September 09, 2026

The Love of Grandparents

September 09, 2026/ Staff

We’ve all heard the joke: “If I’d known grandkids would be this much fun, I would have had them first!” It’s said with a wink, but ask any grandparent and you’ll find some truth in it. There’s a special joy in loving a child without having to shoulder all the responsibilities of raising one—and, when the little ones get cranky or the lolos and lolas get tired, there’s always the wonderful option of sending them home to Mom and Dad. A luxury parents, of course, can only dream about.

Grandparents Day falls on September 14, and we’re marking it with two heartwarming stories about that extraordinary bond between grandparents and grandchildren. In one, a granddaughter (Cebu-based Phoebe Gwynn Francisco) celebrates her deep love for her Lola; in the other, a Nana (PF publisher Mona Lisa Yuchengco) revels in the affection of her grandson. There’s nothing extraordinary about either story—and perhaps that’s precisely what makes them beautiful. In a world that sometimes seems increasingly divided and disconnected, the uncomplicated love between grandparents and grandchildren reminds us of something enduring: some bonds transcend generations, distance, and circumstance.

And then there is another kind of love—the world’s newfound love affair with ube.

For generations, Filipinos have known and savored this vibrant purple crop, turning it into halaya, ice cream, pastries, breads and countless other treats. Now ube has burst onto the global food scene, appearing everywhere from gourmet bakeries to supermarket freezers. But as demand grows, an important question follows: Will Filipino farmers share in the bounty of ube’s newfound popularity, or will big business once again capture most of the profits from a crop that has been part of our heritage for generations? Philippines-based PF writer Rene Astudillo takes us inside the rise of ube as an emerging cash crop—and the opportunities and challenges it brings to the farmers who grow it.

Meanwhile, a high school junior, Sophie Festejo, pays tribute to a corner of Queens, New York, that has earned a name familiar to many Filipinos: Little Manila. Its very name tells a story—a story of immigrants who carried more than suitcases across the ocean. They brought their food, language, traditions, memories and sense of home, creating a community that, generations later, continues to keep a piece of the Philippines alive.

From the love of a Lola to the ube fields of the Philippines, from a grandson’s embrace to a little corner of Queens, this issue celebrates the many ways Filipino connections endure. They live in our families, our food, our communities—and in the generations that carry them forward.

[Read It Again]

My Close Call on 9/11 by Maj. Gen. Antonio M. Taguba (Ret.)

After 9/11 by Gemma Nemenzo

Book Review: The Story of a Life by Criselda Yabes

[Video of the Week]

What Eala-Mania Really Shows Us About Filipinos

In The Know

Alex Eala's interview on CBS Mornings
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f4Tvxa1x9PU

Lea Salonga makes history with Hollywood Walk of Fame star
https://usa.inquirer.net/208430/lea-salonga-makes-history-with-hollywood-walk-of-fame-star?

Olivia Rodrigo Is Doing It All, and From the Heart
https://vogue.ph/magazine/olivia-rodrigo-september-october-2026-cover/?

Silent Book Clubs Are Giving Manila's Introverts a New Way to Socialize
https://www.spot.ph/arts-culture/the-latest-arts-culture/the-rise-of-silent-book-clubs-a5229-20260731-dyn?

Filipino-born aunt, Air Force nephew charged in alleged U.S. citizenship fraud scheme
https://www.filipinoreporters.com/post/filipino-born-aunt-air-force-nephew-charged-in-alleged-u-s-citizenship-fraud-scheme?

September 02, 2026

The Truth We Owe

September 02, 2026/ Staff

In the1980s, when the New People’s Army (NPA) was at the height of its strength, journalists and other sympathetic—or simply open-minded—individuals, both foreign and Filipino, were occasionally invited into its “guerilla fronts,” rural areas where the movement held sway. There, they could speak directly with rebel leaders about what they were fighting for and why.

These visits were complicated and dangerous undertakings. The NPA units hosting them had to take extraordinary precautions to keep visitors away from active combat zones and minimize the possibility that they would be caught in an encounter with government forces. There was an understanding that civilians—especially those who had come to listen and observe—should not be placed in the line of fire.

That makes what happened in Toboso, Negros Occidental, on April 19 of this year all the more troubling.

In this issue, retired university professor and PF contributing writer James Sobredo pieces together reports of the 12-hour clash between a Philippine Army battalion and the Northern Negros Front of the NPA. Nineteen people were killed, six of them civilians. Among the dead were two University of the Philippines student leaders and two Filipino Americans: Lyle Prijoles of the San Francisco Bay Area and Kai Dana-Rene Sorem of Seattle. Their deaths have reverberated far beyond Negros, reaching a Filipino American community whose members remain deeply connected to the struggles—and dangers—of the Philippines. ["Filipino Americans Sound Off On the Toboso Tragedy"]

So what really happened in Toboso?

