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/

December 24, 2025

Maligayang Pasko sa Inyong Lahat!

December 24, 2025/ Staff

Maligayang Pasko sa inyong lahat mula dito sa San Francisco, California, kung saan kami naka-base.

We know you're busy tomorrow so we won't take up much of your time, but when you want to take a breather from the holiday hustle and bustle, enjoy reading once again this year's round-up of our most popular stories. Plus two feel-good ones about two projects worth supporting, one in LA and the other in Batangas.

And don't forget to check out our curated links to significant and informative stories from other publications in our In The Know section below.

Stay safe and happy.

Lisa, Rene, Gemma and Raymond

Stories This Week

The Most-Read Stories of 2025 Staff

LA Library Plans to Dedicate Echo Park Branch to Carlos Bulosan Contributed

Batangas Local Gov’t Unit Bolsters Department of Health’s HPV Vaccination Program Contributed

[Video of the Week] Filipino grocery store in Daly City draws crowds with late-night parties

[Partner] Save the Date! Food Delivery: Fresh from the West Philippine Sea

In The Know

Recovered Steamer Trunks Reveal the Overlooked Histories of Filipino American Farm Workers in the Early 20th Century
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/recovered-steamer-trunks-reveal-the-overlooked-histories-of-filipino-american-farm-workers-in-the-early-20th-century-180987921/?

Troubling memories resurface in Davao as authorities trace Bondi shooting suspects’ movements
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/dec/22/troubling-memories-resurface-in-davao-as-authorities-trace-bondi-shooting-suspects-movements-ntwnfb?

China’s troll army: From teachers to riders, all fake
https://www.rappler.com/newsbreak/in-depth/china-troll-army-philippines-infinitus-marketing-solutions/?

Cooked By Gio Continues Its Gold-Winning Streak With Comfort-Driven Filipino Flavors
https://www.bestofnapacounty.com/article/cooked-by-gio-continues-its-gold-winning-streak-with-comfort-driven-filipino-flavors.html?

Retired, they moved from 6 bedrooms to a tiny L.A. ADU built in 3.5 months
https://www.latimes.com/lifestyle/story/2025-12-17/la-couple-quickly-builds-backyard-adu-for-their-parents

Rare orchid once presumed extinct found in the Philippines; study confirms new distribution record
https://mb.com.ph/2025/12/17/rare-orchid-once-presumed-extinct-found-in-the-philippines-study-confirms-new-distribution-record?

August 30, 2023

What Makes a Hero?

August 30, 2023/ Staff

Today, August 30, marks the 160th birth anniversary of the Philippines' other National Hero, Andres Bonifacio. Last Monday, August 28, our motherland celebrated National Heroes Day as a national holiday, an omnibus celebration that covers all the country's heroes, regardless of generation. National Heroes Day began as a commemoration of the Cry of Pugad Lawin (aka Cry of Balintawak), when Bonifacio as the leader of the Katipunan (KKK), tore his cedula and declared the beginning of the Philippine war of independence against Spain. That happened on August 23, 1896.

So many historical transitions have taken place since then, of course, and so many heroes and heroines have passed through. Even the term itself - heroism- has undergone multiple definitions, many of them self-serving or partisan, thus often undeserved or untrue.

What makes a hero then, in this day and age? Perhaps instead of bestowing the title of hero to a person, which would beget intense scrutiny likely to unearth non-heroic elements, it would be better to use a description -- "heroic" to label a life commitment for a cause beyond one's self-interest. No more heroes, just heroic deeds.

Today would have marked the 72nd birthday of a woman who defied convention and chose to lead an altruistic life. Two days from now (September 1) is her first death anniversary. Nelia Sancho was more than just a beauty queen/activist as she was popularly labelled. Manila based artist/illustrator Lynett Advincula-Villariba tells us more about her sorority sister and lifelong friend.

Since September 1 is Labor Day in the US and September 8 is the 58th anniversary of the beginning of the Grape Strike in California, we pay homage to the Filipino farm workers who, in addition to working the fields, organized labor unions to fight for their rights. Read "From Spain to Delano: The Radical Roots of Farm Workers Unions" by writer/photographer David Bacon.