November 29, 2023

We're Being Seen at Last

November 29, 2023/ Staff

The issue of not being "seen" or "heard" in race and ethnicity surveys has been a source of frustration for Asian Americans, who are often lumped together as one group despite the obvious cultural differences among the subgroups. This is being corrected by Pew Research Center's extensive -- the largest of its kind -- national survey on Asian American experiences and views. At the helm of this historic endeavor is economist Neal G. Ruiz, an impressively credentialed Fil-Am who leads Pew's New Research Initiatives. PF Editor Rene Ciria Cruz discusses with Ruiz his group's "deep dive into the Asian American condition" including the experience of anti-Asian hate prevalent during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Our motherland celebrates National Heroes Day this week, as it does every year around this time. Our chosen hero to focus on is Graciano Lopez Jaena, an Ilonggo who founded and edited the historic newspaper in Madrid in the 1890s - La Solidaridad. Historian and head of the Ortigas Library John Silva gave a speech about his fellow Ilonggo at the Museo Iloilo and we have it here. Lopez Jaena was an unlikely hero but an interesting character whose rhetorical skills matched the passion of his ire against the ruthlessness of the Spanish friars who ruled the towns and the lives of Filipinos under the Spanish regime.

And speaking of Ilonggos, Iloilo City has become the only Philippine city granted membership in the UNESCO Creative Cities Network, for Gastronomy. Anyone who has tasted such native Iloilo dishes as La Paz Batchoy, Pancit Molo and other delicacies will not be surprised. And anyone who has visited the city in the last few years will understand. The redesigned Iloilo City is a destination worthy of accolades.

Read Again: Joe Mari Chan’s Enduring Heart Songs by Paulynn Paredes Sicam

[Video of the Week] Nora Galleros-Tinio

Anti-Asian Hate Watch

Documenting Hate in California
https://sacobserver.com/2023/11/documenting-hate-in-california/

Asians Are Strong org calls for help in funding self-defense program for Asian seniors
https://news.yahoo.com/asians-strong-org-calls-help-234832810.html

Bill signed to form New York State AAPI Commission
https://www.americanbazaaronline.com/2023/11/20/bill-signed-to-form-new-york-state-aapi-commission-455792/

Sandwiched between cultures: new exhibit explores the pain of 'lunchbox moments'
https://www.wbur.org/news/2023/11/27/lunchbox-moments-pao-arts-center

Funding provided by the State of California.

In The Know

Jimmy Pacheco, Filipino caregiver taken hostage on Oct. 7, among those released in Thai deal
https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/jimmy-pacheco-filipino-caregiver-taken-hostage-on-oct-7-among-those-released/?fbclid=IwAR3pzteOzVmmApxxolcMLiykgYfLtDQGUYOKpm0OfvTjm5cmZRWqIwTc-Yg

The Year of the Periwinkle
https://businessmirror.com.ph/2023/10/27/the-year-of-the-periwinkle/?fbclid=IwAR3QfqpkwkpshduSa-popRIeAD50NhLdPPIem4av0m65kkA06jJhpj3typ4

Filipinos in America saying no to APEC and Marcos Jr.
https://asamnews.com/2023/11/23/filipinos-no-to-apec-anti-marcos-jr/

Doughnuts are having a moment in the Bay Area — again
https://www.sfchronicle.com/food/restaurants/article/doughnuts-sf-bay-area-18489165.php?utm_content=cta&sid=5476e09a3b35d0d75491c42d&ss=P&st_rid=null&utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=sfc_mustread

September 06, 2023

Off the Hoops

September 06, 2023/ Staff

With the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup happening in Manila now plus the visits of NBA superstars Klay Thompson and Kevon Looney (unrelated to FIBA), the already basketball-crazy nation is in a state of euphoria.

Time was when Filipinos' basketball heroes were homegrown, not imports, and teams carried the names of sponsoring corporations like the Toyota Tamaraws, the YCO Painters and the Crispa Redmanizers. For Filipinos of a certain age, Atoy Co was the superstar not only on the court but in ladies' hearts. Where is he now? PF contributing writer Bella Bonner visits the Fortune Cookie's present world and finds a family man, a grandpa and an avid golfer, not necessarily in that order.

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Many people have had life-changing travels but for FilAm artist/musician Conrad Benedicto, his journey to Tawi-Tawi, the Philippines' southernmost province, was mind-boggling, transcendental and unforgettable. His words and pictures afford us a glimpse of the once-in-a-lifetime experience.

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Memo to the powerful in politics, education and media: If you want to multiply exponentially the number of readers of a news item that you'd rather remained secret, try censoring it. You can be sure that: a) like a genie out of the bottle, it's no longer within your control; and b) pulling out the story will only make things worse because those who didn't pay attention at first now have their interest (and speculations) piqued.

This is what happened when The FilAm, an online magazine based in NY, reported that Speaker of the House Martin Romualdez, the first cousin of the current Philippine president, donated $1 million to Harvard to start a Filipino language course. The Philippines' biggest daily, the Inquirer, picked up the story only to pull it out later, presumably because the paper's bosses were displeased by its publication. Too late; other news outlets were already on to the censorship and wrote the story. So the bigwigs attempt at secrecy boomeranged. The story exploded and, because it involved a Romualdez, evolved into a feeding frenzy around ill-gotten wealth, corruption, power bullying and press freedom.

We are reposting here both The FilAm's original story and the report on its pull-out in the Inquirer, written by the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ). Oh, and by the way, the Inquirer's publisher is the sister-in-law of the Speaker.

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On an entirely different matter, Positively Filipino is hiring:

Part-Time Social Media Consultant- Anti-Asian Hate Project

Positively Filipino, the premier digital native magazine celebrating the story of the global Filipino community is seeking a social media consultant for 12 months for public education about anti-Asian hate. The project is part of a California statewide project to raise public awareness when incidents and crimes occur, how to report, services available to victims and their families and what the public can do to address the problem.

