June 17, 2026

The Gifts of Our Fathers

June 17, 2026/ Staff

As we mark both Rizal Day (June 19) and Father’s Day (June 21) in this issue, our stories reflect the meaning of these occasions for Filipinos across generations and across borders.

We begin with two moving tributes to fathers whose lives left an enduring mark on their sons. Alex Fabros shares the final words of his father, offering a glimpse into the sacrifices and resilience of a generation of Filipino workers who built their lives on American soil while carrying their homeland in their hearts.

First-time contributor Arniel Brown turns to Prince’s iconic “Purple Rain” as a lens through which to honor his father—a Vietnam veteran, husband (and later widower) to two Filipino women, and a janitor in his later years. Through his son’s eyes, he emerges not as a celebrated public figure, but as the kind of everyday hero whose story deserves to be remembered.

In our Rizal feature, first-time contributor Kahlil Corazo explores how José Rizal’s experiences abroad can help us better understand the Filipino diaspora today. Drawing from historian Filomeno Aguilar’s work on Rizal, Corazo shows how the ilustrados of 19th-century Europe wrestled with many of the same questions Filipino migrants and Filipino Americans continue to face: balancing multiple identities, confronting racial stereotypes, reconnecting with precolonial heritage, and defining who belongs within the Filipino community. Rather than seeing today’s diaspora identity debates as something new, Corazo argues that they are part of a much longer Filipino story of living between cultures.

We also feature the remarkable story of the Locsin clan, a reminder that Filipino roots can span centuries and continents while still sustaining a strong sense of family, identity, and purpose. From Agustin Locsin (Sin Lok), a Chinese migrant who settled in Iloilo in the 1750s, has grown a family network of more than a million descendants whose contributions have touched public service, business, architecture, the arts, journalism, and community development. More than a genealogy, the Locsin story illustrates how heritage, cultural memory, and a commitment to service can connect generations of Filipinos wherever in the world they call home.

And speaking of the Filipino diaspora, here's part 5 of our recurring compilation of Filipino Overseas Achievers by our publisher, Mona Lisa Yuchengco.

[Read It Again]

My Dad, a Daring Dreamer by Mona Lisa Yuchengco

José Rizal and His Dueling German Friends by Penélope V. Flores

Rizal +: A One-Stop Shop for Everything Rizal by Francis Layf Custodio

[Video of the Week] How Did The Philippines Become One Of Asia's Most Unequal Countries?

In The Know

This Filipino Priest from Ermita is on the Road to Sainthood
https://www.spot.ph/newsfeatures/newsfeatures-peopleparties/filipino-priest-cesar-maria-guerrero-road-to-sainthood-a2793-20260405-bsc?

U.S. House Resolution Honors 120 Years of Filipino Immigration to Hawaiʻi
https://www.filipinoreporters.com/post/u-s-house-resolution-honors-120-years-of-filipino-immigration-to-hawai%CA%BBi?

These 5 Philippine hotels just scored a spot on Michelin Guide’s list
https://usa.inquirer.net/199092/these-5-philippine-hotels-just-scored-a-spot-on-michelin-guides-list

TIMELINE: Most destructive earthquakes to hit the Philippines since 1990
https://www.rappler.com/philippines/timeline-most-destructive-earthquakes-hit-since-1990/?

How deadly Philippines earthquake raised seabed and extended shorelines for hundreds of metres
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/philippines-earthquake-seabed-raise-shoreline-extension-b2995719.html?

Meet the Winner of ‘Top Chef: Carolinas’
https://www.foodandwine.com/top-chef-season-23-winner-11993200?

Why Jollibee said yes to one NorCal man and his 15-franchise dream
https://www.sfgate.com/food/article/george-almeida-jollibee-franchisee-22292078.php

February 15, 2023

Our Places in the World

February 15, 2023/ Rene Ciria-Cruz

Filipinos are known for finding places in many corners of the globe to make their home. Necessity often spurs them to do so. In “Landscapes of Diaspora,” we feature the works of Janine Barrera, a young artist who paints as a “global citizen with a Filipino aesthetic” and one who is grateful for the new home she has found for herself.

Meanwhile, former career diplomat Virgilio A Reyes revisits one of his temporary homes in search of footprints of a French ancestor. “A ‘French Leave’ in Paris on a Eurailpass” is Part 2 of his series on returning to Europe 50 years after he was an exchange student on the continent in 1972.

