The Love of Grandparents

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We’ve all heard the joke: “If I’d known grandkids would be this much fun, I would have had them first!” It’s said with a wink, but ask any grandparent and you’ll find some truth in it. There’s a special joy in loving a child without having to shoulder all the responsibilities of raising one—and, when the little ones get cranky or the lolos and lolas get tired, there’s always the wonderful option of sending them home to Mom and Dad. A luxury parents, of course, can only dream about.

Grandparents Day falls on September 14, and we’re marking it with two heartwarming stories about that extraordinary bond between grandparents and grandchildren. In one, a granddaughter (Cebu-based Phoebe Gwynn Francisco) celebrates her deep love for her Lola; in the other, a Nana (PF publisher Mona Lisa Yuchengco) revels in the affection of her grandson. There’s nothing extraordinary about either story—and perhaps that’s precisely what makes them beautiful. In a world that sometimes seems increasingly divided and disconnected, the uncomplicated love between grandparents and grandchildren reminds us of something enduring: some bonds transcend generations, distance, and circumstance.

And then there is another kind of love—the world’s newfound love affair with ube.

For generations, Filipinos have known and savored this vibrant purple crop, turning it into halaya, ice cream, pastries, breads and countless other treats. Now ube has burst onto the global food scene, appearing everywhere from gourmet bakeries to supermarket freezers. But as demand grows, an important question follows: Will Filipino farmers share in the bounty of ube’s newfound popularity, or will big business once again capture most of the profits from a crop that has been part of our heritage for generations? Philippines-based PF writer Rene Astudillo takes us inside the rise of ube as an emerging cash crop—and the opportunities and challenges it brings to the farmers who grow it.

Meanwhile, a high school junior, Sophie Festejo, pays tribute to a corner of Queens, New York, that has earned a name familiar to many Filipinos: Little Manila. Its very name tells a story—a story of immigrants who carried more than suitcases across the ocean. They brought their food, language, traditions, memories and sense of home, creating a community that, generations later, continues to keep a piece of the Philippines alive.

From the love of a Lola to the ube fields of the Philippines, from a grandson’s embrace to a little corner of Queens, this issue celebrates the many ways Filipino connections endure. They live in our families, our food, our communities—and in the generations that carry them forward.

[Read It Again]

My Close Call on 9/11 by Maj. Gen. Antonio M. Taguba (Ret.)

After 9/11 by Gemma Nemenzo

Book Review: The Story of a Life by Criselda Yabes

[Video of the Week]

What Eala-Mania Really Shows Us About Filipinos

In The Know

Alex Eala's interview on CBS Mornings
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f4Tvxa1x9PU

Lea Salonga makes history with Hollywood Walk of Fame star
https://usa.inquirer.net/208430/lea-salonga-makes-history-with-hollywood-walk-of-fame-star? 

Olivia Rodrigo Is Doing It All, and From the Heart
https://vogue.ph/magazine/olivia-rodrigo-september-october-2026-cover/?

Silent Book Clubs Are Giving Manila's Introverts a New Way to Socialize
https://www.spot.ph/arts-culture/the-latest-arts-culture/the-rise-of-silent-book-clubs-a5229-20260731-dyn?

Filipino-born aunt, Air Force nephew charged in alleged U.S. citizenship fraud scheme
https://www.filipinoreporters.com/post/filipino-born-aunt-air-force-nephew-charged-in-alleged-u-s-citizenship-fraud-scheme?

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Staff

Traveling While U.S. Permanent Residents

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Once upon a time, in the good old days when the rule of law was respected and immigrants were welcome to the US, green card holders (aka permanent residents) shared the same rights and benefits with naturalized US citizens, except for the right to vote.

Today, green card holders can be stopped at ports of entry and deported, just like international students with valid US visas and other legitimate visa holders. If you're worried that, despite your green card, you might not be allowed back, here's valuable guidance from immigration lawyer Lourdes Santos Tancinco. Note of interest: there's a difference between "arriving alien" and "returning resident." Remember that not all green card holders are in danger of being denied entry. But if you are, you still have rights.  