The immediate responses have followed familiar lines. The military has engaged in red-tagging and has accused all 19 dead as combatants; the NPA has asserted that the six civilians were not its members. But neither accusation nor denial can answer the fundamental questions surrounding the deaths. The Commission on Human Rights of the Philippines is investigating, and its findings will be essential to establishing what happened and who bears responsibility.

For Filipinos in the diaspora, this is more than a distant story about a conflict in a remote part of the Philippines. It is a reminder that the political violence we read about from thousands of miles away can reach into our own communities, claim people we know, and leave families on both sides of the Pacific searching for answers.

We owe the dead more than competing narratives. We owe them the truth.

And until that truth is established, the least we can do is refuse to let their lives—and their deaths—be reduced to a label, a slogan, or a political talking point.

We have more stories below.

Filipino Americans Sound Off on the Toboso Tragedy by James Sobredo

With Feathers on Her Cap by Anthony Maddela

The Manong Who Never Loses by John Rey

Growing Up Tough in Sta. Ana, Manila by Ben Gaetos

[Read It Again]

The Historic Delano Grape Strike’s Sacrifices and Rewards by Alex S. Fabros, Jr.

Joe Mari Chan’s Enduring Heart Songs by Paulynn Paredes Sicam

[Video of the Week]

Southeast Asians in the Arctic: How Filipinos and Thais are reshaping Greenland

In The Know

The Inside Story Of Tennis Phenom Alex Eala’s Rise And Rise
https://www.forbes.com/sites/mattcraig/2026/08/28/the-inside-story-of-tennis-phenom-alex-ealas-rise-and-rise/?

How Mangga't Suman, Latik-Latik, and Bilo-Bilo Ice Cream Put Heritage in a Pint
https://www.esquiremag.ph/culture/food-and-drink/how-manggat-suman-latik-latik-and-bilo-bilo-ice-cream-put-heritage-in-a-pint-a1057-20260810-bsc?

Why thousands of Indian students are crossing the sea to study medicine in the Philippines
https://gulfnews.com/world/asia/philippines/why-thousands-of-indian-students-are-crossing-the-sea-to-study-medicine-in-the-philippines-1.500651623?

TRENDING: What’s behind the 'OFW in Makati' and 'United States of Makati' memes?
https://philstarlife.com/news-and-views/229103-ofw-in-makati-explained?page=3

History Comes Alive Through This Next Generation of Philippine Reenactors

https://www.spot.ph/arts-culture/the-latest-arts-culture/historia-viviente-manila-a5229-20260821-dyn?ref=nexus_reco

August 26, 2026

Beyond Remittances

August 26, 2026/ Staff

The Philippines’ global presence is often measured through familiar indicators—remittances, migration numbers, and the achievements of the 11 million-strong Filipino diaspora. In this article by Toronto-based professor and PF contributing writer Cesar Polvorosa, Jr., he invites us to look beyond those measures and recognize a deeper, less visible resource: the relationships, knowledge, opportunities, and networks that Filipinos build wherever they go. From communities in Canada to connections forged through sports, culture, and entrepreneurship, the Filipino diaspora has become an increasingly important bridge between the Philippines and the wider world.

This is the idea captured by what he calls Filipino diasporic capital: the collective value created by Filipinos who carry their skills, experiences, relationships, and aspirations across borders. As this article argues, the challenge before the Philippines is no longer simply to acknowledge the sacrifices of its people abroad, but to understand and engage the extraordinary network they have already built. The Philippines is already a global nation—and its people abroad may be among its greatest assets in shaping what comes next. We can only wish that our homeland's leaders will be able to recognize and harness such rich potential for the national good.

*****

In this issue we are reposting a report from AsAmNews about the rebuilding efforts in Lahaina, Hawaii whose population is 40% Filipino. The fire of August 2023 that wiped out Lahaina's historic downtown, decimated hundreds of homes and structures, and killed over a hundred, is considered the deadliest wildfire in the U.S. in the last 100 years.

*****

Read as well chapter 81 of our popular series, FilAms Among the Remarkable and Famous. And a profile of Vince Tañada, lawyer/playwright/theater and film director and actor.

[Video of the Week] Building Communities: A Tribute to our Manongs and Manangs 2026

{Read It Again]

We are reposting here some of the articles contributed by the acclaimed poet/writer Marra PL. Lanot who passed away on Sunday, August 16. This is our way of saying goodbye and thank you for her honoring Positively Filipino with her writings.

Of Fireflies and Firebrands by Marra PL. Lanot

Remembering Nick by Marra PL. Lanot

The Beatles in the Philippines by Marra PL. Lanot