We’re already in the second month of the year if you’re following the Christian calendar, but on February 17, the Chinese calendar flips the script with the start of the Year of the Fire Horse. It’s said to be a rare, high-energy year—one that shows up only once every 60 years—symbolizing bold moves, fast shifts, and fiery momentum. No hesitation, no dragging your feet.

Whatever calendar you live by and whatever traditions ground you, here’s hoping this surge of courage and change plays out with purpose—bringing progress that’s peaceful, meaningful, and good for our homeland, our adopted countries, and the wider world we all share.

For Positively Filipino, 2026—the Year of the Fire Horse—will be about both staying true to who we are and pushing forward. We’ll keep delivering the stories you’ve come to expect: deep dives into history and culture (we’ve got two historical pieces this week alone), profiles of fascinating Filipinos across generations, features on creative work, travel essays, first-person stories, and thoughtful looks at the people and politics shaping our communities.

And because we’re always down to level up, we’re adding something new: “Overseas Filipino Achievers”. This expands our long-running and ever-growing collection of short profiles spotlighting Filipino achievers—starting with FilAms, and now widening the lens globally.

That’s where you come in.

If you’re part of the Filipino diaspora outside the Philippines and the US, we’d love your help. Send us names, links, and supporting info about Filipino achievers making waves in your local communities.

This Week’s Stories

Alice Roosevelt, the Sultan of Sulu, and the Theater of American Empire
Alex S. Fabros, Jr.

A Guerrilla Ambassador Emerges from the Shadows
Ernesto M. Hilario

P-Pop’s Best in 2025
Julienne Loreto

[Partner] Nursing A Dream: A Manila Girl’s Lesson In Self-Reliance In The Land Down Under
Commission on Filipinos Overseas

[Video of the Week] Kapwa Kultural Center

[Read It Again]
Blackapina, Third Movement: The Blend by Janet Stickmon

Seeing Stars with Dr. Reina Reyes by Carleen Sacris

In The Know

The Night a Skyscraper Cried With a Nation
https://scorecardnews.com/ngoclambtv3/the-night-a-skyscraper-cried-with-a-nation-last-night-in-abu-dhabi-the-glass-and-steel-chill-of-the-mubadala-tower-dissolved-as-waves-of-emerald-cobalt-and-crimson-raced-across-its-facade-slowly/

Meet the Filipino lawyers who will represent victims in the ICC vs Duterte
https://www.rappler.com/philippines/filipino-lawyers-represent-victims-icc-vs-duterte/?

Mighty Magulang at Book Nook
https://www.facebook.com/reel/1382061533701365

The PICC Reborn: Reclaiming the Philippine International Convention Center as Public Space in 2026
https://www.spot.ph/arts-culture/the-latest-arts-culture/the-picc-reborn-reclaiming-the-philippine-international-convention-center-as-public-space-in-2026-a5138-20260109-dyn?

The recently concluded Olympics in Tokyo was the Philippines' most successful in its 97 years of participation. A medal haul of one gold, two silvers and a bronze from a delegation of 19 athletes is not too shabby for a country that hardly provides institutional support to its Olympic contenders. Here's an informative wrap-up of the Tokyo games by Olympic historian and PF Correspondent Myles A. Garcia. ["Filipino Sports Stars in the Land of the Rising Sun"]

Retired Ambassador Virgilio A. Reyes Jr. provides a valuable history lesson on the parallelism between the Spain during its civil war years (1930s) and the Philippine Commonwealth era. He shines a spotlight on Adelina Gurrea, a little-known (in the Philippines) Filipino-Spanish writer of that period who blazed trails with her writing and her life. ["Philippine Echoes of Spain's Civil War"]

K-pop may rule the pop music world today but P-pop, its Filipino counterpart, is making big waves too, according to Harvey I. Barkin who introduces PF readers to BINI, the P-pop girl band which is a creation of ABS-CBN's Star Hunt Academy in cooperation with MU Doctor, the Korean company of dance and vocal trainers that handled such phenoms as BTS. ["P-pop's BINI: Not Just Eye Candy"]

Fully vaxxed people are reportedly embarking on road trips this summer in the US. It was six years ago when my husband and I began our road trip across the US that took us over 33,000 miles and three months. Read Again my first report on our adventure of a lifetime.

For the Happy Home Cook this week, here's a repeat of a popular Filipino street food: Banana-cue!

For Video of the Week, we feature the mansion Palacio de Memoria in Parañaque.