Breathe and Refresh

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Jose Rizal

Time to take a breather after that hectic Christmas celebration. 

For your pleasurable relaxation and a dash of significant history, here's a compilation of stories we have published on Jose Rizal, the Philippines' National Hero, who remains an enigmatic person of great interest among our readers.

Through the ten years that PF has been publishing, we've had an array of Rizal stories usually in the months of June (his birth month) or December (his death month). We noted that these stories brought in a higher-than-usual readership, indicating a continuing curiosity, if not lifelong love, for this renaissance man who lived a brief but very consequential life.

Rizal was executed by the Spanish colonialists on December 30, 1896. He was 35. 

Rizal’s Great Loves by Penélope V. Flores

Rizal’s Cook Remembers A Good Man by John L. Silva

José Rizal And His Dueling German Friends by Penélope V. Flores

Jose Rizal, Martial Arts Warrior by Rene J. Navarro

‘The Month Of December, 1872’ Dr. José Rizal’s Rough Draft by Penélope V. Flores

Some Not Very Well Known Facts About Rizal’s Trial And Execution by Rodolfo A. Arizala

Jose Rizal, The Oracle by Mona Lisa Yuchengco

[Video of the Week] GomBurZa Teaser Trailer

Anti-Asian Hate Watch

New booklets teach communities ‘How to Report a Hate Crime’
https://www.dailynews.com/2023/12/14/new-booklets-teach-communities-how-to-report-a-hate-crime/

The Big Tell 2019: Peacock: Exeter, The Anti-Filipino Riot
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rmEQRtBXEhI

Salt Lake City police investigate salon break-in, vandalism as hate crime
https://www.sltrib.com/news/2023/12/11/salt-lake-city-police-investigate/

Funding provided by the State of California.

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Staff

Have a Joyous Holiday Season!

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The Positively Filipino team -- Lisa, Rene, Gemma and Raymond -- wishes all of you, our constant readers, a joyous holiday season. May the coming year be safe, healthy and peaceful for everyone.

Happy Holidays from Positively Filipino! (L-R) Raymond Virata, Gemma Nemenzo, Mona Lisa Yuchengco and Rene Ciria-Cruz

Our special thanks to our contributing writers whose stories have made PF a worthy chronicler of the Filipino diaspora. And to Titchie Carandang who not only wrote consequential articles but is also now helping us with our social media outreach, our gratitude.

This year, PF was also awarded a California State Grant to help inform the public, especially Fil-Ams, about the realities of anti-Asian hate, hate crimes and support services for victims. For this, we have Gail Kong as adviser and we thank her for her guidance.

As is our wont at yearend, we tally our readership numbers and come up with this list of the Most-Read Stories of 2023.  We say that they're also Must Read stories.

But beyond the numbers, Read Again these stories from this year's collection that you might have missed but you're sure to enjoy. They're a merry mix of thrills, nostalgia and historic heft.

A septuagenarian's daring feat:
Paragliding, Sky Jumping And Dying Over San Francisco by Bella Bonner

Remembering Lahaina before the fire:
Tears For Lahaina by Odette Foronda

Behind the walls of girls' convent schools: 
Girls’ School Confidential by Neni Sta. Romana-Cruz

A beautiful flower farm in Benguet: 
A Matriarch’s Legacy Flowers In The Mountains by Ian Layugan

A harrowing escape from a war zone, an OFW nightmare: 
Escape From Sudan by Lawrence Espinosa

An all-female Fil-Am rock band of the '60s makes a comeback: 
Fanny And Their Ongoing Legacy In Redefining Rock by Lauren Lola

An eloquent testimony on success and social inequity: 
Why My Success Is Philippine Society’s Failure by Leo Jaminola

A Filipino Sesame Street muppet: 
A Muppet For All Reasons by Anthony Maddela

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Staff

'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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Staff