'Tis the Season to Be Peaceful

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When the Hamas-Israel war broke out in October, the Philippine Embassy in Israel immediately went into crisis management mode, a familiar switch among diplomatic posts in unstable regions. With Filipino OFWs in almost 200 countries in the world, crisis-induced aid forms a major part of diplomatic work, as journalist Jeremaiah Opiniano writes in "PH Runs a Cycle of Crisis-Induced OFW Aid." In Israel today, the Philippine Embassy acts as guardian and succor to the almost 30,000 Filipinos in the country (about 130 in Gaza), most of whom have chosen to remain in their jobs (less than 300 have chosen repatriation) despite the threats they face as bystanders in the current war.

'Tis the season to be jolly nonetheless and what better way to celebrate than the traditional Simbang Gabi. Despite (or maybe because of) being away from the Motherland, overseas Filipinos nurture the holiday spirit, as first-time contributing writer Ronald Salazar reports from Wellington, New Zealand. Read "Simbang Gabi Abroad -- Our Faith and Our Music" because indeed, there's no taking the Filipino away from our Christmas traditions.

And what is Christmas without food? Our friend Micky Fenix, one of the leading lights in the Philippine culinary scene, takes us on a virtual tour of Iloilo City's gastronomic delights, a fitting tour d'horizon of the recently proclaimed UNESCO Creative City for Gastronomy.

Another food story to tickle your palates, "The Comforting Squidginess of Slow-Cooked Veggies" by Jeanne Jakob-Ashkenazi, a Filipino food researcher based in Valencia, Spain. This essay won the second prize in the 2022 Doreen Gamboa Fernandez Food Writing Award.

Finally, if you're lucky enough to have this Fil-Am movie showing in your area, here's a preview of "Asian Persuasion" starring KC Concepcion, Dante Basco and Paolo Montalban, among others, as directed by Jhett Tolentino. 

And for our Video of the Week, it's always a treat to watch Lea Salonga. This one is particularly poignant as she sings "Payapang Daigdig" with the Tabernacle Choir. The song composed by Felipe de Leon in 1946 is a paean to peace, something the world needs badly right now. 

Partner: “Remember Pearl Harbor… And The Philippines!”

Anti-Asian Hate Watch

Brutal Attack on Elderly Asian Man Is Not a Hate Crime, Says LA County Sheriff’s Department
https://ethnicmediaservices.org/stop-the-hate/brutal-attack-on-elderly-asian-man-is-not-a-hate-crime-says-la-county-sheriffs-department/

Trial to be set for killing of Vicha Ratanapakdee, who’s death sparked ‘Stop Asian Hate’
https://asamnews.com/2023/12/09/trial-to-be-set-for-killing-of-vicha-ratanapakdee-whos-death-sparked-stop-asian-hate/

Lifting the lamp for AAPI New Jerseyans, 80 years after the Chinese Exclusion Act
https://newjerseymonitor.com/2023/12/06/lifting-the-lamp-for-aapi-new-jerseyans-80-years-after-the-chinese-exclusion-act/

Hate crime surge raises alarms, adds safety concerns for minorities
https://www.losangelesblade.com/2023/12/10/hate-crime-surge-raises-alarms-adds-safety-concerns-for-minorities/

Funding provided by the State of California.

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Talking About Our Generations

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We are posting this week the key findings of the Pew Research Center's comprehensive study of Asian American experiences and attitudes, gathered from its national and multilingual survey done in 2022-2023 and its 66 focus groups in 2021. Though there are not many surprises, it's interesting to note some generational differences as well as attitudinal perceptions between first-generation immigrants and their children/grandchildren.

We're also running the four winning essays of the 2022 Doreen Gamboa Fernandez (DGF) Food Writing Award this month, starting with the first prize winner, "Reclaiming Philippine Ube" by Reynadel Cayetano. Did you know that ube is a healthier alternative to other yam varieties because of its higher antioxidant content? And that Bohol is the province best known for ube?

Enjoy too our other stories this week:

A poet's long drive to Albany, Georgia to watch a neighborhood Filipino basketball team play brought him back in touch with his roots, his culture and his palate.

