Bullseye on our Backs?

Where are our martial arts warriors when we need them?

I heard someone ask this question when the video of a 65-year old Filipino woman being assaulted last week in New York's Times Square in broad daylight became viral. Sure, it's a stereotype and a myth that Asians are Bruce Lees  but with the almost daily stream of verbal and physical assaults on Asian Americans, can't we call on our ninja warriors for protection? Or at the very least, assistance? The video of Vilma Kari didn't show anyone coming to her aid; in fact, security guards at the building closed the doors on her (they've been fired). It was only a few days later that Vilma's daughter posted that a person across the street "yelled and screamed to get the assailant's attention" thereby disrupting the vicious attack. No one else helped; NYPD didn't even get a 911 call.

Few of us can be as badass as the Chinese lola Xiao Zhen Xie in San Francisco who fought back. Or as lucky, since there was a wooden board handy that she picked up to whack her assailant with which landed him, not her, in the hospital. 

It's gratifying to know that Asian American groups, including the National Federation of Filipino American Associations (NaFFAA, see Partner post below), are calling for the consolidation of efforts to address this issue of hate crimes against Asians. Doubly gratifying that the Biden administration has our backs, rhetorically and policy-wise.

In the real world however, we continue to be vulnerable. I was in New York last week at the time of Vilma Kari's assault and I admit that the very normal NYC activity of taking a walk felt like there was a bullseye on my back. This is no way to live.

What can we do to protect ourselves while we wait for all the organizing and the concerted efforts to take effect?

Our Stories This Week

Fil-Ams Among The Remarkable And Famous, Part 17 By Mona Lisa Yuchengco

A Child Forever By Rey E. de la Cruz

‘Stand The F**K Up’ By Corin Ramos

[Partner] NaFFAA To Develop Hate Crimes Task Force In Response To Anti-Asian Attacks

Read Again: In The Heat Of The Night: The Exeter And Watsonville Riots 1929-1930 By Alex S. Fabros, Jr.

The Happy Home Cook: Gising Gising (Seafood Extreme)

[Video of the Week] World War II in the Philippines, the Forgotten War

In The Know

Filipina mom grateful for extraordinary act of kindness in small-town Alberta
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/filipinos-rural-alberta-1.5965398?cmp=rss&fbclid=IwAR2P9YD4Bul5zBjhzK-yCprbMQsE28LcaYhgVy9q1xvZPzB_dHufzQ9Uh7s

The Best Books About Asian American Identity, According to Experts
https://nymag.com/strategist/amp/article/best-books-about-asian-american-identity.html?__twitter_impression=true&s=04&fbclid=IwAR0Lj1NvHcNu1LuOhYHYPcSQzvT_dn3OrnwfB_0QMKoTNGv-1lfktOSt2X0

Gliceria Marella-Villavicencio: A revolutionary figure you’ve probably never heard of
https://nolisoli.ph/66528/gliceria-marella-villavicencio-csanjose-20190826/?fbclid=IwAR14fApK1p2eI_s_tclC4DJIOqVufT93iJXhYpl5qnqWTQYxSyZALx5UxFE

Meet the hidden Filipino treasure that is dulce prenda
https://www.sbs.com.au/food/article/2021/03/17/meet-hidden-filipino-treasure-dulce-prenda?fbclid=IwAR3Tdbuo7lsCzrGJGsEe1fmFKF2wZ4ywaiHHpSJ4cgYBsnuLf9teCDJmlWc

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Anti-Terrorism Law and You

Two heavyweights in the civil liberties arena in the Philippines will weigh in on the impact of the Anti-Terrorism Law recently passed by Congress. Senator Risa Hontiveros and Attorney Theodore Te will discuss the nuances of the law and how it will impact overseas Filipinos in Positively Filipino's webinar tomorrow at 6 pm Pacific/9 pm Eastern (in the Philippines, 9 am Friday). If you haven't registered yet, please click on the link below for details.

Meanwhile, this week we commemorate the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II, pay tribute to a woman of substance, humorously expose a crackpot clan in Mindanao that claims ownership of the entire archipelago and includes Rizal and Hitler in its lineage, and introduce the new cookbook (and a recipe) of one of the leading lights of Philippine cuisine. We hope you enjoy them.

Our Stories This Week:

World War II In The Philippines - 75 Years After By Cecilia I. Gaerlan 

Gilda Cordero Fernando: Forever Groovy By Paulynn Paredes Sicam

Philippine Hoaxes: Of Cabbages And Kings, Grifters And Trolls By Myles A. Garcia

Sandy’s Handy Cookbook By Bella Bonner

[PARTNER] Byaheng Pag-Asa

The Happy Home Cook: Chili Coconut Squid By Chef Sandy Daza

Video of the Week: As the US prepares for an eventful presidential election, the Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities, including the Filipino American community, underscore our wholehearted participation in the charting of this country's future.

