June 19, 2024

Hope and Optimism

June 19, 2024/ Staff

When second-termer Senator Risa Hontiveros took over the chairmanship of the Senate Committee on Women, Children, Family Relations and Gender Equality, little did she anticipate that her unwavering advocacy of the rights of the constituencies under her ambit would lead to a high-profile investigation with national security implications. Hontiveros has become known as a meticulous and expert questioner during Senate hearings, sparing no one, not even the powerful. We had a long one-on-one conversation with the Senator when she visited the San Francisco Bay Area last week and we found hope and optimism in this lady who now leads the genuine political opposition in the Philippines.

Among the many celebrations in June -- it's Juneteenth today in the US and Jose Rizal's 153rd birth anniversary in the Philippines -- are LGBTQI+ Pride Month and National Cancer Survivors Day last June 2. We celebrate both with appropriate stories this week.

We have a situationer on the growing disquiet in the LGBTQI+ community in the San Francisco Bay Area as the 2024 US presidential campaign revs up the divisive rhetoric against non-mainstream communities. And a personal account of a breast cancer struggle that paved the way to an entrepreneurial venture.

But we don't need any official proclamation to shine the light on the June batch of FilAms Among the Remarkable and Famous, the 58th edition.

Read Agains:

Two Centuries of Filipino Immigration to the US

Rizal’s Cook Remembers a Good Man

Rizal's "Kiss"

[Video of the Week] The Filipino Story (Episode 2)

In The Know

Pentagon ran secret anti-vax campaign to undermine China during pandemic
https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/usa-covid-propaganda/

New protection for undocumented families applauded
https://asamnews.com/2024/06/18/dreamers-immigration-reform-citizenship-made-easier/

The Best Filipino Restaurant in the Bay Area Isn’t a Restaurant at All
https://www.kqed.org/arts/13959765/best-filipino-restaurant-oakland-tipunan-ghost-kitchen

Torn from Family at Birth Because of Parents' Leprosy, Woman Reunites with Brother 53 Years Later (Exclusive)
https://people.com/torn-from-family-because-of-parents-leprosy-woman-reunites-brother-53-years-storycorps-exclusive-8661113

Medal of Honor Monday: Army 1st Lt. Rudolph B. Davila
https://www.defense.gov/News/Feature-Stories/Story/Article/3407437/medal-of-honor-monday-army-1st-lt-rudolph-b-davila/

Anti-Asian Hate Watch

FBI official admits mistakes, vows to improve relations with Asian-American communities
https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3266087/fbi-official-admits-mistakes-vows-improve-relations-asian-american-communities

Playground named after grandma fatally beaten in San Francisco
https://asamnews.com/2024/06/17/yik-oi-huang-peace-and-friendship-park-beating-victim-san-francisco/

Woman sentenced to 40 days in jail in viral hate crime in Texas
https://asamnews.com/2024/06/18/racist-tirade-plano-texas-video-social-media-esmeralda-upton-sentenced/

Public Policy Inst. of California Releases Data on Hate Crimes
https://www.postnewsgroup.com/public-policy-inst-of-california-releases-data-on-hate-crimes/

Woman arrested for alleged hate crime against 2 Asian residents in Bellevue
https://www.fox13seattle.com/news/bellevue-hate-charges

Funding provided by the State of California.

June 12, 2024

Happy Independence Day, Philippines!

June 12, 2024/ Staff

Funny how such a mundane task like gardening can dig up bittersweet childhood memories of a father who, much to the son's distaste, savored such "weird" food like ampalaya (bitter melon) and squid; scolded him with such aphorisms as "You don't know your ass from a roll of toilet paper"; and loved listening to John Coltrane. That's what happened to Fil-Am poet Tony Robles who, for the first time in his life, dug a garden and realized he had become his father (well, almost).

*****

Rights delayed are rights denied. This could be the battle cry of LGBTQIs in the Philippines who have been waiting for the passage of the SOGIE (Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity, and Gender Expression) bill, a universal human rights initiative supported by the United Nations. It has been more than 20 years since the first version of the bill was proposed. Now the Senate is trying again. Will it finally pass this time around? Abangan...

*****

National Artist for Dance Alice Reyes is in her early eighties now but shows no sign of slowing down. We pay tribute to her art, achievements and longevity through cultural writer Pablo Tariman's feature story on her.

