Celebration Time!

And just like that we're already midway through 2025!

While May was a month of fiestas and celebrations, June is a month of parades and commemorations. Look at the big events we can look forward to: June 12 Philippine Independence Day, June 19 Rizal Day and Juneteenth (in the US), June 15 Father's Day, and June 20 the Summer Solstice in the western hemisphere. All throughout the 30 days of June, we celebrate Pride Month and, according to Google, African-American Music Appreciation Month. There are of course the daily commemorations that border on the ridiculous, like National Go Barefoot Day, National Hug Your Cat Day and Love Conquers All Day, among others.  

Positively Filipino considers these important dates as landmarks that guide, but not limit, our coverage. June or not, we stand in solidarity with the LGBTQ community. We also wish Filipinos all over the world festive Independence Day and Rizal Day celebrations, and fathers, as always, reasons to be loved.

Our lineup this week:

A new book from the celebrated Filipino nonagenarian author, Linda Ty-Casper, titled Lives Remembered, is reviewed by literature professor Lynn Grow;

Our Toronto-based contributor Odette Foronda walked the Camino de Santiago the first time to pray for a child for her daughter, and the second time in gratitude for her twin grandsons. 

Another Angono, Rizal artist, Cecille Artillaga, emerges in the Philippine art scene.

And in women's soccer, an eyewitness account of Angel City FC's recent game. 

Read It Again:

In the End, Love Wins by Manzel Delacruz

My Father and Gay Pride by John L. Silva

Filipino Sports History: It’s In the Cards by Mark John Sanchez

[Video of the Week] SOMA Pilipinas: San Francisco's cultural district revitalized with art 

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In The Know

OFW in Canada gifted with million-dollar house by employer
https://www.pep.ph/lifestyle/lifestyle/186893/ofw-canada-gift-million-dollar-house-a717-20250523?

More than buko pie: Sweet treats to eat in Los Baños as recommended by a local
https://lifestyle.inquirer.net/507002/los-banos-eats/

When “Honest Review Lang” Becomes Harmful: The Real Cost of Viral Food Criticism
https://www.simpol.ph/when-honest-review-lang-becomes-harmful-the-real-cost-of-viral-food-criticism/?fbclid=IwY2xjawKsAPtleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFhR0dQaGczSHB4NFlxZm5lAR4rXko6XVPng_sy6ZxPzlkLMFvV37ae6LWk7OlbfArJJHvXuFSEbpBivVJz9A_aem_6ftimwXs3_AYo3dhmvRojA

Lilo & Stitch star Tia Carrere gushes over her trans teen son
https://www.out.com/celebs/lilo-stitch-tia-carrere-trans-son-jude?

San Francisco scooter fanatic gets back in the saddle to open new cafe
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-1BroN4hJgw

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Take Us to Your Hometown

We're almost halfway through this roller coaster year and it's time to calm ourselves with some nostalgia.

A few years back we asked you, our readers, to share your story of your hometown -- the place your mind returns to when it needs to retreat from the noise and din of the present. We did get quite a number of lovely submissions about places in the archipelago that we wouldn't have known about. We define "hometown" broadly. It can be right smack in the grit of the city, an idyllic rural area, a middle-class subdivision or even a university campus. It can evoke memories of peace or traumas of violence. What they have in common is the feeling of home, however one defines home. 

We'd like to revive the series, so how about sending us your hometown story in 1,000 words or less. We'd appreciate accompanying pictures (ideally both old and current). You can email the Word doc at submissions@positivelyfilipino.com. And check out some Hometown stories that we are reposting below. 

Meantime, we hope you enjoy this week's stories:

Notes on Our Life in Today’s China by Cristina DC Pastor and Rene Pastor gives a rare insider glimpse of day-to-day life in Beijing during the pandemic.

Our Kitchens, Ourselves by Lorna Lardizabal Dietz introduces a new book of recipes and stories by alumnae of St. Theresa's College in Cebu and Manila. 

Alan Ariano’s Calling by Anthony Maddela profiles a veteran theater actor whose resume includes Miss Saigon, The King and I, Flower Drum Song and the current Life of Pi. 

FilAms Among the Remarkable and Famous, part 67 compiled by our publisher Mona Lisa Yuchengco recognizes another batch of notable FilAms in various fields.

Read Agains: 

The Hometowns of My Boyhood by Oscar Peñaranda

A Childhood in Pila, Laguna by Maria Clarissa Palileo 

Island in the Stream by Victor Peñaranda

My Bacolod of Sights, Sounds, Smells by Lilia V. Villanueva

[Video of the Week] Why America Ignored Filipino Music for 100 Years

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Polls Post-Mortem

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

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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/

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