In the Know

From malls to banks: The pandemic’s domino effect
https://rappler.com/newsbreak/in-depth/coronavirus-pandemic-domino-effect-malls-banks

My Neighbor, The Roosevelt Statue
https://aaww.org/my-neighbor-the-roosevelt-statue-rene-g-ontal/?fbclid=IwAR0jokipkMGf65jn0XqEaIw2JaxQiNPpDZM6HRPyMBjhV45o8GNDyiNztcc

A father-daughter relationship blooms amid Philippine flora
https://news.berkeley.edu/2019/01/03/a-father-daughter-relationship-blooms-amid-philippine-flora/?fbclid=IwAR0BRoB9MX0ek1dEiC8FF4Wepa03rgvqRXfIoqwV-RLwf-UVhwSvnMaxCgg

Catholic poet, artist put spotlight on COVID
https://www.catholicregister.org/features/arts/item/32027-catholic-poet-artist-put-spotlight-on-covid

This Former Student Activist Now Owns the Largest Pawnshop Network in the Country
https://www.esquiremag.ph/money/industry/palawan-pawnshop-owner-profile-a00289-20200902-lfrm?ref=article_aside_money

Sometimes, It Takes Time': Erina Alejo, the Third-Generation Renter
https://www.kqed.org/arts/13885733/sometimes-it-takes-time-erina-alejo-the-third-generation-rente?fbclid=IwAR0RQxecWk1hFn-FW9D65UIVuZGg-Dnl-KLZGnAKs9DiL-96H87rVWSveSU

Facing the Challenge

With coronavirus news and missives swirling relentlessly and dire economic prognostications triggering panic attacks, we wonder how our entrepreneurial kababayans are faring. PF contributing writer Jennifer Fergesen checks in on Filipino food businesses in Europe and reports their situation in "Filipino Restaurateurs in Europe Grapple with Pandemic."

Author and balikbayan traveler Cecilia Manguerra-Brainard tells her story of how the virus trailed her in the early days of contagion when she traveled from the Philippines to LA in "CORONAVIRUS: The Beginning." 

When the going gets tough, the tough gets going. This popular adage aptly describes the plight of the Alcantara sisters of Paco, Manila, whose privileged life was abruptly cut short with the advent of WWII. Ambassador (Ret.) Virgilio A. Reyes, Jr. lovingly tells the story of his grandmother, mother and aunts who survived a situation so much worse than what Covid-19 has created now, in "How Linda and Her Sisters Survived the War."

Other than the pandemic, the most important issue in the US right now is the Census 2020. We urge all Filipinos in the US to stand up and be counted (by filling out the form either online or on paper). The future of your families, the communities you live in and the communities you belong to depend on your participation. To know why it is imperative, Read Again "What Fil-Ams Should Know About the 2020 Census" by Cherie Querol Moreno.

What does battling an epidemic entail? Read Again Dr. Jorge Emmanuel's riveting story of the work he did as a World Health Organization (WHO) consultant in Monrovia, Liberia during the 2014 ebola crisis in "My Battle with Ebola." 

Our Happy Home Cook recipe this week is for the ultimate Filipino comfort soup, Chicken Tinola with a new way of serving it.

Here are links for your reading enjoyment:

Philippines: Covid-19 will devastate the poor
https://www.lowyinstitute.org/the-interpreter/philippines-covid-19-will-devastate-poor?fbclid=IwAR2KC_ucEtO9XCHZ1O1KcJqcsx6AHprBzk4z71h2MtGqNiWlXDOgY0APz7w

How this first Filipino COVID-19 patient battled the virus for 15 days and won
https://news.abs-cbn.com/ancx/culture/spotlight/03/23/20/how-this-first-filipino-covid-19-patient-battled-the-virus-for-15-days-and-won?fbclid=IwAR2TUJMc-Q0R9hr3hEyb0PHRlpcnoCxkgrId25yAAT9FsONmdJVxadoEBOA

Metro Manila’s Most Vulnerable in the Time of COVID-19
https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/specials/content/138/rick-rocamora-metro-manila-s-most-vulnerable-amid-covid-19/?fbclid=IwAR1VSaphXXP7N6tjqmy2dFmc_7mowQpOYYC0oGshZOPVznRHw7iLy2dS5fY

10 Things We Wish Pasig City Could Give the Entire Country
https://www.spot.ph/newsfeatures/the-latest-news-features/81448/pasig-enhanced-quarantine-a4362-20200318?utm_source=Facebook-Spot&utm_medium=Ownshare&utm_campaign=20200317-fbnp-newsfeatures-pasig-enhanced-quarantine-a4362-20200318-fbfirst&fbclid=IwAR1535XR4Lf0zGIZpsfgYHZSSOtKwN3BOOH5gbpJ3tPbugZ5pgabjsZoapc

'Bayanihan, Musikahan': Ryan Cayabyab, Filipino artists launch FB Live concert series amid coronavirus crisis
https://news.abs-cbn.com/entertainment/03/18/20/bayanihan-musikahan-ryan-cayabyab-filipinos-artists-launch-fb-live-concert-series-amid-coronavirus-crisis?fbclid=IwAR10yBiZd1SYUcKB26hgccSjWiM77LMS0XGt8RSe2wYan363U5fNtAASd_0

Cutting Our Travel Short And Trying To Get Home During The Coronavirus Pandemic
https://www.travelawaits.com/2493076/cutting-our-travel-short-and-trying-to-get-home-during-the-coronavirus-pandemic/?pv=related_list&fbclid=IwAR0-AmsVUrXlUzydOyvKjp-uAbe3sDmib0rwIyniwbN0jz3l1eX1Dd8OEZg

For Videos of the Week, the Filipino Voter Empowerment Project created these public service announcements to remind Filipino Americans to be counted in the US Census. In the second episode, three of the actors, Lily De Ocampo, Jurshia Felipe, and Jamie Sophia Tubal, are also nurses in real life. They took time out to volunteer for this project before the coronavirus breakout and are now serving on the front lines of the Covid-19 crisis.