What a #@**! Year. Breathe.

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What in the world is going on with the world?

Just this weekend alone, a series of shocking news of mass shootings and a family murder assaulted our equanimity and made us pause our holiday spirit.

In our homeland, the exposés of unmitigated greed and growing tensions in our seas continue unabated.

This week, the shootings, assaults and the mudflow of hate continue (fanned unfortunately by people in the news who should know better), putting a damper on what should have been a season of peace, goodwill and all the good things that the holidays used to bring.

We thought the parade of deaths that we mourned during the pandemic has toughened us from grieving over the deaths of people we don't personally know.

We expected that the almost daily outrage we felt from the beginning of this year has numbed us into just letting things go, with nary a care.

How wrong we are, and fortunately so. The recent shockers have brought our sensibilities back to where it should be: caring, angry (but productively) and unaccepting of current-day maladies like bigotry, lies, crassness and mental breakdowns. So let's not waste this period of clarity.

Be careful out there but be vigilant against falling (back) into the abyss of hatred and indifference. 

This Week’s Stories

Teacher Gigi Can Make You Love Math by Claire Mercado-Obias

Stephanie Syjuco’s Wall of Hidden Histories by AJ Fox

Behind the documentary ‘The Road to Sydney’ by Esther M. Chavez

[Read It Again]

Holiday Dishes with Ilocano Flavors by Elizabeth Ann Quirino

Delicious Dishes for Your Christmas Table

[Video of the Week] The Forgotten Cebuano Recipes

In The Know

‘They attacked my religion, my faith’: Muslim photojournalist detained by ICE speaks out
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/dec/12/photojournalist-detained-ice-social-media

Can Jollibee Beat American Fast Food at Its Own Game?
https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/2026/01/jollibee-fried-chicken-american-fast-food/684949/?utm_source=apple_news

Filipino who reported medical neglect in ICE facility to be deported from US
https://www.rappler.com/philippines/greggy-valerio-sorio-deportation-usa-ice-medical-neglect/?

The power of alternative media
https://malaya.com.ph/entertainment/the-power-of-alternative-media/

Philippines says Filipino fishermen were hurt after Chinese Coast Guard fired water cannons
https://www.instagram.com/reels/DSSnTxbEe93/

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Staff

Talking About Tariff

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When Philippine President Bongbong Marcos met with US President Trump at the White House over a week ago, it resulted in a one percent reduction of tariffs on Philippine exports, from the original 20 percent to 19 percent. No tariffs will be imposed on US goods to the Philippines. A lopsided trade deal? Perhaps but, as our writer Rene Astudillo (who writes as Politikal Pinoy on Facebook) opines, it need not be the be-all and end-all of US-Philippine trade deals. In fact, the Philippines can turn it into a competitive advantage, he says. How? Read "Trump's Tariff Need Not Hurt PH" for a different take on this issue.

Kulintang in the Alps? Read about how Conrad Benedicto, a kulintang player, brought the traditional instrument of Maguindanao to Switzerland to celebrate Philippine Independence Day with the Filipino-Swiss community in Chur and Bern. 

More remarkable FilAms in PF publisher Mona Lisa Yuchengco's continuing and growing compilation, now in its 69th edition.

We wish you all a meaningful and comfortable August, weather-wise, as the world deals with torrential rains, flooding, extreme heat and war crimes.

[Read It Again]

Leaving Gaza by Chupsie Medina
June Dalisay, Art Healer by Serina Aidasani
Mark of Four Waves by Mel Orpilla

{Video of the Week] Filipino Couple Walks Down Flooded Aisle on Wedding Day

In The Know

Jollibee named best fried chicken in U.S. in editor-reader poll
https://asamnews.com/2025/07/18/fast-food-fried-chicken-poll-usa-today/ 

9 Independent Bookstores in the Philippines to Discover Your Next Read
https://rollingstonephilippines.com/culture/books/9-indie-bookstores-in-philippines/

The Tragic Story of the Passing of 24 Filipino Boy Scouts Involved in a Plane Crash
https://www.esquiremag.ph/long-reads/features/filipino-boy-scouts-plane-crash-true-story 

Kara David & Karmina Constantino on the Lola Who Taught Them the Power of Words
https://www.spot.ph/newsfeatures/newsfeatures-peopleparties/111678/meet-the-woman-who-shaped-kara-david-and-karmina-constantino?

108-year-old Fil-Am shares tips for a long, happy life
https://usa.inquirer.net/154417/108-year-old-fil-am-shares-tips-for-a-long-happy-life

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Staff

Good People

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It has only been 15 days since 2025 began and already our senses have been assaulted by the major disaster in the Greater Los Angeles and the impending doom of man-made disasters to come. Our ancestors believed that whatever happens at the onset of a new year portends what will happen in the year ahead. If we go by this superstition, we're in deep trouble.

But there's always a yang to a dark yin, the wellsprings of hope and optimism, the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel. When the going gets rough, good people always rise up to the moment of need and voluntarily do good deeds (as there are those who play the blame game -- however far-fetched their theories -- and do nothing). Canada, South Africa, Mexico and even Ukraine, among other states and countries, have deployed their firefighters to help quell the conflagrations. The LA fires have become sterling reminders of what global cooperation can do. 

GoFundMe, the app for donating money, is busy receiving donations for families who've lost their homes. A word of caution though: GFM, however well-intentioned, also attract online scams, so be very wary. If you wish to donate to a family you know, it would be best to contact them first and get their actual GFM address. 

As of yesterday, January 14, the Philippine Consulate has identified 150 Filipinos affected by the fire. We know this is a very conservative number and that's because the Consulate identifies Filipinos as only those holding Philippine passports. Those who have naturalized as US citizens no longer fall under the ambit of the Philippine government and are therefore not entitled to whatever assistance is available.

As Los Angeles continues to suffer hell on earth, we continue to storm the heavens for rain, respite and renewal. 

In The Know

Take these 10 Precautions Before Trump Takes Office
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/take-10-precautions-before-trump-takes-office-glenn-d-magpantay-qymze/

Philippines alarmed after China sends ‘monster ship’ to disputed shoal
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/philippines-alarmed-china-sends-monster-ship-disputed-shoal-rcna187557?

New report sheds light on why young Asian Americans are 40% more likely to develop allergies
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/asian-america/asian-americans-pacific-islander-native-hawaiian-allergies-rcna186695?

Roughly 150 Filipinos displaced by LA fires
https://asamnews.com/2025/01/14/displaced-filipinos-la-wildfires/

Jollibee provides free meals to Los Angeles wildfire victims
https://asamnews.com/2025/01/14/pacific-palisades-eaton-relief-aid-natural-disasters/

Displaced Filipino Families Affected by the LA Fires with GoFundMe Links
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/17hqZniTXSkz2xCXg06dLL3bV7NCnp-JROBPESwnjsgw/edit?gxpyLncJALv8_aem_yEnfWfaPJ_C6Q8722P2Mnw&gid=0#gid=0

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Staff