July 17, 2024

Sailing for Peace in Troubled Waters

July 17, 2024/ Staff

The turmoil in the West Philippine Sea (WFS) has roiled the Philippine defense establishment and has sadly surfaced long-simmering anti-Chinese prejudices among Filipinos. How can one not be angry when watching the YouTube videos of the Chinese Coast Guard training powerful water cannons on Philippine Coast Guard ships, blocking Filipino fishermen from fishing in Philippine waters (as confirmed in 2016 by the arbitral ruling of the United Nations Convention of the Law of the Seas) and, in a recent episode, surrounding and destroying with pickaxes and poles the Philippine Navy rubber boats carrying survival supplies for the Marines stationed in BRP Sierra Madre?

But war with China is not an option, even with the proclaimed full support of the more militarily superior United States for the Philippines. How best to conduct a David-and-Goliath struggle without the use of military force? Popular political pundit Ronald Llamas says civilian mass actions on the sea are best; they perplex the Chinese military because they cannot be seen as aggressors to civilians (and therefore have to maintain distance), and they send a calm and friendly message to the Chinese people that the Filipino people are not against them but rather against their government's policies. A highly nuanced approach no doubt that may or may not be lost on the intended recipients.

Atin Ito!, a project led by Akbayan Philippines, is a civilian activity that has sent two supply missions to the WFS bringing aid to Filipino fisherfolk. The first took place last December [Defying Goliath in the West Philippine Sea].

The second and bigger one was last May and, like the first one, our Manila-based contributing writer Robert Francis Garcia was part of the contingent. Read his blow-by-blow account of this harrowing but ultimately successful mission in this issue. And be sure to watch the beautiful video at the end of the article.

Do you agree that civilian action can be more effective than a purely military approach to counter Chinese aggression in Philippine shores? Tell us how you feel by replying to this email.

*****

People are talking about Asador Alfonso, an authentic Spanish roasting house featuring the innovative dishes of Chef Chele Gonzales in a fabulous, environmentally sensitive setting by architect/owner Carlo Calma. It's located in Alfonso, Cavite so it's a worthy weekend drive for Metro Manilans.

*****

A Filipina entrepreneur now based in Switzerland, Demee Mahinay Koch, has come out with DEMOI, her line of cruelty-free, socially relevant, and ecologically friendly beauty products. Fil-Am community leader Sonia Delen profiles this enterprising Cebuana with a mission.

*****

Our Video of the Week: a short documentary on the Philippine Rise, a collaborative production of the Daily Tribune and The Extra Mile Productions' Know Your North project.

In The Know

Without fanfare, the Philippines is getting richer
https://www.economist.com/asia/2024/04/23/without-fanfare-the-philippines-is-getting-richer?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAAR1u-Fi7z_J0ag1U1CqxQIq2D05quqMROI9R6ncCJLeXYiyx67uFT7urhZI_aem_flAR-QQXcfYnpzqddm6c5w

Benedicto Cabrera, Filipino Artist in Flux
https://www.esquiremag.ph/long-reads/features/benedicto-bencab-cabrera-profile-july-a5102-20240708-lfrm2?ref=article_featured

Filipina artist to make historic debut at the Louvre in Paris this year
https://theglobalfilipinomagazine.com/filipina-artist-to-make-historic-debut-at-the-louvre-in-paris-this-year/?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAAR2y_wH1P9PJvE-gBrKw9H9-BaqyRucBb6xmItOEkwj2IYN9l3d6sWRc4VY_aem_jsU53A9JetuBXrsSqLYdGA

Citronella farmers in Agusan del Sur see bright prospects in marketing essential oil
https://mindanews.com/business/2024/07/citronella-farmers-in-agusan-del-sur-see-bright-prospects-in-marketing-essential-oil/#gsc.tab=0

67-anyos na lola, napabilang sa Top 5 sa entrance exam sa kursong Journalism
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v8gBrV5bu68

Anti-Asian Hate Watch

The States With the Highest Concentration of Hate Groups: All 50 Ranked
https://247wallst.com/politics/2024/07/12/the-states-with-the-highest-concentration-of-hate-groups-all-50-ranked/

Education, National Security, Gun Control, Climate, Matter To Asian American Voters
https://indiawest.com/education-national-security-gun-control-climate-matter-to-asian-american-voters/#google_vignette

More than half of Asian Canadians experienced racism, hate in past year: survey
https://www.sookenewsmirror.com/news/more-than-half-of-asian-canadians-experienced-racism-hate-in-past-year-survey-192331

Funding provided by the State of California.

July 10, 2024

Let the Games Begin

July 10, 2024/ Staff

The Olympic Games is about to begin in Paris from July 26-August 11; the Paralympics on August 28, also in Paris. For the first time, a bumper crop (28 in both competitions) of Filipino athletes are participating and some actually have a path to winning. Watch out for these names: EJ Obiena (pole-vaulting), Eumir Marcial (boxing), Carlos Yulo (gymnastics- men), and Kayla Noelle Sanchez (swimming).

