Elton Lugay: Journalist is Hall of Fame honoree
By Elaine Joy Edaya Degale
Last month, Assemblymember Jessica Caloza, the first Filipina elected to the California State Legislature, hosted the inaugural Filipino American History Month reception in Hollywood Hills. Among those recognized was journalist Elton Lugay, who received a Hall of Fame Award.
“The award recognizes my longstanding work as a journalist and columnist for Inquirer.net USA, where I have reported on the achievements and challenges of Filipino immigrants,” Lugay says. The award also ties in with the 15th anniversary of The Outstanding Filipino Awards (TOFA), which he founded and celebrated this year in Las Vegas.
The reception convened Filipino American figures from entertainment, media, sports, and public service. Lugay was honored alongside actor Tia Carrere, Pulitzer Prize winner Jose Antonio Vargas, U.S. Olympian Emma Malabuyo, and the Filipino American National Historical Society.
“When we break barriers, we give the opportunities and resources needed to dream,” said multi-Emmy award winner Lisa Lew.
For Lugay, who arrived in Daly City in 1999, receiving recognition in California was a full circle moment. He started out as a journalist when he migrated to Daly City in 1999, reporting for Philippine News, and started building a life from the ground up.
“It is gratifying to have my work acknowledged and to witness the pride and happiness it brings to my family, friends, and the FilAm community,” he says. “This recognition inspires me to keep telling our stories and highlighting community achievements.”
Storytelling at the core
Lugay is the founder of TOFA and serves as the U.S. correspondent for INQUIRER.net, documenting Filipino American life with a mix of reporting and community engagement. Over the years, he has also earned membership in the White House Correspondents Association and the Foreign Press Association USA.
His reporting foregrounds the experiences of Filipinos who are frequently marginalized or overlooked.
“As a member of the LGBT community, I am passionate about reporting on stories that highlight their fight for equality and visibility,” he says. “I strive to amplify voices that deserve recognition and to document their challenges and victories for a wider audience.”
Lugay’s reporting covers politics, migration, community issues, culture, and identity. He has also covered high-profile events—from the White House to major entertainment ceremonies.
His coverage over the years serves as a record of shifting Filipino American narratives, touching on both accomplishments and persistent struggles.
Lugay says his reporting is mostly of immigrants whose stories often go untold. Many undocumented Filipino Americans—estimated at over 300,000—face ongoing risks and uncertain futures, often without meaningful institutional support. Lugay believes that reporting on these issues is critical for public awareness and community understanding.
“Covering these stories brings diverse experiences into public view and helps build empathy, policy awareness, and a stronger sense of identity,” he says.
Lugay has spent many years reporting on the Filipino American experience, both their successes and their unresolved challenges. It could be the rising Broadway star or how Filipino families are confronting mental health issues.
“While covering lighter moments — whether events at the White House or entertainment fixtures like the Golden Globes — is always a bonus, I find the greatest fulfillment in amplifying the voices of those who might otherwise remain unheard,” he says.
His coverage has contributed to a growing record of Filipino American life. Alongside supporters like host Boy Abunda and adviser Loida Nicolas Lewis, TOFA has continued to evolve into an important awards program recognizing Filipino Americans in the arts, business, public service, advocacy, and leadership.
Looking ahead
Long before TOFA, Lugay had already built a reporting track record that began with Philippine News in San Francisco. There in the Bay Area, he was exposed to an assortment of stories of undocumented immigrants and transgender Filipinas in the diaspora.
“Many undocumented Filipino Americans — over 300,000 by some estimates — face ongoing risks of deportation, often receiving little support or attention from Philippine officials,” he says.
He emphasizes that challenges around employment, healthcare access, and family separation continue to be underreported, and that thoughtful coverage can help broaden public understanding.
For Lugay, the work is straightforward: to document, to listen, and to help ensure that Filipino American stories in all their complexity have a place in the broader national narrative. In that sense, the Hall of Fame honor is an enduring belief that every story matters.
