Life Lessons from Manongs

In last Monday's Positively Filipino webinar, our guest raconteurs Alex Fabros Jr. and Oscar Peñaranda regaled us with insider stories about life among the manongs on the farms of Salinas, California and in the salmon canneries of Anchorage, Alaska. Both knew whereof they speak -- Alex grew up and worked with them and Oscar spent 15 summers of his youth as an Alaskero (cannery worker). To that generation of Filipino culture bearers, the two attribute lessons in work ethics, joy, appreciation, cunning, survival, courtship and most importantly, building community. To listen to their stories (if you missed the webinar), here's the recording: Memories Of Fil-Am Life On The Farms And In The Canneries Of The West Coast

Our next webinar is the first of our forthcoming series on FilAm Trailblazers and it will feature two community heavyweights: California Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye in a rare public appearance and Major General Antonio Taguba (Ret.). We hope you join us this coming Monday, October 26, 2020. Register here: http://bit.ly/filamtrailblazers

As this year's Filipino American History Month (FAHM) begins to wind down, here are two stories you have to read:

American-born Filipino/Japanese citizen Amadio Arboleda tells us his complicated and definitely unique life. ["My Audacious Filipino Journey"]

US citizen John Silva, writing from Manila where he now resides, relates how voting in a US election is worth going through hell and high water (or at least, an attempt at voter suppression) for him, a son of a war veteran. [A Ballot from Manila]

Here's another recommended book list for your FAHM reading from San Francisco Public Library's Abraham Ignacio Jr. [Book Recommendations For 2020 Filipino American History Month]

And another intro to notable Fil-Ams from our publisher, Mona Lisa Yuchengco. [Fil-Ams Among The Remarkable And Famous, Part 10] 

Read Again: 

Robert V. Ragsac Sr.'s "Forget Them Not" 

Alex S. Fabros Jr.'s "Murder Most Foul" 

For the Happy Home Cook, here's a repost of Chef Romy Dorotan's  (Purple Yam in Brooklyn) Beef Shortribs Adobo, definitely a winner. 

For Video of the Week, young Fil-Am comedian JR De Guzman makes an appearance on Harry Connick, Jr.’s show.

In The Know

I Went to a 'Filipinos for Trump' Rally. Here's What I Found
https://www.colorlines.com/articles/i-went-filipinos-trump-rally-heres-what-i-found?fbclid=IwAR3G9ywtAiOrqRFyO11IPw_woeqW6B0MHoAdPCPEMb1x067-TunCqdpveaA 

‘Buried alive’: ‘The Celine Archive’ uncovers young Filipina’s horrific 1932 killing in Delta
https://www.recordnet.com/story/news/2020/10/11/buried-alive-the-celine-archive-documentary-uncovers-filipinas-1932-horrific-killing-delta/5918519002/?fbclid=IwAR3DiI-ahEP-vPE-4x6_5JfUSC398lFYaFCwsTLAs2jF8MHSa2NncmVyP_M

Exulting in a tribute to our National Hero
https://www.philstar.com/lifestyle/arts-and-culture/2018/11/26/1871613/exulting-tribute-our-national-hero/amp

From 800, it’s now a 10,000 waitlist for Filipino flavor Kora doughnuts
https://thefilam.net/archives/32996?fbclid=IwAR2BiaxeMD0YevN0RXwkaJkYaacJjE-ivyg7CeBfYet53gFE6WriDXGktAE

Virtual Everything

Nine months since the coronavirus pandemic hit earth like the proverbial giant meteorite, a virtual world has opened up for us. Webinars, podcasts, streaming movies, tutorials, family reunions, exercise videos, Broadway shows, awards shows, online learning, virtual international travel -- they're all ours for the taking (or watching/listening). Zoom has even become a household word. 

(Speaking of webinars, in case you missed Positively Filipino's very enlightening conversation with ace journalists Sheila Coronel and Ging Reyes, "Shutdown For a Shakedown? Behind the Attempts to Muzzle Press Freedom and ABS-CBN," you can watch it here.)

Unfortunately the online world also has its share of trolls and criminals, preying on the naive, the seniors (who are not as tech savvy) and the emotionally vulnerable. True these scammers have been around pre-covid but presumably they are more active now that people are staying home and relying only on their electronic devices to maintain their contact with the rest of the world. And then there's the loneliness factor. 

