The midterm elections in the Philippines took place last Monday and there were a number of surprises that augur well for the future. PF Editor Rene Ciria Cruz gives us a brief initial report while final numbers are being tallied.

The April 26 tragedy that happened at Vancouver's Lapu Lapu Festival (where a deranged driver plowed into the crowd of revelers that resulted in at least 11 deaths) ironically resulted in greater visibility for the Filipino Canadian community, as PR contributing writer Meyen Quigley reports. Such recognition is welcome and long-delayed, but there is a dark reality behind it that's rooted in racist stereotyping. "Canada needs to see us not just as service workers and health care providers but also as artists, scholars, engineers, musicians, project managers, leaders," Quigley writes.

We celebrate Mother's Day this month with two mother-related features: our Video of the Week tells the heartwarming story of Jose Antonio Vargas, the FilAm community's most vocal advocate for the undocumented, (who has himself become legally documented) when he meets his mother for the first time in 31 years. And PF Correspondent Myles Garcia's musings on his obsession with the number seven and his late mother's legacy and roots.

Not exactly about mothers but rather about extended families is the picture book, What Lolo Wants, by Filipina writer Cristina Oxtra and illustrated by Jamie Bauza. PF regular contributor Claire Mercado-Obias reviews the book.

Definitely her parents' pride, football player Nya Harrison plays on both sides of the Pacific - with the Philippine Women's National Football Team and San Diego (CA)'s Wave FC team. PF Correspondent Anthony Maddela profiles this emerging star.

[Partner] FilAm Arts

Read It Again

Lessons from My Mother by James T. Lim

The Making of a Matriarch by Carolyn Prasad

A Child's Dream Is a Mother's Quest byAmy Schlanger