Happy Spring!

HAPPY SPRING!

Though climate change has made weather patterns crazy, spring–even if it's wintry cold in some places and scorching hot in others–always brings with it the promise of hope and new beginnings.

April is the fourth month of Positively Filipino (fifth if you count our beta issue), and we are elated by how this online magazine has captured the imagination and support of our kababayans all over the world. One of the reasons behind our starting this publication is our wish to generate a collective conversation about our history, our culture and our concerns as a people–a conversation that is civil, substantial, informative and honest. We surmised correctly that if we put out well-written, mature and well-argued pieces out there, even on controversial topics, we can actually elevate the discussion and do away with the mudslinging, the nastiness and the pettiness that often reduce social media conversations to trash.

From the responses we've been getting from you, dear readers, we seem to have succeeded; so keep those thought-provoking comments and helpful enhancements to our stories coming. We love to hear and learn from you.

As we hunker down to the business of ensuring that Positively Filipino is no flash in the pan and is here to stay, we welcome our first sponsor this month: Sterling HSA, a leader in the assets management industry, founded and managed by a remarkable Filipina, Cora Tellez. Every Wednesday (the day when we upload new stories) this April, you will be seeing the company's sponsored posts, which are all informative and helpful. We invite all businesses that want to reach the borderless Filipino diaspora to check out our ad kit and get in touch with us at ads@positivelyfilipino.com.

In this first issue of April, as we celebrate the 71st anniversary of the Fall of Bataan, we honor those who did extraordinary feats in World War II and those who gave up their lives to regain our freedom.

Here in the U. S., we await one of the most momentous decisions the Supreme Court will ever make, one that has the potential to alter the social fabric much like the Civil Rights legislation of the ‘60s: the ruling on same-sex marriages.

May this spring bring you all the beauty and joy of living and loving.