Pre-pandemic, romance scams (the type with the highest recorded occurence) lost its victims in the US $143 million in 2018 alone, with an average per-victim loss of $2,600. 

PF publisher Mona Lisa Yuchengco writes about her friend's brush with a romance scammer, truly a cautionary tale for potential sweet-talk victims. If you or someone you know is being scammed, there are web sites (such as https://www.usa.gov/stop-scams-frauds) for reporting them. Just make sure you do a background check on the site you choose lest it might be another scam. 

Stories this Week: 

[Webinar] Shut Down For A Shakedown? Behind The Attempts To Muzzle Press Freedom And ABS-CBN

Looking For Love In All The Wrong URLs By Mona Lisa Yuchengco

Dishes You’d Like To Cook And Eat In Self-Quarantine By Jennifer Fergesen

Jason Tanamor And His Aswang By Walter Ang

Amba Girly: Spirit Of The Corps By Marisa S. Roque

The Happy Home Cook: Blond Biko By Chef Nouel Omamalin

Video of the Week: The Voice Kids UK winner Justine Afante

In The Know 

WATCH: Why all Filipinos are considered indigenous
https://news.abs-cbn.com/video/life/10/27/16/watch-why-all-filipinos-are-considered-indigenous?fbclid=IwAR2jwrF9GGtzeG-sO2u6uuZZ0aNPZdsYLjfQC6RuDNNn0AdTBEjeT3LPJhI

Philippine human rights workers are being systematically killed in a growing war on dissent
https://news.yahoo.com/philippine-human-rights-workers-being-184122085.html?soc_src=social-sh&soc_trk=ma

25 years after: Amy Besa & Romy Dorotan on the pains and glory of being New York restaurateurs

https://news.abs-cbn.com/ancx/food-drink/features/08/23/20/before-ube-hit-it-big-abroad-amy-besa-and-romy-dorotan-were-serving-it-in-the-us-in-the-90s?1=1&fbclid=IwAR0YI4Ig0_q5FMmnF-kt9-Eh8MjlYNpY14TdrkrcFUT-f2r0vTUWR0Kz7Lw

SF author’s ‘Son of Good Fortune’ explores ‘myth of the American dream’
https://datebook.sfchronicle.com/books/san-francisco-authors-debut-novel-sheds-light-on-filipino-american-immigration?fbclid=IwAR0mNlHlp7yl-yHtmkUiaqBlt1_VVeV1NASoPk8A6lofzxekBcl1DnPf6fI

Anna Maria: The Spaniard who survived 16 bayonet wounds during the Battle of Manila
https://english.elpais.com/arts/2020-08-28/anna-maria-the-spaniard-who-survived-16-bayonet-wounds-during-the-battle-of-manila.html?fbclid=IwAR2jq8GfLyKl4HXCOiM5Vek-sCCoRY_HqMn_E0guLPEc2I4BPzagYkShOcw

Jordan, Julius and Purple Yam

With the chaos happening now in the Middle East, tourism has taken quite a hit. But it wasn't always that way, nor will it stay that way. As our travel sketcher Jojo Sabalvaro-Tan illustrates in her fascinating drawings, "Sketching Jordan," traveling through that country is a valuable education, a profound experience and a step back in time, where history and tradition dominate the landscape. Definitely a bucket list item, Jordan is. But it might be prudent to wait until peace is established once more.

Our regular food writer Elizabeth Ann Besa-Quirino introduces us to her cousin Amy Besa and Romy Dorotan, the power couple behind Brooklyn's Purple Yam restaurant and the award-winning book, Memories of Philippine Kitchens. After making Filipino food popular in New York, the two have crossed the ocean and returned to their homeland with another Purple Yam, this time in the Besas' renovated ancestral home in Malate, Manila. If you're on that side of the Pacific, be sure to check out the restaurant and partake of Romy's unique Filipino dishes.

Those planning a start-up or a nonprofit would do well to consult Julius Paras, a creative, innovative Filipino American consultant/thought leader/motivational speaker whose heart is definitely in the right place when it comes to helping his compatriots succeed. Contributing writer Harvey I. Barkin profiles him in "Julius Paras: He Came, He Saw, He Wants to Make a Change."

Our video of the week confirms what we suspect all along: Filipino call center workers are the best in the world. We applaud these talented workers and hope that the next generation will evolve into innovators and entrepreneurs.

My blog this week is about betrayals.