April 22, 2026

Cool and Competent

April 22, 2026/ Staff

There’s probably no business as tough as show business. So, it’s always good for the spirit to see Filipinos and Filipino Americans breaking through in U.S. entertainment. This week we feature rising talents who make us proud.

Stand-up comedians often chided TV medical dramas for not being realistic because the “hospitals” didn’t have any Filipino doctors, nurses, and technicians on their staff. They can chide no more. The hit series The Pitt on HBO Max has memorable Filipino American characters buzzing about the Emergency Department of the fictional Pittsburgh Trauma Center.

Among them is Dr. Trinity Santos, played by Isa Briones who taps into a reservoir of heavy emotions that Filipinos are known to display in their everyday lives, writes our correspondent Anthony Maddela (Isa Briones, the Cool, Competent Filipina Doctor on ‘The Pitt’). The London-born star had already made a mark on Broadway stages before The Pitt. Read how she runs.

Meanwhile, BINI, a P-Pop girl group riding the candy-colored global K-Pop wave, made quite a splash at the famous Coachella music festival (BINI’s Coachella Breakthrough by Julienne Loreto). Their view count online was second only to festival headliner Justin Bieber’s.

Meanwhile, historian-soldier Alex Fabros shares another part of his memoirs, this time about coming of age amid America’s emerging counter-culture as the dark clouds of the Vietnam War loomed (Chess, Janis Joplin, and My Father’s Herbs).

We’re sharing with you another early access to Episode 2 of Ink and Identity. The Filipino Story team travels to meet Apo Whang-Od, the famous 109-year-old mambabatok (traditional tattooist) of Buscalan, Philippines. This episode begins to explore what Ginhawa means through the lens of a living legend.

[Read It Again]

A Certifiably Sustainable Way of Life by Chiara Cox

In Coron, Palawan: Earth-Friendly Farming with a Side of Eco Tours by Glenna Aquino

[Video of the Week] Filipino Americans Meet Whang Od: Legendary Tattoo Artist of Buscalan

In The Know

San Francisco ceremony honors WWII Asian American nurses
https://asamnews.com/2026/04/14/filipino-and-asian-american-wwii-nurses-honors/?

LOOK: A New Rebel Bakehouse Inside Historic, Picture-Perfect Baguio Landmark
https://www.spot.ph/eatdrink/the-latest-eat-drink/rebel-bakehouse-bell-house-baguio-a2962-20260330-bsc?utm_source=Facebook-

Why we’re excited about all-kundiman concert at MiraNila
https://www.thediarist.ph/why-were-excited-about-all-kundiman-concert-at-miranila/

Food’s Vital Role in the Country’s History by Felice Prudente Sta. Maria
https://www.instagram.com/reels/DXGq1PlAgwb/

Fact Sheet: U.S. and Philippines Plan the Launch of Historic 4,000 Acre Economic Security Zone to Shore Up Supply Chains
https://ph.usembassy.gov/fact-sheet-u-s-and-philippines-plan-the-launch-of-historic-4000-acre-economic-security-zone-to-shore-up-supply-chains/

The Truth About Sampaguita
https://www.facebook.com/reel/762015443407168

April 15, 2026

You Can Go Home Again

April 15, 2026/ Staff

Among the many articles we publish at Positively Filipino, hometown stories remain some of the most meaningful. They carry a special kind of joy—rich with memory, community, and the small details that stay with us long after we’ve left. Over the years, we’ve gathered quite a collection, and we would love to keep them coming.

Take, for instance, today’s story from first-time contributor Connie Cagahastian Triggiano. She brings us to Paete, Laguna, known for its woodcarvings, and recalls the charm of the Tayangtang—a simple public bench at the heart of town. It was a daily gathering place for men, a space for camaraderie where conversations flowed freely—from lighthearted gossip to musings about life—often accompanied by hearty laughter.