The new position of social media consultant will work closely with Positively Filipino editors and journalists to identify content, create and post messages on Instagram and FaceBook and tweets on Twitter “X”.

This is a unique opportunity to work in collaboration with some of the most experienced journalists, scholars and activists in the Filipino community to raise awareness of the impact of this dangerous trend and how it is affecting Filipino Americans.

Planned level of engagement 4 to 8 posts per month for 12 months. Compensation: $500 mo.

Qualifications: Facility with Instagram, FaceBook and Twitter “X” preferred. Experience paid or volunteer with related nonprofit or advocacy organizations. Interest in or experience in journalism a plus. Some college helpful. The applicant must be US-based.

Please send your resume with a cover letter, links to sample Instagram, FaceBook and Twitter “X” postings and a writing sample to: filipinos@positivelyfilipino.com.

Funding provided by the State of California.

Stories This Week

Straight-Shooting Atoy Co Today by Bella Bonner

Memories Of Mindanao: Tawi-Tawi by Conrad Benedicto

The Stories Behind The Million-Dollar Donation by Carmela Fonbuena and Cristina DC Pastor

Little Miss Maddie, Gerber Baby 2023 by Claire Mercado-Obias

Writer Eileen Tabios’ Lines Of Work: The Hay(Na)Ku by Lynn M. Grow

[Partner] The Filipino Veterans Recognition And Education Project (FilVetRep) Announces Release Of 2023 Duty To Country Education Project by Leezel Tanglao

Read Again: Joe Mari Chan’s Enduring Heart Songs by Paulynn Paredes Sicam

Cook It Again: The Happy Home Cook: Gising Gising (Seafood Extreme)

[Video of the Week] The Mountain Ballers of the Philippines

In The Know

Multi-billion-dollar SF start-up Scale AI accused of exploiting Filipino workers
https://nextshark.com/scale-ai-start-up-exploits-filipino-workers

Erik Spoelstra's dual heritage: Exploring his Filipino roots and coaching role with Team USA
https://olympics.com/en/news/erik-spoelstra-dual-heritage-filipino-roots-usa-coaching-role?fbclid=IwAR0WXYBUnAwEpuURXJ8JMf8dw8gAkR4U9gMpsfVne5dwXN-MG5t3ZMM0d_Q

'Mabuhay Pilipinas,' Philippines 1st Women's World Cup diary
https://www.espn.com/soccer/story/_/id/38277541/philippines-2023-womens-world-cup-diary-reina-bonta

Study Shows That Filipinos Value Personality Over Looks
https://www.esquiremag.ph/culture/this-study-reveals-that-filipinos-value-personality-over-looks-a00203-20171226?utm_source=Facebook-Esquire&utm_medium=Ownshare&utm_campaign=20230827-fbnp-culture-this-study-reveals-that-filipinos-value-personality-over-looks-a00203-20171226-fbold&fbclid=IwAR0jJGl1CEjohbLkxm8Uk4X9oZOEyhmkz3U5VLug-vbeTGYGxtRgTy0L5_s

A Different Kind of Food Trip
https://www.sbs.com.au/language/filipino/en/podcast-episode/a-different-kind-of-pinoy-food-trip/igqc8vp63?fbclid=IwAR1CoLPb1w_GruBlaEHtlyJvYHE4tu3eYga1FEEgfiCoG9fecnQ-OsynyiU

The Extraordinary Story of Anna Bayle, the Filipina Who Became Asia's First Supermodel
https://www.esquiremag.ph/long-reads/features/anna-bayle-facts-a00007-20230823-lfrm?utm_source=Facebook-Cosmo&utm_medium=Siteshare&utm_campaign=20230827-anna-bayle-facts&fbclid=IwAR0IkDwLzQU1ttqJ4em-VQJthxqasslolN0MVcFR6C4KtFxP7jg_AiZFO3k

Fresh Grad Recalls How Selling Tie-Dyed Items Helped Her Finish College
https://www.businessnews.com.ph/fresh-grad-anne-recalls-how-selling-tie-dyed-items-helped-her-finish-college-20211127/?fbclid=IwAR0bM3eITt0mWOXrIgUZqVIvVOgo0EezI6MM8wuRinP1S0R5orsEHx4jitE

November 22, 2022

History In Our Hearts

November 22, 2022/ Staff

Happy Thanksgiving Day to our US-based readers. We have a lot to be grateful for, foremost of which is that we're still around. Quite a blessing after three years of living through a raging pandemic.

In the California Museum of Sacramento, an exhibit called "California is in the Heart" recognizes and celebrates the history and contributions of FilAms in this state where our presence is biggest. The exhibit, a joint project of UC Davis' Bulosan Center for Filipino Studies and the Filipino American National Historical Society (FANHS) Museum, runs until April 9, 2023 so it's a good reason to plan a trip to the state capital.

A FilAm carving her place in the theater arts, Alexandra Palting created and performed her one-woman musical 0874: A Filipino-American Love Story on social media and is now preparing for its full theater production with a grant from the Kennedy Center in Washington DC. Why 874? That was the number of love letters Alex's lolo and lola wrote to each other when they were separated by the Pacific Ocean between 1958-1963.

And if you've ever craved lanzones, here's something that will trigger your nostalgia some more.

As the days get nippier and the holiday emotions heat up (ok, it's already in full throttle in the Philippines), it's a good time to reacquaint ourselves with Jose Mari Chan, long-time purveyor of sentimental OPM Christmas songs. http://www.positivelyfilipino.com/magazine/joe-mari-chans-enduring-heart-songs