The Cost of Sacrifice

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For generations, Filipinos have left home carrying more than a suitcase. They carry the hopes of their families, the promise of a better future, and the quiet ache of being away from the people and places they love. We celebrate overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) for their sacrifice, but we sometimes forget how much that sacrifice can cost.

Mary Jane Veloso’s long, agonizing journey as recounted by Rene Astudillo in “From Death Row to Freedom: Mary Jane Veloso’s Long Road Home,” brings that cost painfully real. She left the Philippines in 2010 to find work and ended up facing execution in Indonesia after drugs were found in her luggage—drugs she has maintained were placed there without her knowledge. She spent nearly 15 years in an Indonesian prison before finally being allowed to return to the Philippines in 2024 to serve out her sentence. Last week, she was granted absolute pardon by President Marcos Jr. 

Mary Jane's story reminds us that behind the OFW label are people who can be terribly vulnerable when they leave home in search of a livelihood.

For those of us in the diaspora, perhaps this is why Mary Jane’s story feels close to the heart. We know what it means to leave home—and to measure distance in missed birthdays, family gatherings, and years that cannot be returned. We call our OFWs heroes, but they deserve more than our praise. They deserve protection, dignity, and the assurance that those who leave home to build a better life will always have a safe way back.

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On a lighter note, make sure you watch Forgotten Island, the much-praised movie rooted in Filipino culture. It's showing now in theaters in the US, Canada and the Philippines and will open soon in other international markets. 

This Week’s Stories:

From Death Row to Freedom: Mary Jane Veloso’s Long Road Home by Rene Astudillo

‘Forgotten Island’ Animates Filipino Culture for the World by Anthony Maddela

FilAms Among The Remarkable And Famous, Part 82 by Mona Lisa Yuchengco

Our Journey: Starting Over, Creating Spaces, Building Futures by Novie Luz Beramo-Minguez

[Read It Again]

Erwin, the Bartender by Migs Bassig

Lunatic Magnet by Lotis Key

[Video of the Week]

How 60,000 Filipinos Built London's Invisible Backbone

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Staff

Looking Back

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With everything coming out lately about Cesar Chavez, we’re starting this month by looking back at a major moment in labor history—the Delano Grape Strike (1965–1970). It’s often called the most successful farm labor strike in U.S. history, and it was led in large part by Filipino American organizers like Larry Itliong and Philip Vera Cruz, alongside others.

The five-year strike led to better wages and health benefits for over 10,000 Filipino and Mexican farmworkers in California—and created the United Farm Workers (UFW). But beyond the headlines and hero narratives, it’s important to remember the real cost: workers gave up their income, stability, and daily survival just to keep the movement alive.

Fil-Am historian Alex Fabros Jr. honors those sacrifices in his piece, “The Historic Delano Grape Strike’s Sacrifices and Rewards.”

As conversations around Cesar Chavez continue to evolve, authors Craig Scharlin and Lilia V. Villanueva of the book Philip Vera Cruz: A Personal History of Filipino Immigrants and the Farmworkers Movement revisit their extensive interviews with the revered labor leader. Their reflections—shared in “On Cesar Chavez: We Need the Truth More Than We Need Heroes”—offer a more personal and nuanced look at Chavez through Vera Cruz’s eyes.

Also in this issue: Lilia V. Villanueva shares her experience visiting Margaha Beach in Old Sagay, Negros Occidental, where a laid-back mix of sun, food, and community came together with a local short film festival.

And if you’ve been online lately, you probably saw the buzz: the first trailer for “The Forgotten Island,” an upcoming DreamWorks Animation film, just dropped—and it’s already blowing up among Filipinos around the world. PF correspondent Anthony Maddela breaks down why this film has everyone talking.

[Read It Again]

Images of Semana Santa by Contributing Photographers

Marinduque's Mesmerizing Moriones by Wilma B. Consul

[Video of the Week] This Changed How I See Being Filipino Forever - Ink and Identity 

In the Know

The Philippines fuel emergency is a textbook case of a warning hiding in official statistics

https://www.lowyinstitute.org/the-interpreter/philippines-fuel-emergency-textbook-case-warning-hiding-official-statistics?

Community pantry returns, this time for drivers hit by oil price hikes

https://www.rappler.com/philippines/community-pantry-returns-drivers-oil-price-hike/

Meet the stunning Fil-Ams competing for Miss Universe Philippines crown

https://usa.inquirer.net/192493/meet-the-stunning-fil-ams-competing-for-miss-universe-philippines-crown

Philippines scores poorly on work-life balance. Filipinos are not surprised

https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3347635/philippines-scores-poorly-work-life-balance-filipinos-are-not-surprised?

Filipino farmworkers & LA County confront Chavez allegations

https://asamnews.com/2026/03/25/la-county-reviews-chavez-legacy-filipino-farmworkers-larry-itliong/?

Virtual Visita Iglesia Pilgrimage
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6vTocaN1U0I

MARILOU DIAZ-ABAYA: FILMMAKER ON A VOYAGE

In celebration of the life of Marilou Diaz-Abaya (b. Mar.30, 1955-d. Oct.8, 2012), National Artist of the Philippines for Film and Broadcast Arts, the full-length documentary on her life will be available on Youtube for a limited viewing playdate starting today on the occasion of her 71st birth anniversary. This documentary was produced, written and directed by Mona Lisa Yuchengco.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q9AmOmRlPtY

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Staff