May 25, 2022

We win some, we lose some

May 25, 2022/ Staff

Five days ago, the US Secretary of the Navy Carlos del Toro announced that a still-to-be-built Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer, the type considered the backbone of the US Navy's surface fleet, will be named after Telesforo Trinidad, the Navy fireman 2nd class whose extraordinary heroism also made him the only Filipino in the US Navy awarded the Medal of Honor. In January 1915, Trinidad was aboard the USS San Diego when an explosion occurred and the ship quickly caught fire. Even as he was injured, Trinidad braved the flames to rescue two of his fellow crew members.

Why did it take more than a century to garner this honor for this Filipino serviceman? It was through the combined efforts of various individuals, and civilian and military groups in the US and the Philippines (among them the Bataan Legacy Historical Society which started the ball rolling in this campaign) that the Navy bigwigs took notice of this historical lapse. The number of Filipinos who have served in the US Navy for a century can fill up an entire US city, and this win is theirs as well. A good reminder that change can happen when there's unity.

The death of a beloved icon of Filipino movies, Susan Roces, this week brought a flurry of tributes from many who grew up idolizing her. But there was more to her than being "the face that refreshes." Following the questionable "defeat" (remember "Hello Garci?") of her husband, movie king Fernando Poe Jr. in the 2004 presidential elections and his subsequent sudden death, Susan Roces became a feisty, outspoken critic of then-President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. To pay tribute to the wholeness of her presence in Philippine cultural history, we are reprinting a story on her from Filipinas magazine.

Also featured in this issue: an expansion of a historical landmark in Quezon City, our continuing series on remarkable Fil-Ams, and profiles of a Filipino priest who worked among the Amazon tribes and a Fil-Am cultural historian in Seattle.

And if you haven't yet, do sign up for PF's next webinar on June 2. It will be an interesting discussion on an intrinsic Filipino trait that has been both boon and bane to our culture.

This Week’s Stories

Fil-Ams Among The Remarkable And Famous, Part 31 by Mona Lisa Yuchengco

Thorns And Roces by Gemma Nemenzo

MiraNila: Glimpses Into A Gracious Age by Glenna Aquino

A Pinoy Priest In The Jungle by Harvey I. Barkin

At A Museum Of Memories by Anthony Maddela

[Cook It Again] Classic Turon

[Video of the Week] The Manila Film Center Tragedy

In The Know

Hawaii lawmakers back effort to bring Filipino curriculum to public schools
https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/2022/05/06/hawaii-lawmakers-support-effort-bring-filipino-curriculum-public-schools/?fbclid=IwAR2er990XH3JjAU7TOHgYSRCavwqcpGLgJv2NatXNPn9vj4hiT7vmdscr1Y

The story of Jacksonville's Filipino community
https://www.thejaxsonmag.com/article/the-story-of-jacksonvilles-filipino-community/?fbclid=IwAR3czV9ThGlSYrEVbZRb6dicSF5xuHvudumPrGO1GgX9AJYePUWRYYrAuxM

From glamor and grace, to guts and glory
https://lifestyle.inquirer.net/37435/from-glamor-and-grace-to-guts-and-glory/?fbclid=IwAR2GZUEtEev56Ui3K87XfM-h6pfAa5r5sF0Wl2MLXg73a6AnMvGdKRq4VQs

Nellie and Paz: The Women Who Drove the Luna Brothers Mad
https://www.esquiremag.ph/long-reads/features/nellie-and-paz-the-tale-of-the-luna-women-a1729-20191119-lfrm2?utm_source=Facebook-Esquire&utm_medium=Ownshare&utm_campaign=20220515-fbnp-long-reads-nellie-and-paz-the-tale-of-the-luna-women-a1729-20191119-lfrm2-fbold&fbclid=IwAR2wXUAqmBBZGs9FkpYrnShjFQkIs5N4nSIFBVxKnDNMIDn2Ppgwaa2Xovk

‘Kaya natin:’ The philosophy behind Orlando’s newest Filipino restaurant
https://www.clickorlando.com/news/local/2022/05/09/kaya-natin-the-philosophy-behind-orlandos-newest-filipino-restaurant/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=snd&utm_content=wkmg6&fbclid=IwAR0lo9FFd7MXOteZWZ2qchKybWXVFv5eGbil6WUN3qG2Qpd-Ak3PzLDqwtQ

Liwayway Gawgaw: From Cornstarch Company to a Global Behemoth
https://www.esquiremag.ph/long-reads/features/history-of-liwayway-marketing-corporation-a00293-20200202-lfrm?utm_source=Facebook-Esquire&utm_medium=Ownshare&utm_campaign=20220508-fbnp-long-reads-history-of-liwayway-marketing-corporation-a00293-20200202-lfrm-fbold&fbclid=IwAR3ibV_BQaAWX_O2-XCFv5qvemD9b5e-BRXP6fiWkL4Lj6XDzlkq3ENa6yc

Former College Dropout, Now a Successful Lechon Belly Business Owner
https://www.businessnews.com.ph/former-college-dropout-now-a-successful-lechon-belly-business-owner-20211228/?fbclid=IwAR0i3E3-nLCNuozmGZCUMaoQ6odwmVIBBrmxQ10U_61eZY65ukvKq5SgpgQ

May 18, 2022

Feelings

May 18, 2022/ Staff

Political hatred.

Such is the state of our current world that this phrase is now being uttered in public more frequently. And felt privately by many. Ukrainians in the midst of war with Russia feel it, citizens of Middle Eastern countries have been suffering through it for decades, Filipinos still reeling from the results of the recent elections are working their way out of it, and yes, a growing number of Americans are acting on their toxic feelings with tragic consequences.

