A Silent Revolution

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Our webinar last week, "Our Climate, Ourselves," was both an enlightening expose on the nitty-gritty of plastics and toxic pollution of the earth's marine life and environment, and an inspiring call to action to fulfill our shared responsibility to take care of the planet and of each other. If you missed it or you want to see it again, you can watch it here.

Shared responsibility is also the motivation behind the sprouting of community pantries all over the Philippines, a phenomenon that was started by a young woman, Ana Patricia Non, who felt compelled to do something to help those struggling to survive the covid pandemic. "Give what you can, take what you need" should be a simple and basic human instinct but, in a divided society with trigger-happy (both verbal and physically violent) elements, the missive has been politicized and stigmatized. PF Correspondent Criselda Yabes brings us up-to-date in "Community Pantries -- A Silent Revolution?"

We have an array of fascinating stories this week: the evolution of the yo-yo (not invented by a Filipino, as commonly believed), the Filipino art of naming food, a review of the delightful book by a Fil-Am named Aimee Nezhukumatathil, and, to commemorate the 17th death anniversary of arguably the greatest Filipino writer Nick Joaquin, a repost of the memories of someone who knew him well, the poet/writer Marra PL. Lanot. 

Our Stories This Week

[Webinar Video] Our Climate, Ourselves

Community Pantries – A Silent Revolution? By Criselda Yabes

Pedro And The Yo-Yo: Man And Myth By Myles A. Garcia

Using Beauty To Overpower Racism By Anthony Maddela

The Filipino Art Of Naming Food By Vicente Salas

Read Again: http://www.positivelyfilipino.com/magazine/remembering-nick

Video of the Week: Why Italy Loves Filipinos

In The Know

The Philippines’ drug war is putting more pregnant women behind bars. What happens to their children?
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2021/04/06/women-jail-births-philippines-duterte/?fbclid=IwAR0uFE54V4q4S1qMwkUUfHwZwzXpB_W2eP6u5_udyu2LcZe-i_pU7Ex40GY

How Veganism Helped This Filipina Recipe Developer Reconnect With Home
https://www.livekindly.co/veganism-filipina-recipe-developer-reconnect-home/?fbclid=IwAR1yL76Bbp7iOg7GfvMRrUDhQBOOgQkZ0COwx5ydJlGJNrdjoQJYvca243w

Long Pushed to the Margins, Pacita Abad’s Art About the Immigrant Experience Gets Global Recognition
https://www.artnews.com/feature/pacita-abad-artist-tate-walker-art-center-exhibitions-1234589919/?fbclid=IwAR06aRYm5hKOq7iLKjN0hFtIEu3Va6Xp0aM-Jw1vzXlgjOOq2di-4RCUYB0

Enduring Legacies: The Bautista and Santos Ancestral Houses of Malolos
https://bluprint.onemega.com/bautista-santos-ancestral-houses-malolos/ 

Historian: 9 things to learn about Philippine culture from P-pop group Alamat
https://www.philstar.com/lifestyle/arts-and-culture/2021/04/20/2092434/historian-9-things-learn-about-philippine-culture-p-pop-group-alamat

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Gemma Nemenzo

Editor, Positively Filipino

Freedom from Want

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In 1943, the celebrated Filipino American writer, Carlos Bulosan, was chosen to write an essay on Freedom from Want to accompany an artwork of the quintessential American artist, Norman Rockwell. Retired Ambassador Virgilio A. Reyes Jr., one of Positively Filipino's regular contributing writers, tells the story behind the essay ["Freedom from Want: The Ghost of Carlos Bulosan"].

The full essay, which we include in the article, displays not only Bulosan's remarkable literary skills but also his prescience in "reading" the real America. His words resonate as much now in 2021 as it did 74 years ago. 

"We do not take democracy for granted. We feel it grow in our working together — many millions of us working toward a common purpose. If it took us several decades of sacrifices to arrive at this faith, it is because it took us that long to know what part of America is ours.

Our faith has been shaken many times, and now it is put to question. Our faith is a living thing, and it can be crippled or chained. It can be killed by denying us enough food or clothing, by blasting away our personalities and keeping us in constant fear. Unless we are properly prepared, the powers of darkness will have good reason to catch us unaware and trample our lives."

Read the essay, and be inspired and guided.

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Don't forget to register for Positively Filipino's webinar on Climate Change, this Friday, April 23.

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Gemma Nemenzo

Editor, Positively Filipino

Earth Today, Gone Tomorrow?

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Like a creature with far-reaching tentacles, climate change is already impacting all countries and every living thing on this earth today. Severe weather, rising seas, warming atmosphere -- these are only some of the most visible manifestations of what scientists are describing as the most serious existential threat currently confronting the world. Left unchecked, the tentacles of climate change will determine where we can live, our food supply, our health, immigration movement and even national security.

Young people get it - it is their world after all that will bear the brunt. Older generations, not so much yet; for as long as we can continue living our lives the way we have (even if we already experience changes that we don't associate with it), climate change remains a theoretical issue: it happens to others, not to us. Worse, some prefer to see it as a political issue, not a science, even though more than 95 percent of earth scientists confirm its truth.

Positively Filipino joins the celebration of Earth Day this month with a webinar that tackles Climate Change (see flyer below). It will feature Von Hernandez, the Philippines' most noted environmental activist, Wei-Tai Kwok, a Fil-Am climate advocate from Al Gore's Climate Reality Project, and Robert Suntay, a marine conservation educator and filmmaker. Moderator will be Shiela R. Castillo, a Futures Learning Advisor. Please join us and invite your friends and family as well. 

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Gemma Nemenzo

Editor, Positively Filipino