progressive gains for ordinary Filipinos, both in the United States and back in his homeland.

As SOMCAN's Workers Organizer, Kiko's role will be to counsel workers, educate and inform them on their rights, and connect them with the appropriate resources and supportive services. These may include job referrals, help with filing wage claims, referrals to pro-bono legal services, language support, or organizing support. He recently answered a few questions for Kapitbahay Times:

​Kapitbahay Times: What do you like or what are you most excited by about your new job?  

​Kiko Carcellar: The community approach to organizing workers presents its own unique challenges. It gains more significance especially in light of the increasing prevalence of short-term labor contractualization that nurtures exploitation, denies workers of job security and tenure, and erodes the life of the very workforce that builds societies. Such an approach deserves more attention and efforts. Immigrants, migrants, and workers interconnected in a movement. Labor unions are ever-struggling to free themselves from the enticement of aristocracy. What's really in store for the workers in this millennium?

​KT: What are some of the challenges that come with the job?  

​KC: The  gentrification currently being experienced by San Francisco communities, including SOMA, is the gargantuan challenge. Big business shall eventually prevail, I believe. However, so long as communities are able to unite and struggle for their own welfare and benefits, we can put up a good fight against the interests of big tech and the business elite.

​A more socialized system of services to the people is still wanting but has not come of age yet. The persistent people's struggle shall birth it, and bring it to fruition. Putting up a good fight against gentrification must conscientize the people about power and powerlessness, about finding strength and hope in unity and struggle. The people must build alternatives even while fighting, taking stock of gains and victories, and demanding concessions in pursuit of people's welfare and improvement to their lives. 

​KT: What are some ideas or programs you would like to see implemented in the future?  

 KC: A "Plan B" in the fight against gentrification. I believe that the workers are the makers of history. The workers stories are the people's stories. The Delano grape strikes are linked to the plantation strikes in Hawaii in the 1920s, which are linked to the modern-day slavery and human trafficking of overseas workers today. Education and culture are powerful agents for spreading awareness, lifting spirits, and enabling us to imagine a better tomorrow.

​KT: How and when did you first get involved with the SOMA community?   

 KC: My first involvement was at the 2001 Pistahan Festival working with Boying's Restaurant (Manila Meat Market). There, I met old and new friends. 

​KT: What are some of your go-to spots in the SOMA? Why?  

​KC: The artist spirit is very much alive in SOMA; the parks and outdoor spaces, artworks, music, theater, and culinary traditions from varied cultures are all very attractive.

​KT: If you had one wish for the SOMA community, what would it be? 

​KC: The SOMA community shall always be an indispensable part of  what San Francisco is and what it could still be.  I hope for the SOMA community to prosper and succeed at promoting better lives for the people, especially the workers, the young workers, and the women workers.

​KT: Where can people find you on your days off? Any favorite activities? 

 KC: I explore the Bay Area on my own time– its seashores, hills and mountains, trails and hikes. I like to listen to the whistles of the wind and the roar of the Pacific Ocean waves. I also let myself be amused by the many unique characters in differing motions and acts.

​KT: Do you have any drop-in hours?

 KC: I am at the SOMCAN office on weekday afternoons. Contact me for anything. Usually, I won't fail to reply.

​KT: How can people get in contact with you? 

 KC: Drop by SOMCAN's office, email me at workersorganizer@somcan.org, or call or text me at (925) 724-3763.