The traditional settlement and leadership patterns of the Filipino people have persisted through centuries of colonialism, social upheaval, and natural disaster, predating even the use of the term "Filipino." For centuries the people have lived on riverbanks, lakeshores, along the seacoast, or in the hinterlands, near mountain streams, settling in villages, or barangay, of thirty to a hundred families related by blood or common dialect. These close-knit communities practiced cooperation and mutual support in their economic, social, cultural, and political lives. They were governed by datu and bayani, (courageous leaders responsible for the overall well-being of the community), as well as babaylans (healers and spiritual leaders) and pandays (masters of technology of material well-being).

Today, the traditional village communities exist simultaneously with the plaza complex, or municipio, the living landmark of Spanish colonialism. Under the Spaniards, resettlement tended to destroy kinship-based communities and separated the people from their traditional leaders. The plaza community revolved around a central area, with an imposing church, friar’s convento, municipal hall, and mansions of the ruling elite and other wealthy, urbanized Filipinos. The plaza became the center of intervillage activities such as fiestas, electoral campaigns, religious activities, and cultural performances. It was where people came for basic health, social, and government services. At the same time, it also became a focal point for political demonstrations.

Note that the barangay originally served as the center of gravity or "core" area for Filipinos, but this role eventually was taken over by the plaza, which developed its own language and dialects, culture and traditions.

Filipinos in Northern California

Immigrant Filipinos have brought to their new environment both the barangay structure and the plaza complex of their homeland. In Daly City and other cities, Filipino families pool their resources to buy or maintain a house and lot, preferring to locate them near other Filipinos. But unlike the barangay in the Philippines, the new neighborhoods lack a sense of community, with few connections or bridges between people. Though Filipinos constitute more than 30% of the population of Daly City, there are few Filipino service providers and agencies linking the people from their "island." To rekindle the barangay spirit, and reaffirm their Filipino identity, Filipinos tend to visit the fragmented and dispersed "structures" of the old plaza. They form community through their churches, congregations, and prayer groups; their family and clan gatherings; and their regional, hometown, and alumni associations.

San Francisco’s South of Market (SOMA) area functions as a plaza, where Filipino services (including health and education) are available for seniors, families, and youth. The area is also the center of gravity for cultural and religious activities. However, the SOMA residents tend to be low-income, less educated renters who come from villages in the Philippines. In terms of culture, values, and familial relationships, they are barrio folks threatened by the increasing gentrification of the neighborhood.