Love Time

It's that time of year again. February is coming up so start dusting off your love stories and write them up, for us to share the thrill. Or the heartbreak. Whatever one's current circumstance is, there should always be room for remembering  how it was to be in love, don't you think? Send your story to submissions@positivelyfilipino.com and we'll do the rest.

Meanwhile, this week, we transcend time, geography, cultural and physical barriers with our collection of stories:

From Manila, Neni Sta. Romana-Cruz tells us about her brief non-encounter with celebrity visitor, Pope Francis, whose ring she didn't manage to kiss but was close enough to bask in his radiance.

Author/educator Peter Jamero in "An Invisible Generation" introduces us to the "bridge generation" -- the men and women who were the children of the manongs, the initial batch of Filipinos who immigrated to the US mostly as farm workers. Peter knows the subject by heart because he is one of them.

In North Carolina, Filipino American Sarah Angelina Bustillo Johns literally defies the limitations of gravity as she displays her mettle as an aerial dancer. Rey E. de la Cruz's "She Spins in the Air With the Greatest of Ease" includes a video clip of Sarah that will keep you at the edge of your seat.

Regular contributor Myles A. Garcia opines in "Like Dat...Like Dat" on language, assimilation and the irony of Filipinos in the Philippines trying to talk like Americans as they do their call center jobs.

And speaking of language, our Video of the Week shows five Caucasian guys doing the near-impossible -- talking Cebuano like natives. 

I'm back with my blog this week and you'll know why I've been absent for most of January.

Two Boxers, a Reluctant Politician and a Reality Check for Balikbayans

These are what we have for you this week.

Freshman senator Grace Poe stunned everyone when she topped the Senate race in 2013, and she has since impressed people with her intelligence, her articulateness and her championing of issues that affect the common man. Now as the 2016 presidential derby heats up and frontrunner Jejomar Binay's credibility collapses, Grace Poe is being touted as a possible contender. Will she or won't she? Journalist Criselda Yabes shares her insights.

As "Manny," the movie, begins its run this week, its director/producer, Ryan Moore, talks to our regular contributor Anthony Maddela about Manny Pacquiao, the complex celebrity he studiously followed and filmed.

Another world boxing champion, Flash Elorde, who died 30 years ago this month, is remembered by Manzel Delacruz, who, as a child, met the boxing hero and never forgot his goodness of heart. 

For those who are on the cusp of moving back to the Philippines, there are some harsh realities that you have to contend with, as Bella Bonner honestly and humorously lists in "10 Things I've Learned in Manila."

Hope 2015 is turning up roses for you.

Heroes in the Fight Against Ebola

We depart from our usual dose of weekly stories to bring you an exclusive, first person account on the war on Ebola in West Africa from my friend, Dr. Jorge Emmanuel. Jorge spent the months of November and December 2014 in Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone. As the chief technical adviser to the United Nations (UN) on medical waste, he was requested to go to Africa to develop guidelines for dealing with Ebola-infected waste and train hospital staff and waste-disposal workers on its safe management.

Jorge’s account is not only very informative on symptoms, statistics and scenarios (political, social, economical, medical) for every country affected, but also very emotional and powerful as he meets children who are suddenly orphaned, patients arriving in wheelbarrows, pilots paying for gas from their own pockets in order to fly aid workers, local and foreign medical workers, including Filipinos.

There are many heroes in the fight to contain and eradicate Ebola in the region, from the doctors, nurses and ambulance drivers to the funeral staffers and waste-disposal workers. We can only imagine what it was like for those who died, for those who risked their lives and for those who survived only to find out they have no family left. I personally want to thank all of them for their courage and bravery.

And to my friend, Jorge, thank you for what you are and what you do. I am so proud of you, my fellow Pinoy. When we see each other next, I will gladly shake your hand. No need for an elbow bump.