September 26, 2023

[Updated] Women of Peace and of a Just War

September 26, 2023/ Staff

We are updating this newsletter without the article on Emma Rotor.

The author Erwin Tiongson requested that it be removed because Science News is planning to publish it in its printed magazine. Erwin apologizes for the confusion.

Miriam Coronel-Ferrer, the 2023 Ramon Magsaysay Awardee, is the first female chief negotiator in the world to sign a final peace accord with a rebel group. That rebel group was the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), then at war with the Philippine government. In 2014, the Comprehensive Agreement on Bangsamoro (CAB) was signed, ending the 17-year conflict that killed more than 120,000 Filipinos on both sides, and ushered in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM). Manila-based contributor Manuel Hizon writes "A Stouthearted Peace Builder."

*****

In trying to heal from a deep sadness, FilAm cultural torchbearer Chiara Cox embraced the depth of Filipino culture through music and art. From there, she has organized an impressive array of cultural events to celebrate FilAm History Month in her community in Columbia, South Carolina. Check out the schedule of festivities in "The Calling of My Soul."

*****

Anti-Asian hate is alive and festering not only in California but in other states as well. Here's a report on recent incidents in Portland, Oregon.

What to do when you or someone you know is a victim of a hate crime in California? These guidelines and resources keep you informed.

Funding provided by the State of California.

*****

The production team that brought you the acclaimed movie "11,103" has come out with a series of short videos on how the Marcos dictatorship destroyed the sugar industry in Negros. The first of these docus is on The Escalante Massacre, which you can watch here as our Video of the Week.

In The Know

On board the BRP Sierra Madre in Ayungin Shoal: A journalist’s first-hand account

https://verafiles.org/articles/on-board-the-brp-sierra-madre-in-ayungin-shoal-a-journalists-first-hand-account?fbclid=IwAR3nsF_Q5aOp7mK5Wh0EVTJCFJ0RJcSMiV1zaUdmuCFPWAN5DZzgjeBU--A

PH ‘learning poverty’ still among region’s worst

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1835164/ph-learning-poverty-still-among-regions-worst?fbclid=IwAR1i4WPD2VVRp0NDB9-YjoRw-5ToggPoBfU5rd2fYB2FO25O7z9FCqwTLIA#:~:text=In%20the%202023%20WB%20report,New%20Guinea%2C%20Tonga%20and%20Tuvalu

Olivia Rodrigo wants to perform in the Philippines

https://www.nme.com/en_asia/news/music/olivia-rodrigo-wants-to-perform-in-the-philippines-3501645?fbclid=IwAR1i4WPD2VVRp0NDB9-YjoRw-5ToggPoBfU5rd2fYB2FO25O7z9FCqwTLIA

Jun Urbano: Mr. Shooli, a plate of peanuts, and the lost art of satire

https://philstarlife.com/geeky/105588-jun-urbano-profile?page=3

It’s Never Too Late to Find Love, Just Ask These Octogenarians

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/09/22/style/emilio-quines-jr-angie-cruz-wedding.html?fbclid=IwAR1Ras8LG4yEHLO5-TAYPlb_setJz1HPDNoFXJThpytGQAGQP7fJOK9P4-g

David Byrne’s Broadway Musical Celebrates a Monstrous Fascist

https://hyperallergic.com/845782/david-byrne-broadway-musical-here-lies-love-celebrates-a-monstrous-fascist-imelda-marcos/

Filipino Restaurant Archipelago Brings Identity, Culture, and Empowerment to the Center Stage of Fine Dining

https://southseattleemerald.com/2023/09/16/filipino-restaurant-archipelago-brings-identity-culture-and-empowerment-to-the-center-stage-of-fine-dining/?fbclid=IwAR2I8x1wXXIhml-7v25zYtz7Ap9xhzVnSvDwYbMi0ATxniLiMZFtDYvEarQ

August 02, 2023

We're With the Campaign Against Hate

August 02, 2023/ Staff

While official stats from California's Department of Justice show a decrease in hate crimes against Asian Americans, AAPI communities know better than to relax their guard. Last month alone, four incidents of assaults -- one of which resulted in the death of the victim -- happened to elderly Asians in San Francisco. See: Has Anti-Asian Hate Crime Really Decreased? By Sunita Sohrabji

How do we stem the rising tide of hate? California's Stop the Hate campaign is a statewide initiative that funds community organizations, including ethnic media, in "providing direct services to victims of hate and their families, and prevention and intervention services to tackle hate in our communities."

Through the California State Library, the Department of Social Services and the Commission on Asian and Pacific Islander American Affairs, Positively Filipino is one of the ethnic media organizations awarded a grant. For the next 12 months, this online magazine will take an active role in providing historical and current information about anti-Asian hate crimes, with particular focus on Filipino Americans. With grant resources, readers will learn about the importance of reporting crimes, how to report crimes and what services are available to support both victims and their families. We will assist in the documentation of incidents, and disseminate strategies on prevention and de-escalation through a series of free webinars. Our Act Against Hate section in the magazine and social media will be a valuable community resource for everyone who supports the struggle against hate, racism, discrimination and violence against FilAms.

Have you or someone you know experienced an instance when you felt targeted and afraid? When and where did it happen? How did it happen? Do you think you were targeted because you're Asian? Tell us about it by clicking this link: actagainsthate@positivelyfilipino.com. If you feel that you are a victim of a hate crime, report it to https://stopaapihate.org/

Together we can stop, prevent, document, and de-escalate ethnic tensions while making sure that we ourselves are free of anger and prejudice.

