Write for Positively Filipino

Some new readers have been inquiring if they can write for PF. The answer is Yes, we always welcome articles with a Filipino slant, from everywhere in the world. And you don't have to be Filipino to write for us.

Here are answers to FAQs about contributing to PF:

Q: How do I start writing for PF?

A: The first step is to send us a query email about the topic you wish to write about, a brief description and your short bio (make sure you include your location). If the editorial desk okays your topic, we will send you guidelines and suggestions. Send your query to submissions@positivelyfilipino.com or PFeditor@yahoo.com.

Q: How do I submit an article to PF?

A: Email your finished article (corrected for facts, typos and grammar), preferably as a Word doc, to PFeditor@yahoo.com. Make sure you include photos with photo credits, and captions. Send us at least five photos to choose from. We will also need your 2-sentence bio and your headshot.

Q: What happens after I send in my article?

A: The editors will evaluate your piece. If revisions or clarifications are required, we will send it back to you. You will then send us back the revised version for final editing by us. Your edited article will then be added to our editorial schedule. 

Q: How long does it take from final submission to publication?

A: Normally it takes 2-3 weeks, but there are caveats.  If we have a lot of pending stories lined up, it might take longer. Since PF comes out with a new issue only once a week (Wednesdays), we make sure that there is a balance of stories that will keep our readers interested. So we will have to determine where your story fits. Time-sensitive stories will be fast-tracked.

Q: Do I get a writer's fee?

A: Yes, we have a standard fee for each story that is original and exclusive to PF, meaning it is not posted or published anywhere else (not even personal blogs). If your article has been published/posted on another site, we will include the link to the original post, but no fee. Writers' fees are paid via Paypal the month after publication. 

Q: Can my published article be read elsewhere other than the PF website? 

A: We will post the link to our social media sites (Facebook, X and Instagram). You're also free to repost the link to your networks. 

Welcome to the Positively Filipino writers pool, where you'll be in the exalted company of some of the best writers of Filipino heritage.

Funding provided by the State of California.



Anti-Asian Hate Watch

Hate Crimes Surge in 2022, Leading to an Urgent Call for Unity and Action
https://africanamericanvoice.net/?p=5507

Justice Dept Cracks Down on Hate Crimes
https://www.culvercityobserver.com/story/2023/11/02/news/justice-dept-cracks-down-on-hate-crimes/12954.html

US Hate Crime: Indian Student Stabbed In Head For Looking 'Threatening, Weird' To Attacker; On Life Support
https://zeenews.india.com/india/us-hate-crime-indian-student-varun-raj-stabbed-in-head-for-looking-threatening-weird-to-attacker-on-life-support-2683130.html

PANG: Celebrate the Asian American Student Center
https://www.cavalierdaily.com/article/2023/11/pang-celebrate-the-asian-american-student-center

Sacramento AAPI leaders outraged after robbery of supermarket shopper caught on camera
https://www.abc10.com/article/news/local/south-sacramento/sacramento-aapi-leaders-outraged-brazen-robbery-inside-supermarket-caught-on-video/103-3f6e95ae-1cc8-4fe3-b1f2-bdbdd3694c43

‘I don’t feel safe right now:’ BHS AAPI community grapples with social impacts of COVID-19
https://berkeleyhighjacket.com/2023/investigative/i-dont-feel-safe-right-now-bhs-aapi-community-grapples-with-social-impacts-of-covid-19/

Funding provided by the State of California.


In The Know

The Dimensions of Inequality in the Philippines, by the numbers
https://coverstory.ph/the-dimensions-of-inequality-in-the-philippines-by-the-numbers/

California professor talks Filipino Americans' underrepresentation despite large population
https://www.cbsnews.com/sacramento/news/california-professor-talks-filipino-americans-underrepresentation-despite-large-population/?fbclid=IwAR0jMz96Pjawo6BaBFNXiQ0V4FyJpkcRBNwZu7nk8TG1EuhtAreWm74Md5I

As the world looks elsewhere, China stirs trouble in the South China Sea
https://www.lowyinstitute.org/the-interpreter/world-looks-elsewhere-china-stirs-trouble-south-china-sea

Seaside town’s once abused territorial seas now protected
https://www.ndbcnews.com.ph/news/seaside-town%E2%80%99s-once-abused-territorial-seas-now-protected 

How New Jersey’s first Pinoy coffee shop brews Filipino culture and community
https://nextshark.com/new-jersey-first-filipino-coffee-shop-ayala


Are You Woke?

