Filipino-cousin

The son or daughter of a close family friend who is of the same generation or age.

First generation Filipino immigrants in the United States, particularly in Los Angeles and other major cities, didn’t have much family when they arrived, so their friends became their adopted families. When these first-gens all had children, the kids would refer to each other as “cousins” since they grew up so close to each other like siblings or cousins.

Although we all grew up together, Jon-Jon is my real cousin and Errol is only my Filipino-cousin since our parents have been friends for close to 20 years.