2024 marks 100 years of Philippine participation in the Olympics and PF Correspondent Myles Garcia, a member of the International Society of Olympic Historians, gives us a brief history. The country's medal haul, however, is meager: 2 golds and a smattering of bronzes in the Olympics, and 1 medal in the Paralympics. Let's hope Paris will work its magic on our athletes in this year's games.

*****

Van Cliburn is arguably one of the greatest pianists that ever lived, a rock star in the classical music world with sold-out concerts worldwide, screaming fans and a ticker tape parade in New York City that dwarfed those of beauty queens and sports champions. In the 1970s, during the martial law years of Marcos the first, Van Cliburn was a mainstay in the multinational coterie of first lady Imelda. Read cultural writer Pablo Tariman's account of this great pianist's Philippine connections.

*****

There are more than 8,000 Filipinos living in beautiful Victoria, British Columbia in Canada and the community mounts one of the most colorful and collaborative celebrations for Victoria Day and Philippine Heritage Month (June, as declared by the Province of British Columbia). Fil-Can writer Megen Quigley reports.

*****

Continuing our recurrent feature on the Bridge Generation of the Fil-Am community, the generation's chronicler Peter Jamero features Joe Talaugon, born in 1930, raised and settled in California. Joe's mother was Chumash Indian and he is active in both the Fil-Am and Native American communities.

*****

We round up this issue with an op-ed piece by author/educator/activist Walden Bello on the high-stakes political divorce of the Marcos dynasty of the north and the Duterte dynasty of the south.

[Video of the Week] Stockton Museum Showcases Filipino American Heritage

In The Know

Why Asian Americans care about China’s maritime aggressions
https://asamnews.com/2024/07/04/indo-pacific-diasporas-in-america-against-chinese-expansion/

A trans immigrant living with HIV finds hope and sanctuary in San Francisco

https://www.sfaf.org/collections/status/a-trans-immigrant-living-with-hiv-finds-hope-and-sanctuary-in-san-francisco/

Leonardo DiCaprio supports call to protect Masungi Georeserve
https://news.abs-cbn.com/entertainment/2024/7/3/leonardo-dicaprio-supports-call-to-protect-masungi-georeserve-632?

Online rumours of civil war in Philippines tied to China’s covert agenda
https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3266870/online-rumours-civil-war-philippines-tied-chinas-covert-agenda?

Butaka chair, Baliwag mesa altar, and more: Here are things you must know about Filipino heritage furniture
https://www.tatlerasia.com/homes/architecture-design/filipino-heritage-furniture?

Anti-Asian Hate Watch

EXCLUSIVE: At least 13 Bay Area senior citizens robbed or attacked in neighborhood in 1 week
https://abc7news.com/post/exclusive-least-13-oakland-senior-citizens-attacked-robbed/15026452/?

Lost Kinjo: Anti-Japanese hate reached a fever pitch in Oakland
https://asamnews.com/2024/07/05/how-oaklands-two-japantowns-disappeared-in-the-face-of-racism/

‘Just the beginning:’ Las Vegas police establish AAPI Alliance
https://asamnews.com/2024/07/01/las-vegas-police-implemented-new-aapi-alliance/

Funding provided by the State of California.

July 03, 2024

Love and Hate

July 03, 2024/ Staff

When we were in elementary school in the '50s, Philippine Independence Day was celebrated on July 4th, the same day as the US. We also sang the American national anthem after we sang "Land of the Morning," the Philippine national anthem in English. It was just a little over a decade after WWII ended and the Americans were still hailed as our saviors.

When the Macapagal administration (1961-1965) changed the date of Independence Day to June 12, the date in 1898 when our ancestors declared our independence from Spain, it triggered an examination of US-Philippine relations, quietly and sporadically at the onset, then evolving into strident anti-Americanism during the Vietnam War and the student protest movement in the early '70s. Martial law suppressed the stridency and the alliance between the US government and the Filipino people continued. Just like any relationship, it went through the peaks and valleys of love and hate.

In a nutshell:

Love: when the US opened its doors to large-scale immigration of Filipino professionals and their families, leading to the emergence of a 5-million-strong Fil-Am community;

Love: when the US supported and enabled the exile of Marcos in 1986;

Hate: the US bases in Clark and Subic were closed down by Philippine Senate fiat in the early '90s;

Hate: President Rodrigo Duterte's very public anti-American pronouncements that accompanied his pivot to China;

Love: President Bongbong Marcos' current embrace of the Mutual Defense Treaty with the US against Chinese aggression in the West Philippine Sea.

Tomorrow, July 4, is another Filipino-American Friendship Day. Perhaps it's time for a reexamination to hold the historic relationship of the two countries on an even keel -- an alliance of equals now, not as colonized and colonizer or master and subject.