********

Home caregivers or domestic workers -- those who are employed to provide home care to the sick, disabled and others who need them -- are not provided the basic health and safety protections under Cal/OSHA (California Occupational Safety and Health Act). Now, California Senate Bill 686 hopes to change the situation, but the bill requires a push by the community to enact it into law. Community activist Susan V. Tagle tells us what's at stake.

The results of the 2022 presidential elections in the Philippines was not as clear-cut as it seemed, according to a group of analysts led by General Eliseo Rio, former head of the Department of Information and Communications Technology. Inquirer columnist Randy David summarizes the questions brought forth by the inquiry.

PF Correspondent Anthony Maddela deep dives into a discussion of the mental health issues confronting Filipino Americans with author/activist Jen Soriano who just came out with a book called Nervous: Essays on Heritage and Healing.

Stories this Week

Fighting To Protect California’s Domestic Workers by Susan V. Tagle

Has Anti-Asian Hate Crime Really Decreased? by Sunita Sohrabji

Lingering Doubts About The 2022 Philippine Presidential Election by Randy David

Jen Soriano Plumbs The Depths Of Filipino Heritage And Healing by Anthony Maddela

Read Agains

The Last Night Of I-Hotel by Veronica Versoza

10 Survival Tips For Summer Travel To Europe by Cherie M. Querol Moreno

[Recipe of the Week] The Happy Home Cook: Liver In Bistek Sauce by G. B. Korten

[Video of the Week] The Island Of The Living Dead

In The Know

Filipinas take entire basketball-crazed country to a football journey to remember

https://sports.inquirer.net/521720/filipinas-end-first-world-cup-stint-with-a-loss-but-not-after-taking-entire-basketball-crazed-country-to-a-football-journey-to-remember?utm_term=Autofeed&utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook&fbclid=IwAR2s4RxK6QowhWgkmy5cMyr0Ooh8vvjpIgyy8yWFkFI-ZCIdVfq1QP_Av2Q#Echobox=1690749252

This Filipino-American CEO Earned More Than Apple's Tim Cook

https://www.esquiremag.ph/money/wealth/filipino-american-ceo-kiwi-camara-a00203-20230727?utm_source=Facebook-Esquire&utm_medium=Ownshare&utm_campaign=20230103-fbnp-money-filipino-american-ceo-kiwi-camara-a00203-20230727-fbnew&fbclid=IwAR2k5DEetDW8ohH9Am8qsUwU1bQo4XDvP2vRgkrCRwMrxxJxX4JP8XC63x8

Calls grow for official designation of Filipino cultural district in SF SoMa neighborhood

https://nextshark.com/official-designation-filipino-cultural-district-sf-soma

She drove solo around the Philippines for 121 days and it was the ride of a lifetime

https://news.abs-cbn.com/ancx/travel/destination/07/29/23/she-drove-around-the-ph-for-121-daysheres-what-happened?fbclid=IwAR0HK9J5BHl_MMJt_Y_RrkP01Z7pfW-msGI3PL-QX8JJc6lHgetV8edTdD0

Look: Barbie and Ken Reimagined as Filipinos – Complete with Barbiefied Jeepney and Bahay Kubo

https://www.wheninmanila.com/look-barbie-and-ken-reimagined-as-filipinos-complete-with-barbiefied-jeepney-and-bahay-kubo/?fbclid=IwAR1vh5r0N8sfh05obldHMdwErigcVM6Jdx9n76Z_Be9l61et0c5s6HKMLIY

July 04, 2023

We Are Acting Against Hate

July 04, 2023/ Staff

Hate crimes in California in 2022 was at an all-time high, with a jump of 20% from 2021. [https://oag.ca.gov/system/files/attachments/press-docs/Hate%20Crime%20In%20CA%202022f.pdf]

While overall, anti-Asian hate crimes/incidents have gone down in number following the easing of the pandemic and its accompanying anti-Asian rhetoric, it is still alarming that there were almost 10,000 reported cases between 2020 and 2021 alone. [https://archive.vn/qO57S] These stats illustrate that Asians are easily vulnerable to attacks; a single spark of hate can still ignite a prairie fire.

It's not a time then for complacency. Or to even entertain (the premature and mistaken) relief that the tensions are over. As the recent beating of 75-year old Filipino American Amadeo Quintara in his own garage in Las Vegas by a white man shows, [see Corin Lujan's "Against Hate and Loathing in Las Vegas], hate is a living, breathing organism that will always be a threat, no matter how much we wish it away.

With this issue, Positively Filipino begins a partnership with the State of California and its agencies, the California State Library, the Department of Social Services and the Commission on Asian and Pacific Islander American Affairs as part of the Stop the Hate campaign. Through a state grant, PF will take an active role in providing historical and current information about anti-Asian hate crimes, assist in the documentation of incidents, and disseminate strategies on prevention and de-escalation. Our Act Against Hate section in the magazine and social media will be a valuable community resource for everyone who supports the struggle against hate, racism, discrimination and violence against Asians.

Have you or someone you know experienced an instance when you felt targeted and afraid? Tell us about it at actagainsthate@positivelyfilipino.com. When did it happen? How did it happen? What did you do about it? It may not be something monumental -- murmured curses about your ethnicity, a deliberate bumping that threw you off-balance, being refused service, being sneered at during your daily walk -- all these little slights that we often just ignore, add up. And to keep silent gives the perpetrators the green-light to proclaim their bigotry.

So let us, as a community, raise our voices against hate in whatever form. Together we can stop, prevent, document, and de-escalate ethnic tensions while making sure that we ourselves are free of anger and prejudice.

This week, we also begin a series on Bridge Generation personalities, as profiled by historian/chronicler Peter Jamero in his monthly blog called Peter's Pinoy Patter. First up, Don Velez, 85, whose woodworking products are available on Etsy.