Meet the Scam Fighter

The numbers are staggering: $1.03 trillion lost to digital scams in 2024 worldwide and increasing exponentially every year. In the US, online fraud went up by 25 percent in 2024 from 2023, with a large number victimizing people over 60. 

The Philippines, where almost 80 percent of the population are digitally active in varying degrees, digital crimes are two-thirds higher than the worldwide average. The country has been described as the epicenter for online shopping scams, among others. 

It's quite a breath of relief that there are Filipino tech experts in-country who have made fighting online crimes their life mission. One of the more prominent ones is Art Samaniego, a journalist and co-founder of Scam Watch Pilipinas, a national citizen movement that educates the citizenry on cyber fraud. Samaniego's doggedness, vigilance and commitment in fighting online scams is heroic as it is necessary. PF's Manila-based correspondent Rene Astudillo profiles this admirable crusader.

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If you're in San Francisco, take the time to visit The Hinabi Project's exhibit of Philippine indigenous textiles and perhaps join the workshop on traditional Philippine weaving this month until September. "Hinabi's Woven Worlds" by Liza Suguitan Melnick and Almira Astudillo Gilles entices and provides details.

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Still thinking of where to go for a dream vacation this year? How about checking out Puglia, the less grandiose southern region of Italy, located on the map at its boot. Criselda Yabes, now based in France, chose the coastal towns and historic marvels of the region for a brief vacation, and was beguiled by the natural attractions and the food. "Puglia Pulls You" is both a promise and a come-on. 

Read It Again

The President Who Never Was by Susan V. Tagle
The Accidental Cheese Monger by Richard Cavasora
‘Time to Change’ – How It All Began by Atek Jacinto

[Video of the Week] Fr. Leo Patalinghug

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In The Know

The tragic story of Gelo Dela Rosa as narrated by Pablo Virgilio Cardinal David
https://verafiles.org/articles/the-tragic-story-of-gelo-dela-rosa-as-narrated-by-pablo-virgilio-cardinal-david

Filipina lawyer in Netflix docu fights for women victims of sexual assault
https://www.rappler.com/entertainment/series/filipina-lawyer-toni-jaramilla-netflix-documentary-trainwreck-cult-american-apparel/

'Utang na Loob' and Its Complicated Role in the Cycle of Poverty
https://www.esquiremag.ph/long-reads/notes-and-essays/sandwich-generation-in-the-philippines-meaning-opinion-

Meet Antonio Miranda Rodriguez Poblador, the Filipino Who Co-Founded Los Angeles
https://www.esquiremag.ph/long-reads/features/antonio-miranda-rodriguez-poblador-los-angeles-california-founder

Her father was a US Navy man who served in Vietnam. So why is ICE detaining her?
https://www.wrdw.com/2025/05/24/her-father-was-us-navy-man-who-served-vietnam-so-why-is-ice-detaining-her/

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An Officer and a Gentleman

Philippine history never lacks for interesting personalities and many of them remain unheralded because they are only known in select circles. One of them is Major General Basilio J. Valdes who holds the distinction of being the only medical doctor who became Chief of Staff of the Philippine armed forces and Secretary of Defense. Here we pay fitting tribute to this important historical figure who was President Manuel Luis Quezon's personal physician and trusted adviser. His niece, Jessie Thompson Huberty, shares with us family stories about her esteemed uncle who was with General Douglas MacArthur at the famous landing in Leyte beach.

Mactan, Cebu is not exactly author Cecilia Manguerra Brainard'shometown but being a native Cebuana, she has enough lovely memories of this once-sleepy town, now a bustling metropolis. In "Mactan, 50 Years Ago and Now," she recalls the island of her youth and its role in providing R&R to American troops fighting the Vietnam War. 

San Francisco was treated to the colorful sight of representatives of Mindanao indigenous people in their intricately woven attire. They are in the city for The Hinabi Project's exhibition of Mindanao textile arts and culture. Read our Partner post about this one-of-a-kind exhibit that you shouldn't let pass, if you're in the area.

Aside from Filipino American History Month, October is also Domestic Violence Awareness Month and we can always count on our friends from ALLICE Alliance for Community Empowerment to mark the month with a resource fair. It's 13th annual Free from Violence event will be on October 3. More details in our Partner post.

A variety of interesting stories comprise our In The Know links this week:

Philippine peso flashes warning signs for Dutertenomics
https://asia.nikkei.com/Viewpoints/William-Pesek/Philippine-peso-flashes-warning-signs-for-Dutertenomics

For Isolated Philippine Town, a Planned Road Is a Lifeline and a Worry
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/24/world/asia/philippines-remote-road.html?smprod=nytcore-iphone&smid=nytcore-iphone-share

An online museum that immortalizes years of martial rule
http://cnnphilippines.com/life/culture/2017/09/19/martial-law-museum-launch.html

Before Ayala Center, there was Quad
https://www.spot.ph/newsfeatures/the-latest-news-features/71404/14-nostalgic-images-of-old-makati-a1806-20170912-lfrm4

Soup weather is coming up and our Happy Home Cook recipe this week is a comfort food: Lentil Longganisa soup from Rene Astudillo who has a food blog called My Bay Kitchen.

For our Video of the Week: in a documentary directed by Ed Ou and Aurora Almendral, NBC Left Field features "The Kill List," a look into the current drug war in the Philippines (Warning: Graphic Content).