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

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/

The first time I watched the movie musical "The King and I" as a little girl, I was mesmerized by the music and the strange costumes. That movie has since become one of my all-time favorites to re-watch on DVD and YouTube, and not just because of the unforgettable presence of Yul Brynner. "The King and I" remains one of most joyful musicals ever produced. For those who were equally entranced by the movie, did you know that the pre-teen kid who played the Crown Prince Chulalongkorn was Filipino? At that time, in the 1950s, Filipinos in a Hollywood movie were practically unheard of so Patrick Adiarte's feat was one that should be recorded and hailed in Fil-Am history, which is what PF Correspondent Myles A. Garcia has done in "The Manila Boy Who Would Be King."

Quite a number of Fil-Ams (born and/or raised in the US) have decided to move to the Philippines and establish themselves there. One of them is Richard Cavosora who returned to Laguna to care for his mother and has since evolved into a maker of cheese. Read his story, "The Accidental Cheese Monger."

Following his very successful (and award-winning) stint with the acclaimed Washington D.C. restaurant, Bad Saint, Chef Tom Cunanan partnered with his former sous chef Paolo Dungca to set up, in the middle of the pandemic, PogiBoy, a sandwich fast food restaurant also in the DC area. PF Correspondent Anthony Maddela writes about this newbie joint which has already been hailed by the Washington Post.

Earlier this month was the 44th anniversary of the demise of the International Hotel (I-Hotel) in San Francisco, one of the tragic events that in Fil-Am history that should not be forgotten. Read Again about what happened that night of August 4, 1977: http://www.positivelyfilipino.com/magazine/the-last-night-of-i-hotel?rq=i-hotel

And here's another of my road trip stories: http://www.positivelyfilipino.com/gemma/bison-and-brooklyn

For the Happy Home Cook, a repost of another delectable dessert from Voltaire Gungab: http://www.positivelyfilipino.com/magazine/the-happy-home-cook-double-decker-chocolate-and-coconut-pudding

We have a thought-provoking Video of the Week, an interview by Toni Gonzaga of Jake Zyrus, who used to be the celebrated singer Charice Pempengco.