Some compatriots are able to find success in the old sod and generously try to better our common home. One such Filipino was the late business leader-philanthropist Ambassador Alfonso T. Yuchengco. Positively Filipino Publisher Mona Lisa Yuchengco tells of her family’s loving commemoration of her late father’s 100th February birthday. His loved ones recalled his “A Legacy of Compassion,” which was rooted in his conviction that an enterprise should aim for a “social return on investment,” or use private investment for the public good. Fittingly, The AY Foundation continues to render assistance to employees of the Yuchengco Group of Companies and their children, as well as to the most vulnerable in Philippine society, through scholarships and health care and skills development programs. Ambassador Yuchengco’s philosophy in action makes sure that his legacy of compassion will last well beyond the 100 years he spent in this world.

And more of the noteworthy Fil-Ams in our 43rd edition of the remarkable and famous.

Read Agains:

Romances In History by Ambeth R. Ocampo

Second Springs by Cathy S. Babao

A Year Of God’s Sweet Time by Corito Fiel

Cook It Again: The Happy Home Cook: Scampi And Crab Pasta by Bernie Cervantes

[Video of the Week] Can Filipinos be Superstitious and Scientific?

Breaking the Tabo’s Sapphire Sandalo talks about the background oof some of our superstitions and their acceptance into the mainstream.

In The Know

Reimagining Isabel Cooper: She’s more than a mistress

https://www.thediarist.ph/reimagining-isabel-cooper-shes-more-than-a-mistress/

The Ilocos cotton takes centerstage at Pinto Art Museum

https://www.thediarist.ph/the-ilocos-cotton-takes-centerstage-at-pinto-art-museum/

Meet the heiresses of the Philippines' richest

https://www.pep.ph/lifestyle/lifestyle/170965/daughters-billionaires-philippines-a3670-20230211-lfrm?utm_source=Facebook-YES&utm_medium=Siteshare&utm_campaign=20230211-fbnp-lifestyle-daughters-billionaires-philippines-a3670-20230211-lfrm&fbclid=IwAR0N-bicz0RndfsJlk62eysDUclTDPVlKPyCcdh6J3Xl1ir52e2L4pQak_w

The Most *Date-Worthy* Restaurants And Cafés In Manila, According To Gen Z And Millennial Pinays

https://www.cosmo.ph/lifestyle/food-drink/date-worthy-restaurants-cafes-metro-manila-a655-20230210-lfrm?utm_source=Facebook-FN&utm_medium=Siteshare&utm_campaign=&fbclid=IwAR1aoZ70NiapJXViJ1Q2VlZKaebEbSZTnLj9xIRrhXWG-hUjnZEzU6Tzig0

Audiences nationwide will see a Fil-Am Cinderella

https://usa.inquirer.net/122023/audiences-nationwide-will-see-a-fil-am-cinderella?fbclid=IwAR0AmbsHjHNTdcUigaOu4VXCYRPljPWS_CKT6JOgsrIAs7tGsOfXOYN_Oac

June 15, 2022

Tonic for Post-Election PTSD

June 15, 2022/ Staff

Fourteen years after he won the Man Asian Literary Prize for his book Ilustrado, Filipino author Miguel Syjuco has come out with a new one: I Was the President's Mistress!!, hailed by Salman Rushdie as a "brilliant black comedy" and by David Mitchell as "A super-typhoon of a novel." This wild satirical romp into the (imagined) inner sanctum of the rich and powerful might just be the tonic to lingering PTSDs from the recent elections. University of Hawaii professor Patricio N. Abinales gives us a peek.

In the hands of a capable writer, a story about a day, an event, a historical moment can be compelling reading. In the hands of a master, a writer of National Artist caliber as Jose "Pete" Lacaba, Jr. surely is, it becomes literature, history and magic all at once. Lacaba's reportage on the First Quarter Storm of 1970 (collected into a timeless book, Days of Disquiet, Nights of Rage) remains unsurpassed among the historical accounts of that restless era. Here, in his recollection of the late, lamented movie director Lino Brocka's last day on earth (he was killed in an auto accident in 1991), Lacaba does it again: tells a story in words and it comes out more vivid than actual photos. In this age of Instagram, that's a monumental feat.

As Father's Day approaches, lawyer Paul-Philippe Reyes writes in awe of his granddad, the late journalist/editor/Press Secretary Rex Reyes who quite literally died while typing a story.

The month of June is rich in celebrations so here are some stories that you can Read Again to mark this month's passage. (We'll have more next week.)

A daughter commemorates her father who was a manong: https://www.positivelyfilipino.com/magazine/2013/6/the-ardor-of-my-father

Our publisher's father was a titan in the true sense of the word: https://www.positivelyfilipino.com/magazine/my-dad-a-daring-dreamer

On Jose Rizal's 161st birthday, we are still amazed by his myriad talents:

https://www.positivelyfilipino.com/magazine/jose-rizal-martial-arts-warrior

https://www.positivelyfilipino.com/magazine/rizals-kiss

Recipe of the Week: The Happy Home Cook: Sinigang na Paella

Video of the Week: O Bayan Ko