Hear it from a millennial. Manila-based writer Joanna Ligon gives us a reason to hope as she explains the what, the how and the why her generation is more "woke." You'll have to read her piece to understand the full meaning of the term. (Read "A Brief History of Woke")

From Hong Kong, Daisy CL Mandap, editor of The Sun Hong Kong, shares with us her heartwarming story about an OFW caregiver and her elderly employer. It's a story that speaks of devotion and dedication, but it's also, to me, a bit sad. (Read "Bhelle and Eye: A Love That Binds")

 A visit to Papua New Guinea is an adventure in itself, but meeting some interesting Filipinos along the way makes it memorable. Globetrotter Rey de la Cruz brings us his Pinoyspotting report. (Read "Filipinos? In Papua New Guinea?")

In case you missed them, here are links to stories from other publications:

Overlooked No More: Ralph Lazo, Who Voluntarily Lived in an Internment Camp
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/03/obituaries/ralph-lazo-overlooked.html?smid=fb-nytimes&smtyp=cur&fbclid=IwAR0Ec_SVzCOfAybYiTmgbTgD_XLXWdWWfRsrOFdj_O_ALpB3TXq6jsZdbWY

Fashion website’s ‘reimagining’ of former First Lady Imelda Marcos draws flak online
https://ph.news.yahoo.com/fashion-website-reimagining-former-first-092427229.html

Pinoy of the Sea
https://philippinesgraphic.net/pinoy-of-the-sea/?fbclid=IwAR0mR9fDJCOumBFjN3WwNy4TPokAqzYGeFnppDp_xoXxgebEUvXSVhPU2Is

How To Wear Philippine Indigenous Textiles Responsibly, According To A Textile Expert
https://metro.style/fashion/style-inspirations/8035/cultural-appropriation-indigenous-textiles?fbclid=iwar0zethrdacm4v0s1l1wubaipr4sppycreuf3np3rqciwo0mmifzk1fzkes

Here's another summer dish from our resident foodie Elizabeth Ann Quirino for the Happy Home Cook: Pasta with Crab Paste - Taba ng Talangka.

For our video week, Youtube star Mikey Bustos pays tribute to the King of Pop, Michael Jackson.

Gemma Nemenzo

Editor, Positively Filipino

Voyagers

As the calendar moves swiftly towards Holy Week, we thought it a good time to step back and revive some stories we had published that you may have missed or may want to read again. This week we focus on four Filipinos of various generations who left the Motherland and staked their future in another country. Brave adventurous folks all, and their personal narratives serve as both inspiration and cautionary tales.

In mid-20th century, a Filipina from Bulacan named Enya Gonzalez made it big in New York City as an opera singer and became the first Filipina to be on the cover of Newsweek. First-time contributor Gaby C. Gloria profiled this plucky Filipina who broke through barriers in "The Bold Soprano."

In 1971, student leader Jaime FlorCruz travelled to China along with other student leaders and activists from various schools. Little did he know that he (and a few others including the current Philippine ambassador to China, Chito Sta. Romana) would be living there for 40 years, and he would become the CNN bureau chief in China. FlorCruz, who had officially retired as an international journalist, wrote about his life as an exile in "40 Years In China: From Stranded Activist to International Journalist."

Regular PF contributor Agatha Verdadero, who runs a publishing house in Africa, told us the story of how she and her team established lasting friendships with Somalians -- not an easy feat -- in "Friendship Worth One's Life."

Her story is common among overseas Filipino workers (OFW) but is nonetheless remarkable. Edita Balane, working as a nanny in Dubai, tells Ana P. Santos of her dreams in "Everyone's Children But Her Own."

Meanwhile, we compiled an interesting bunch of stories from various publications this week for our In The Know section:

When a President says “I'll Kill You.”
https://www.nytimes.com/video/world/asia/100000004819836/duterte-philippines-when-a-president-says-ill-kill-you.html?emc=edit_ta_20170326&nl=top-stories&nlid=63804747&ref=cta

Jason Day withdraws from WGC-Match Play to be with mother as she battles lung cancer
http://sports.yahoo.com/news/day-withdraws-from-wgc-match-play-to-be-with-mother-as-she-battles-lung-cancer-212239016.html?hl=1&noRedirect=1

Security guard is still on duty hours before he graduates, cum laude, at Saint Theresa’s College in Cebu
http://cebudailynews.inquirer.net/127331/security-guard-still-duty-hours-graduates-cum-laude-saint-saint-theresas-college-cebu#ixzz4cjl6qJd4 

Philippine Peso Is worst Asian currency in 2017
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/videos/2017-03-24/philippine-peso-is-worst-asian-currency-in-2017-video

And we continue our series of meatless recipes for Lent for the Happy Home Cook. This week, PF Correspondent and foodie Elizabeth Ann Quirino shares her recipe for Shrimps and Leeks Omelet.

For our Video of the Week, after being bashed by Filipino netizens for calling suman “boring food,” TastesLikeChicken's William revisits the Filipino sticky rice snack with suggestions on how to eat it.

Gemma Nemenzo

Editor, Positively Filipino