*****

This week, the winners of the James Beard Foundation Awards, the "Oscars of the food world," were announced and a couple of them are Fil-Ams. Chef Lord Maynard Llera of Kuya Lord's in Los Angeles won the coveted best chef in California title. Read Again our stories on some of the winners:

On Kuya Lord: https://www.positivelyfilipino.com/magazine/praise-kuya-lord

On Abi Balingit, James Beard Foundation Book Award Winner - Emerging Voice: https://www.positivelyfilipino.com/magazine/in-the-dusky-kitchen-with-abi

On the occasion of June 12 and its significance in Philippine history, two pieces by John Silva:

Why June 12 Is Different from Other Days

A Valiant People's Army

And a menu for Independence:

Dishes for Independence Day

[Video of the Week] O Bayan Ko

In The Know

The 3 stars in the Philippine flag actually represent Luzon, Panay, and Mindanao, here’s why
https://mb.com.ph/2024/5/28/the-3-stars-in-the-philippine-flag-actually-represent-luzon-panay-and-mindanao-here-s-why-1?

The Massacre America Forgot
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/15/books/review/massacre-in-the-clouds-kim-a-wagner.html?

A family rest house in Batangas transforms into an exclusive garden resort
https://nolisoli.ph/109228/el-jardin-de-zaida/?

Ateneo Goes Green as Campus Shifts to 100% Renewable Energy
https://www.spot.ph/newsfeatures/culture/109016/ateneo-100-renewable-energy

This L.A. chef just won the James Beard award for Best Chef: California
https://www.latimes.com/food/story/2024-06-10/los-angeles-chef-2024-james-beard-award-winner-kuya-lord?

Anti-Asian Hate Watch

Hate Crime Trends in California
https://www.ppic.org/blog/hate-crime-trends-in-california/

Man beaten in hate crime in coma in upstate New York
https://asamnews.com/2024/06/10/hate-crime-victim-coma-restauranteur-albany/

Man sentenced for anti-Asian and antisemitic threats
https://asamnews.com/2024/06/11/racist-remarks-religious-bigotry-self-harm-andre-lackner/

Man sentenced in hate crime against San Diego police officer
https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/courts/story/2024-06-05/man-convicted-of-hate-crime-against-a-san-diego-police-officer?

FBI: Hate crimes down in Pennsylvania, but up in Delaware, New Jersey and Maryland
https://www.phillytrib.com/news/state_and_region/fbi-hate-crimes-down-in-pennsylvania-but-up-in-delaware-new-jersey-and-maryland/

L.A. Pilot Program Addressing Asian American Hate Could Be California Model
https://sdvoice.info/l-a-pilot-program-addressing-asian-american-hate-could-be-california-model/

Funding provided by the State of California.

June 05, 2024

Time To Swoon in June

June 05, 2024/ Staff

It's June and, like clockwork, summer weather (now commonly termed a heat wave) begins in the western hemisphere. In our motherland, June is expected to bring the monsoon rains so desperately needed for the parched earth of the long, extremely hot summer of 2024.

Like the previous month, June is packed with celebrations: LGBTQ Pride Month and its string of parades and revelry happens this month. For Filipinos everywhere, the annual Independence Day festivities gather communities for parades, dances, competitions and food. And then there's Rizal Day, celebrated every year on June 19, and Fathers' Day on June 16. In the US, it's also Immigrant Heritage Month, a little-known commemoration that should interest us who have made the US our adopted country.

June of course begins the travel cycle, and the travel industry is anticipating the full impact of what has become a post-pandemic byword: revenge travel. We have been posting stories about enticing places to visit since spring, and will continue to do so this summer. One of them, in this issue, is the journey of a daring couple, both septuagenarians, who completed the challenging Kumano Kodo, Japan's equivalent to the Camino de Santiago of Spain. Since they've done both pilgrimages, the two got their Dual Pilgrim Certificate, earned by just about 5,000 long-distance walkers.

Last month, we posted a couple of articles from Canada and reached out to Filipino-Canadians to write more. So this issue, we're posting another two; from Toronto, our regular contributing writer gives us the story of the making of the first anthology of Fil-Can writing; and from Vancouver, a first-time contributor writes about a Filipino who was a high-ranking official in Metro Vancouver but, upon retirement, returned to her first love and is flourishing.

A look back: One afternoon in 1999, Fil-Am mail carrier Jojo Ileto was doing his rounds when a man asked him to mail a letter. There was nothing unusual about the request and Ileto gladly acceded. As he turned, the man took out a gun and shot Ileto twice. He was a random choice, clearly a hate crime. So much has happened since, yet so much still remain the same. We're reposting the story from 25 years ago because we must not forget.

Read Agains

Exceptional Philippine Churches by John Silva

Death by Discrimination by Bert Eljera

[Partner] Helping AAPI Communities Heal From The Pain Of Racism

[Video of the Week] LGBTQ Couple Excited By Their Baby Boy