August 26, 2026

Beyond Remittances

August 26, 2026/ Staff

The Philippines’ global presence is often measured through familiar indicators—remittances, migration numbers, and the achievements of the 11 million-strong Filipino diaspora. In this article by Toronto-based professor and PF contributing writer Cesar Polvorosa, Jr., he invites us to look beyond those measures and recognize a deeper, less visible resource: the relationships, knowledge, opportunities, and networks that Filipinos build wherever they go. From communities in Canada to connections forged through sports, culture, and entrepreneurship, the Filipino diaspora has become an increasingly important bridge between the Philippines and the wider world.

This is the idea captured by what he calls Filipino diasporic capital: the collective value created by Filipinos who carry their skills, experiences, relationships, and aspirations across borders. As this article argues, the challenge before the Philippines is no longer simply to acknowledge the sacrifices of its people abroad, but to understand and engage the extraordinary network they have already built. The Philippines is already a global nation—and its people abroad may be among its greatest assets in shaping what comes next. We can only wish that our homeland's leaders will be able to recognize and harness such rich potential for the national good.

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In this issue we are reposting a report from AsAmNews about the rebuilding efforts in Lahaina, Hawaii whose population is 40% Filipino. The fire of August 2023 that wiped out Lahaina's historic downtown, decimated hundreds of homes and structures, and killed over a hundred, is considered the deadliest wildfire in the U.S. in the last 100 years.

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Read as well chapter 81 of our popular series, FilAms Among the Remarkable and Famous. And a profile of Vince Tañada, lawyer/playwright/theater and film director and actor.

[Video of the Week] Building Communities: A Tribute to our Manongs and Manangs 2026

{Read It Again]

We are reposting here some of the articles contributed by the acclaimed poet/writer Marra PL. Lanot who passed away on Sunday, August 16. This is our way of saying goodbye and thank you for her honoring Positively Filipino with her writings.

Of Fireflies and Firebrands by Marra PL. Lanot

Remembering Nick by Marra PL. Lanot

The Beatles in the Philippines by Marra PL. Lanot

In The Know

Alex Eala returns to US Open a different version of herself
https://www.espn.com/tennis/story/_/id/49716921/us-open-alex-eala-returns-flushing-meadows-different-version-herself

Jollibee buys out partner in Tim Ho Wan US business for $5M, plans 20 stores by 2028

https://bilyonaryo.com/2026/08/18/jollibee-buys-out-partner-in-tim-ho-wan-us-business-for-5m-plans-20-stores-by-2028/food/

LOOK: Pasig's Floating Parks Are Now One Step Closer to Reality
https://www.spot.ph/newsfeatures/culture/floating-parks-in-pasig-a5229-20260507-bsc?

Sungka for fortune-telling? How a Filipino game became a tool for divination for this practitioner
https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/lifestyle/artandculture/998988/sungka-for-fortune-telling-how-a-filipino-game-became-a-tool-for-divination-for-this-practitioner/story/

Lea Salonga to receive star on Hollywood Walk of Fame
https://asamnews.com/2026/08/23/lea-salonga-hollywood-walk-fame-star/

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

December 17, 2025

What a #@**! Year. Breathe.

December 17, 2025/ Staff

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