May 21, 2025

Polls Post-Mortem

May 21, 2025/ Staff

The Philippines' midterm elections are over, thank goodness. And the overall results are a mixed bag, some unexpected, some unfortunate, a few horrifying. We asked our Manila-based political writer Ernesto Hilario for a post-mortem and he sent us this comprehensive overview of what this election portends for the next three years, until the next cycle comes along. While there are rays of sunshine and hope, it's still generally a stalemate among the trapos (traditional politicians) and the political dynasties.

In the world of women's football, it's a different story. FilAm phenoms Alyssa and Giselle Thompson, aka the Thompson sisters, are expected to light up the roster of team Angel City FC. PF Correspondent Anthony Maddela writes of an optimistic future for the two, the progeny of a Filipino American father and a Peruvian American mother.

Launching this month is FilAm writer Monica Macansantos' book, Returning to My Father's Kitchen, a collection of 15 essays that tenderly honors the legacy of her late father, a Palanca-award winning poet. Novelist Patty Enrado reviews the book.

If you're planning to travel internationally this year and considering whether to go it on your own or join a group tour, read PF Correspondent Cherie Querol Moreno's story on the satisfactions of being among new-found friends.

Read It Again

Postcards from Rome by Odette Foronda
When Spring Ran in Manila, a Sort of Book Synopsis by Amadio Arboleda
Six or Seven Meals a Day by Ralph Semino Galán

[Video of the Week] Heritage Houses

In The Know

Today I Learned: Filipinos Can Acquire Spanish Citizenship by Proving Descent
https://www.esquiremag.ph/culture/spanish-citizenship-a7994-20250516-lfrm?

[Edgewise] Racially slanted Trump immigration scheme bared
https://www.gmanetwork.com/entertainment/celebritylife/news/122426/lea-salonga-and-her-child-nic-share-their-experiences-as-filipinos-in-the-us/story?

Sean 'Diddy' Combs' ex-girlfriend says he raped her, paid $20 million in settlement
https://www.reuters.com/legal/sean-diddy-combs-chief-accuser-resume-testimony-sex-trafficking-trial-2025-05-14/

Filipino Mothers and Their Famous Children
https://www.esquiremag.ph/culture/arts-and-entertainment/filipino-moms-a7942-20250511-lfrm?

View from Manila: A West Philippine Sea documentary one country doesn’t want you to see
https://www.rappler.com/philippines/view-manila-west-sea-food-delivery-documentary/

May 14, 2025

Pleasant Surprises and O Canada

May 14, 2025/ Staff

The midterm elections in the Philippines took place last Monday and there were a number of surprises that augur well for the future. PF Editor Rene Ciria Cruz gives us a brief initial report while final numbers are being tallied.

The April 26 tragedy that happened at Vancouver's Lapu Lapu Festival (where a deranged driver plowed into the crowd of revelers that resulted in at least 11 deaths) ironically resulted in greater visibility for the Filipino Canadian community, as PR contributing writer Meyen Quigley reports. Such recognition is welcome and long-delayed, but there is a dark reality behind it that's rooted in racist stereotyping. "Canada needs to see us not just as service workers and health care providers but also as artists, scholars, engineers, musicians, project managers, leaders," Quigley writes.

We celebrate Mother's Day this month with two mother-related features: our Video of the Week tells the heartwarming story of Jose Antonio Vargas, the FilAm community's most vocal advocate for the undocumented, (who has himself become legally documented) when he meets his mother for the first time in 31 years. And PF Correspondent Myles Garcia's musings on his obsession with the number seven and his late mother's legacy and roots.

Not exactly about mothers but rather about extended families is the picture book, What Lolo Wants, by Filipina writer Cristina Oxtra and illustrated by Jamie Bauza. PF regular contributor Claire Mercado-Obias reviews the book.

Definitely her parents' pride, football player Nya Harrison plays on both sides of the Pacific - with the Philippine Women's National Football Team and San Diego (CA)'s Wave FC team. PF Correspondent Anthony Maddela profiles this emerging star.

[Partner] FilAm Arts

Read It Again

Lessons from My Mother by James T. Lim

The Making of a Matriarch by Carolyn Prasad

A Child's Dream Is a Mother's Quest byAmy Schlanger

In The Know

Facts about Asians in the U.S.
https://www.pewresearch.org/race-and-ethnicity/fact-sheet/asian-americans-in-the-u-s/?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email

Teachers from Philippines detained during immigration raid
https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/2025/05/08/teachers-philippines-reportedly-detained-during-immigration-raid/

At 19, Fil-Am Sam Morelos lands breakout role in ‘Summer of 69’
https://www.rappler.com/entertainment/movies/filipino-american-sam-morelos-lands-breakout-role-summer-of-69/?

Today I Learned: In 1926, This Philippine Vaudeville Superstar was Jailed for Adultery
https://www.esquiremag.ph/long-reads/features/juanita-antido-vaudeville-star-a7

Filipino mom’s death galvanizes California community
https://globalnation.inquirer.net/276719/pinay-moms-death-galvanizes-california-community

May 07, 2025

Election Time in the Philippines: Days of Disquiet

May 07, 2025/ Staff

It's election time in the Philippines, thus a period of chaos, uncertainty and disquiet. In Magdalena, a small town in Laguna which doesn't usually appear in people's consciousness, this local election takes on an added stake. A mysterious candidate with no visible ties to the town has inserted himself into its politics and has enabled some questionable deals that will transform some farmlands into sanitary landfills, i.e., garbage dumps. Magdalena's story is an actual case study on what is wrong with Philippine politics, among other things. A Magdalena native, Richard Cavasora, reveals this sordid tale of stinky politics.

The Philippines is known as a welcoming country for those fleeing persecution in others. The UN High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) in fact recognizes nine "waves" of refugees that have found safe haven in our homeland, starting in the 17th century with Japanese Christians until just a few years back with the Rohingya from Myanmar. One of the biggest refugee groups that settled temporarily in the Philippines was the Vietnamese who fled their homeland following the end of the Vietnamese American War in 1975. Fifty years later, in February 2025, a museum documenting the Philippine First Asylum Camp (PFAC) in Puerto Princesa, Palawan was inaugurated. PF contributing writer Dr. Vicente S. Salas, once the chief medical officer of the camp and now a board member of the museum, gives us the story.

Look, the FIFA World Cup 26 has chosen the official San Francisco Bay Area Host City poster and it’s designed by a FilAm artist, LeRoid David, who bested other artists in the competition. David however isn't a newbie in sports brands design. As our writer Wilfred Galila discloses, David’s impressive portfolio includes designs for all the Bay Area’s pro sports teams.

Who’s afraid of AI? Certainly not FilAm microbiology lab specialist Rochie Cuevas who applies this data analytics technology to her work in the combined public health laboratory of four California counties. Rogelio Constantino Medina profiles this impressive lady scientist.

Getting ready for summer travel? As PF contributing writer and intrepid traveler Odette Foronda cautions, it’s always best to prepare for rain but also to enjoy the glory of getting soaked.

Read Agains:

Mother of All Devotions by Ma. Ceres P. Doyo
Do You Remember Polio? By Alex S. Fabros, Jr.
How Black and Filipino Unity Was Forged in the Pullman Workers Union By Don Villar

[Video of the Week] Sana Naman, Taumbayan