Already. there have been 198 mass shootings in the US in the 19 weeks of 2022, the latest of which was perpetrated by an Asian man against fellow Asians in a church in Southern California last weekend. The stats are truly scary: a 339 % increase of crimes against Asian Americans including Filipinos in 2021 (compared to the previous year). Not a happy thought for this Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month of May.

What causes someone to snap and run amok? It's a highly complex brew of mental, psychological and yes, political (including racism) issues that only trained mental health professionals can mitigate. But we can help by being vigilant in recognizing early indicators: if someone you know is exhibiting signs of extreme distress and unbridled emotions, it is time for an intervention. Getting that person to seek mental health treatment is important, but equally important is to make sure the person has no access to firearms. Or poison.

May is not just AAPI Heritage Month, it is also Mental Health Awareness Month. Let's do our part in celebrating both.

This Week’s Stories

How To Respond To Anti-AAPI Hate by Cherie M. Querol Moreno

A Soldier And A Gentleman by Craig Scharlin

Banished But Unbowed by Fiona Basile

A Marcos Government And The Pink Movement by Randy David

[Cook It Again] The Happy Home Cook: Vegan Nilaga

[Video of the Week] Painting with Soil in the Philippines

In The Know

The Marcos Restoration: 30 Years In The Making
https://www.asiasentinel.com/p/marcos-restoration-30-years-making?s=r

The Triumph of Marcos Dynasty Disinformation Is a Warning to the U.S.
https://www.newyorker.com/news/dispatch/the-triumph-of-marcos-dynasty-disinformation-is-a-warning-to-the-us?fbclid=IwAR2yPEbJIjzamDspQOYZmfA76F4eZa621_0CuS8Pq1G5-jqJS_HhWFn7k9k

'Reginald the Vampire' Star Jacob Batalon Talks Filipino Pride In Honor Of AAPI Heritage Month
https://www.syfy.com/syfy-wire/reginald-the-vampire-star-jacob-batalon-filipino-pride-aapi-heritage-month?fbclid=IwAR0Qj10vb4tcIPBljDhHLWzLx4-erkk5Xo8g51N1IODGklRKo_FZflbjH_0

12 Other Countries Filipinos Can Visit with a U.S. Tourist Visa
https://www.esquiremag.ph/life/travel/countries-filipinos-us-visa-sa00192-20220313-src-preview?utm_source=Facebook-Esquire&utm_medium=Ownshare&utm_campaign=20220511-fbnp-life-countries-filipinos-us-visa-sa00192-20220313-src-preview-fbfirst&fbclid=IwAR3GDqEEEpUoF3Q_WizJbGrLCb7MoVpQqZbGUPBxfORKPo_maRnP0IyfL6w

The story of Adarna House began during the Marcos years
https://news.abs-cbn.com/ancx/culture/books/05/16/22/the-making-of-adarna-house-publisher-of-childrens-books?fbclid=IwAR0TFzpocs1NEPUlKNcHY9I3fgEJvjbPQhLEM-ub1X8xxLZp4O-6i4Z44Z4

These 7 Universities Are the Top Philippine Schools for Computer Science Courses
https://www.esquiremag.ph/culture/lifestyle/best-computer-science-universities-philippines-lfrm-a2749-20220407-src-candy-lfrm?utm_source=Facebook-EsquireMoney&utm_medium=Siteshare&utm_campaign=20220501-fbnp-culture-best-computer-science-universities-philippines-lfrm-a2749-20220407-src-candy-lfrm-fbold&fbclid=IwAR1f8xSfQKq5v0PWxT1VbUnHlrGo2hNoQq65j4axZfdV7Cg7yECxHpHEgu8

10 heritage treasures of Old Manila, then and now
https://www.philstar.com/nation/2022/05/01/2174329/10-heritage-treasures-old-manila-then-and-now?fbclid=IwAR1zf69R3AY-Gx5P1moD-Lqo_kmzFYly6VRYMwaSomy63q-_VVR_n9bySB8

This New Restaurant in Paris Shines the Spotlight on Filipino Flavors
https://www.esquiremag.ph/food-and-drink/food/reyna-restaurant-pari-a2435-20220514-src-spot?utm_source=Facebook-Esquire&utm_medium=Ownshare&utm_campaign=20220514-fbnp-food-and-drink-reyna-restaurant-pari-a2435-20220514-src-spot-fbfirst&fbclid=IwAR0PbmLr9o_UoJMgWeg_lNA7toN20XN3ha9ik3QFqkmvv3GqkAbMCVrcohk

May 11, 2022

We'll Be Watching

May 11, 2022/ Staff

And so it went.

A campaign that was founded on lies ("golden age," the ownership of gold, the promise of distributing gold when it wins, a non-existent Oxford diploma, etc.), fueled by lies (the $203 billion tax debt is still being negotiated, when in reality the Supreme Court has declared it final and executable, among others) and sustained by lies has won.

And a Pink Movement has risen. How this new force will be harnessed is still to be determined, but it will. The proverbial genie is already out of the bottle and there is no putting it back in.

It will be interesting times, the next six years. Unlike the father's, the son's administration will have hundreds of thousands of watchdogs that will be alert to its doings. We anticipate civilian unrest, much like the early '70s with its First Quarter Storm. We also anticipate repressive measures to quell this unrest because the son is bound to follow the father's playbook without the benefit of the father's diabolic brilliance. And therein lies the lethal brew, this mediocrity and hubris.

PF, like all legitimate media outlets, will watch, document, fact-check and share the stories that we know are real and true. We will be part of the movement to correct the historical distortions that have proliferated online and have twisted the minds of many.