June 26, 2024

A Love Song's Sad Story

June 26, 2024/ Staff

Next to the Philippine National Anthem, the song "Dahil Sa Iyo" is probably the most familiar song among Filipinos of a certain age who have lived through the kundiman era, the Imelda Marcos era, and even the Nat King Cole/Lettermen (among others) times when they sang the song to please local audiences. Composed by Miguel Velarde Sr. with lyrics by Dominador Santiago, "Dahil Sa Iyo" got its first public airing in the 1937 movie, "Bituing Marikit."

In 1940, the song "Because of You" was introduced in the US and garnered a lot of traction for years in movies and recordings. PF Correspondent Myles Garcia did a deep dive into the provenance and the chords of both songs and, in consultation with a Filipino composer/musician, confirmed that both songs shared the same chord progression 75% of the time. Read all about this "appropriation" issue and the sad tale behind it. Hearing and singing the song will not be the same again.

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A memoir in poetry. That's what community leader and LGBTQIA+ activist Therese Rodriguez did in her newly launched book, Paranaque to New York City: 50 Poems. PF contributor Elaine Elinson gives us a taste of this "poetry of witness" which hopefully will lead you to savor the rest and help the Rodriguez-led Asian and Pacific Island Coalition on HIV/AIDS (APICHA) in the process. (There's a QR code at the end of the review you can scan to buy the book.)

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Project Phil is a US-based nonprofit whose vision is to help Filipinos obtain education which it views as the way out of poverty. Founded in 2017, the 501(c)3 organization has already given out about 500 scholarships in the Philippines. For the schoolyear 2023-24, over 108 scholarships for high school and college students have been supported. Educator/writer Elaine Joy Degale reports.

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There's nothing hoodlum-y about Bugoy Drilon. In fact, the singer/performer is a standout when it comes to connecting emotionally with his audience, according to PF contributing writer Gary Ferrington.

Read Again:

Racism: Reflections of a Bridge Generation Filipino American

Fortune’s Call: Albert Samaha’s Family Saga

[Video of the Week] What Is Filipino Food?

In The Know

Hackers steal data of at least 11 million Jollibee customers
https://asamnews.com/2024/06/24/cybercrime-privacy-breach-jollibee-filipino-food-chain-hacked/

Filipino man jumps into ocean to save drowning boy in Japan, gives too-cool statement after
https://soranews24.com/2024/06/19/filipino-man-jumps-into-ocean-to-save-drowning-boy-in-japan-gives-too-cool-statement-after/

Politician who pushed Philippines natural gas boom is behind firm that planned to profit
https://apnews.com/article/liquefied-natural-gas-lng-methane-philippines-batangas

Melting Spots
https://meltingspots.calmigration.org/map?

Healthier harvests: Organic farming initiative flourishes in Benguet
https://www.rappler.com/philippines/luzon/organic-farming-initiative-flourishes-benguet

Anti-Asian Hate Watch

Texas woman accused of attempting to drown young Palestinian American girl
https://asamnews.com/2024/06/23/texas-woman-accused-of-attempting-to-drown-young-palestinian-american-girl/

Seattle cop put on leave after hurling anti-Asian, sexist slurs at neighbor
https://nextshark.com/seattle-cop-audio-asian-slurs-neighbor

Columbia Univ spokesperson beaten in suspected hate crime
https://asamnews.com/2024/06/26/anti-asian-hate-assault-new-york-washington-diplomat-beaten/

Funding provided by the State of California.

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).

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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...

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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.

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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