A Fil-Am visual artist pays tribute to her late, unheralded great aunt who played a big role in winning WWII for the US. 

More remarkable Fil-Ams whose accomplishments are nothing to scoff at.

As we smell and taste Christmas in the air, here's a reminder of a Filipino Christmas from one of our earliest issues:

https://www.positivelyfilipino.com/magazine/2012/12/12/karoling

And here's what our Filipino tastebuds hanker for every Christmas season: 

https://www.positivelyfilipino.com/magazine/our-christmas-table

[Video of the Week] Maria Ressa Interviews Leila de Lima

In The Know

AFP chief sees retaliatory attack in Marawi bombing
https://mb.com.ph/2023/12/3/afp-chief-sees-retaliatory-attack-in-marawi-bombing

Will Philippines’ revived peace talks end rebel conflict for good or ‘aid the enemy’?
https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3243573/will-philippines-revived-peace-talks-end-rebel-conflict-good-or-aid-enemy

Civilian convoy to South China Sea gets NSC nod
https://www.bworldonline.com/the-nation/2023/11/28/560257/civilian-convoy-to-south-china-sea-gets-nsc-nod/

Ma’am Jo’s killing was a nightmare. Her dreams for the Teduray tribe are alive.
https://www.rappler.com/newsbreak/in-depth/jocelyn-palao-killing-nightmare-dreams-teduray-tribe-alive/

In Hawaii, a humble effort to give anti-Marcos cartoons from the past a second life
https://www.rappler.com/newsbreak/in-depth/hawaii-effort-filipino-opposition-preserve-anti-marcos-political-cartoons/

Gov't, communist rebels agree to resume peace talks
https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/11/28/23/govt-ndfp-agree-to-resume-peace-talks

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Staff

We're Being Seen at Last

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The issue of not being "seen" or "heard" in race and ethnicity surveys has been a source of frustration for Asian Americans, who are often lumped together as one group despite the obvious cultural differences among the subgroups. This is being corrected by Pew Research Center's extensive -- the largest of its kind -- national survey on Asian American experiences and views. At the helm of this historic endeavor is economist Neal G. Ruiz, an impressively credentialed Fil-Am who leads Pew's New Research Initiatives. PF Editor Rene Ciria Cruz discusses with Ruiz his group's "deep dive into the Asian American condition" including the experience of anti-Asian hate prevalent during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Our motherland celebrates National Heroes Day this week, as it does every year around this time. Our chosen hero to focus on is Graciano Lopez Jaena, an Ilonggo who founded and edited the historic newspaper in Madrid in the 1890s - La Solidaridad. Historian and head of the Ortigas Library John Silva gave a speech about his fellow Ilonggo at the Museo Iloilo and we have it here. Lopez Jaena was an unlikely hero but an interesting character whose rhetorical skills matched the passion of his ire against the ruthlessness of the Spanish friars who ruled the towns and the lives of Filipinos under the Spanish regime.

And speaking of Ilonggos, Iloilo City has become the only Philippine city granted membership in the UNESCO Creative Cities Network, for Gastronomy. Anyone who has tasted such native Iloilo dishes as La Paz Batchoy, Pancit Molo and other delicacies will not be surprised. And anyone who has visited the city in the last few years will understand. The redesigned Iloilo City is a destination worthy of accolades.

Read Again: Joe Mari Chan’s Enduring Heart Songs by Paulynn Paredes Sicam

[Video of the Week] Nora Galleros-Tinio

Anti-Asian Hate Watch

Documenting Hate in California
https://sacobserver.com/2023/11/documenting-hate-in-california/

Asians Are Strong org calls for help in funding self-defense program for Asian seniors
https://news.yahoo.com/asians-strong-org-calls-help-234832810.html

Bill signed to form New York State AAPI Commission
https://www.americanbazaaronline.com/2023/11/20/bill-signed-to-form-new-york-state-aapi-commission-455792/

Sandwiched between cultures: new exhibit explores the pain of 'lunchbox moments'
https://www.wbur.org/news/2023/11/27/lunchbox-moments-pao-arts-center

Funding provided by the State of California.

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Staff