The original bench, fondly called “Tayangtang ni Karyong Bado,” stood near the provincial bus stop, making it an ideal spot to observe the rhythm of town life. People came and went, stories were exchanged, and in many ways, it became Paete’s informal news center. As time passed, other tayangtangs appeared around town. In 1997, the tradition even found its way online, when a Paete native in Canada created the town’s first website, complete with a chat group that connected kababayans across distances.

Today, the physical Tayangtang may no longer exist, the town reshaped by changing times, migration, and the rise of social media. Yet its spirit endures. As Connie reflects, every message, call, shared photo, or online gathering among Paetenians carries echoes of that same longing—for home, for connection, for the familiar warmth of a place that shaped us.

This is why hometown stories matter, especially for those of us in the diaspora. They help us remember where we came from and keep us connected to the communities that formed us. They preserve traditions, voices, and memories that might otherwise fade with time. And they offer a way to share our heritage with younger generations, ensuring that these stories continue to live on.

We invite you to share your own memories of the places that cradled and molded you.

Write to us at submissions@positivelyfilipino.com.

This Week’s Stories:

Where Talk of the Town Got Done in Paete, Laguna by Connie Cagahastian Triggiano

Overseas Filipinos Achievers, Part 3 by Mona Lisa Yuchengco

Snack-Around-the-Clock with ‘Kakanin’ by Manuel Hizon

Eduard Bañez: From PH Media Host to PE Teacher in Hollywood by Rogelio Constantino Medina

[Read It Again]

The Hometowns of My Boyhood by Oscar Peñaranda

What Happened on Hacienda Street by George Deoso

Island in the Stream by Victor Peñaranda

[Video of the Week] 6 Delicious Pancit Recipes from the Philippines

In The Know

California library to be named after Filipino writer Carlos Bulosan
https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/2210783/california-library-to-be-named-after-filipino-writer-carlos-bulosan?

‘Because you are Filipino’
https://verafiles.org/articles/because-you-are-filipino

At QC's Carinderia Sefali, A Filipina Cooks Palestinian Dishes The Way Her MIL Taught Her
https://www.spot.ph/eatdrink/the-latest-eat-drink/carinderia-sefali-quezon-city-a3284-20260408-bsc?

How budots broke the gates of Berghain
https://lifestyle.inquirer.net/567926/how-budots-broke-the-gates-of-berghain/?

Larry Itliong and the Great Delano Grape Strike

https://asamnews.com/2026/04/11/larry-itliong-delano-grape-strike-cesar-chavez/

April 08, 2026

In Memoriam: Remarkable Filipinos We Lost

April 08, 2026/ Staff

Every year, Positively Filipino drops a year-end list honoring Filipinos we lost—names that showed up in both mainstream news and our feeds. And honestly? The list was always mahaba. Starting 2026, though, we're switching it up: quarterly releases na. It’s a more intentional way for us to pause, remember, and maybe recognize people we actually knew or followed.

Quick history moment (but make it relevant): the Iglesia Filipina Independiente (IFI)—aka the Aglipayan Church—is one of those distinctly Filipino institutions. Founded in 1902, it was a bold, nationalist move: a church rooted in Catholic tradition but independent from Rome. It found its stronghold in northern Luzon, and today its membership is estimated anywhere from 1.5M (based on the 2020 Census) to around 6M, depending on who you ask. One of its early hubs? Ballesteros, Cagayan, where it took root in 1904. PF contributor Leodovico Masuli dives into the story of this town—its deep religiosity and strong nationalist identity—in a way that hits different if you care about Filipino heritage.

And for the culture crowd: if you’ve seen the recent hot take questioning opera’s relevance (yes, that one by Timothy Chalamet), here’s a thoughtful clapback. Fil-Am baritone Roberto Perlas Gomez links up with PF correspondent Anthony Maddela to talk about why opera still matters—and why it’s far from “dead.”

[Partner] An Act of Remembrance in White Sands by Jon Melegrito

[Read It Again]

Death of an Army by Antonio A. Nieva

The Food of Abra by Laarni Sibayan-Ilagan

[Video of the Week] This Filipino Writer Reveals How Stories Transform The Nation | Rio Alma