A Bridge Forgotten

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While the stories of the Manong generation -- the first group of Filipino migrant farmworkers to Hawaii and the US West Coast who arrived in the early 1900s -- have been and continue to be documented, their offspring who have dubbed themselves as the Bridge Generation have not been as lucky. This according to one of its stalwarts, Peter Jamero, who has written a book and several articles appealing for more research and documentation on the narratives of his contemporaries -- Filipino Americans born in the US before 1945. The Bridge Generation is unique because unlike their parents who never shed their Filipino-ness despite having resided for decades in the US, they grew up Americans. Yet they were never accepted completely as such. Jamero's impassioned plea this week should resonate among historians, cultural torchbearers, journalists and story gatherers.

We likewise feature two cultural torchbearers: the artist Stephanie Syjuco whose ongoing exhibit assembles valuable and otherwise ignore archival photos of the American colonial period in the Philippines; and acclaimed movie director Erik Matti, whose inspired and disturbing film, On the Job: The Missing 8, documents a dark period in Philippine contemporary history.

And we continue to join the chorus against the continuing injustice of keeping former senator Leila de Lima in jail, despite the key witnesses against her recanting their testimonies. 

[Cook It Again] The Happy Home Cook: Easy Tuna Pasta With Vegetables by Elizabeth Ann Quirino

[Video of the Week] Ilocandia

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Staff

Our Places in the World

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Filipinos are known for finding places in many corners of the globe to make their home. Necessity often spurs them to do so. In “Landscapes of Diaspora,” we feature the works of Janine Barrera, a young artist who paints as a “global citizen with a Filipino aesthetic” and one who is grateful for the new home she has found for herself.

Meanwhile, former career diplomat Virgilio A Reyes revisits one of his temporary homes in search of footprints of a French ancestor. “A ‘French Leave’ in Paris on a Eurailpass” is Part 2 of his series on returning to Europe 50 years after he was an exchange student on the continent in 1972.

Some compatriots are able to find success in the old sod and generously try to better our common home. One such Filipino was the late business leader-philanthropist Ambassador Alfonso T. Yuchengco. Positively Filipino Publisher Mona Lisa Yuchengco tells of her family’s loving commemoration of her late father’s 100th February birthday. His loved ones recalled his “A Legacy of Compassion,” which was rooted in his conviction that an enterprise should aim for a “social return on investment,” or use private investment for the public good. Fittingly, The AY Foundation continues to render assistance to employees of the Yuchengco Group of Companies and their children, as well as to the most vulnerable in Philippine society, through scholarships and health care and skills development programs. Ambassador Yuchengco’s philosophy in action makes sure that his legacy of compassion will last well beyond the 100 years he spent in this world.

And more of the noteworthy Fil-Ams in our 43rd edition of the remarkable and famous.

Read Agains: 

Romances In History by Ambeth R. Ocampo

Second Springs by Cathy S. Babao

A Year Of God’s Sweet Time by Corito Fiel

Cook It Again: The Happy Home Cook: Scampi And Crab Pasta by Bernie Cervantes

[Video of the Week] Can Filipinos be Superstitious and Scientific? 

Breaking the Tabo’s Sapphire Sandalo talks about the background oof some of our superstitions and their acceptance into the mainstream.

Post-Lockdown Balikbayan

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After three years of staying put, we ventured across the ocean again for our first balikbayan visit to our Motherland. It is still quite a health risk -- breathing the same air with hundreds at the airports and on the plane for hours is not a good thing for anyone. A small consolation: we took an Asian airline and most of the passengers were masked all throughout, with few exceptions.

Manila traffic is back to being horrendous after two years of relative ease. It's too early to say how the pandemic has changed lives, scenes and attitudes but let me say this: unlike California, almost everyone including those walking down the streets, are masked. I tried entering a building and was stopped because I had no mask on (left in the car, masking being already less routine for me). I had to walk back to retrieve it.

Almost two years of lockdown and restrictions were life-changing for many and not in a good way. Those who earned daily wages are still trying to rise from the devastation of lost income. But there is always a good side, especially for those who didn't go hungry. They were able to reconnect with their neighbors, clean up their surroundings and realized how good it was to eat less, move more and yes, do their part in beating the virus by masking and distancing. Like anywhere else, many creative, home-produced products proliferated, changing the landscape of small business in the country.

Unlike typhoons, fires and other natural disasters that affect specific areas, the pandemic affected everyone regardless of class and status. It is quite the great equalizer.

                                                        - Gemma, writing from Manila

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Gemma Nemenzo

Editor, Positively Filipino