April is National Autism Acceptance Month and two FilAm behavioral analysts from Jacksonville, FL -- Irene Batario (Tita Irene) and Redner Salonga (Kuya Red) -- mark the occasion with a picture book, "Bayani and the ABCs of Me," the first children's book on autism for Filipinos. PF contributing writer Claire Mercado-Obias interviews the two on the making of this landmark book.

Grilling is as Filipino as sinigang and different regions of the Philippines have their own way of grilling food. The town of Bayambang in Pangasinan takes the practice several steps higher with its own term -- inkalot -- and by setting the Guinness World Record of the longest barbecue grill in 2014. Writer Resty Odon celebrates his town's grilling tradition and gives us a lesson on grilling lexicon in this essay which won third prize in the 2023 Doreen Gamboa Fernandez Food Writing Award. 

PF Correspondent and intrepid world traveler Rey de la Cruz marks the island nation of Malta as the 125th country he has visited. And of course he meets Filipinos there. Read his Pinoyspotting account this week. 

For our Partner post this week, Washington D.C.-based writer/activist Jon Melegrito gives an account of the 2025 Bataan Memorial Death March, now on its 36th year, in White Sands, New Mexico. Today, April 9, marks the 82nd anniversary of the Bataan Death March.

[Video of the Week] South China Sea: Escalating tensions between China and the Philippines

In The Know

Kanlaon Volcano goes on explosive eruption; remains on alert level 3
https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/2050842/kanlaon-volcano-goes-on-explosive-eruption-remains-on-alert-no-3 

Filipinos make history on Broadway: Lea Salonga among 7 on world stage
https://usa.inquirer.net/169480/filipinos-make-history-on-broadway-lea-salonga-among-7-on-world-stage?

Cordillera’s cultural norms push back against political dynasties
https://pcij.org/2025/03/28/cordillera-indigenous-governance-pushes-back-against-political-dynasties/?

Lea Salonga and Her Trans Son Nic Chien Redefine Family, Identity, and Acceptance
https://asianjournal.com/features/lea-salonga-and-her-trans-son-nic-chien-redefine-family-identity-and-acceptance/?

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Staff

Women at the Forefront

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Before anything else, please join us for our webinar, "Nurse Unseen" on Thursday, April 4 at 4 pm. Filipino nurses have been at the forefront of caring not just during the pandemic but every day, in hospitals and other health settings. They are also facing dangers, including anti-Asian hate. If you are a nurse or you have a nurse in your life, this webinar is for you. You will also get to watch excerpts from an award-winning film of the same name. See below for the flyer and registration details.

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This week we are privileged to feature the series "Women Workers of 19th Century Manila" by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP). Informative and delightful, the series was posted one at a time in NHCP's Facebook page. We are consolidating the posts into two parts, the first six in this issue, and the second five next week. NHCP has retained the 19th century word spellings and has illustrated each post with old postcards, vintage images and 19th century art from acclaimed painter Jose Honorato Lozano.

More interesting, accomplished women are in our spotlight. In addition to the second installment of the Filipina Women's Network's Movers and Shakers list, we're shining the light on the women creators of a groundbreaking children's book, Dancing Hands: A Story of Friendship in Filipino Sign Language. Written originally in Filipino by Joanna Que and Charina Marquez, with illustrations by Fran Alvarez, the English version has already won two awards. Claire Mercado Obias tells us the story behind the making of the book. 

A surfer who is also a film maker is the subject of PF Correspondent Anthony Maddela's story this week. Satya Sullivan, who is doing her master's in Marine Affairs in Rhode Island, has founded a nonprofit called Colorful Lineup that offers surfing clinics to girls and women of color. She has also won awards for documentary filmmaking and cinematography. Quite impressive creds for someone who is only in the US temporarily. 

Here's a historical story worth reading again: We have published a substantial number of stories on Filipinos in Hawaii and the West Coast but not enough on the pioneering Filipinos in the Gulf Coast. So here's one on Filipino trappers and shrimpers in Louisiana in the early- and mid-1900s: "Life on the Bayou," by Carmelo Astilla. 
https://www.positivelyfilipino.com/magazine/life-on-the-bayou

[Video of the Week] The World’s Best Natural Free Divers

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Staff