Get and Protect the Power to Vote
/For immigrants in the US, the right and ability to vote is the most sacred privilege a citizenship can bestow. It's what sets a sworn-in citizen apart from green card holders or permanent residents, who have almost the same legal benefits but not the right to choose one's leaders.
Voting rights are not to be taken lightly. Immigrants have to be green card holders for five continuous years before they qualify to apply for citizenship. Another few years before they get to take the exam and be sworn in. It's only after the swearing in that they can apply for a US passport and register to vote. Having hurdled such legal gauntlets, it's perplexing why many refuse to make use of their voting privilege and be full-pledged participants in the political process.
It's however gratifying to know that many young Fil-Ams, like those in New York, are now invested in organizing for both a cause and a candidate, as PF Correspondent Anthony Maddela writes in "Fil-Ams Launch Grassroots Drive for NY Mayoral Bet Mamdani." Any community organizing work, for whatever advocacy (except in support of fascists and felons) is always welcome because they are steps up the ladder of full participation in the weaving of the multi-cultural, multi-generational tapestry that is the United States.
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Last month's death of Chuck Mangione, the multi-awarded jazz legend, prompted our publisher Mona Lisa Yuchengco to tell the little known story of how he helped in the setting up of her nonprofit, Philippine International Aid (PIA). Founded in 1986, PIA has provided educational and life assistance to over 70,000 street children in the Philippines and is now the longest running Filipino charity in the US. Read all about Mangione's generosity of spirit in "How Chuck Mangione Helped Filipino Street Children."
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A current exhibit in New York's Silverlens Art Gallery features eight contemporary artists tackling the impact of the Galleon Trade (the historical maritime trade between 1565-1815; also the name of the exhibit) on the Philippines, Mexico and Spain. It's not an ordinary art exhibit, says writer Tracy Yujuico. "At the heart of Silverlens’ curatorial thesis is grief from the invisible, traumatic lines of connection etched in the historical memory shared by Mexico, the Philippines, and their respective diaspora communities in California."
[Read It Again]
Japan: A Thoughtful Travelogue by Cecilia Manguerra-Brainard
The Saga of the Tamontaka Teduray Sisters by Eduardo C. Tadem
Do Go to Far Zamboanga by Bernard L. Supetran
[Video of the Week]
The former publisher of The Washington Post is helping undocumented kids pay for college
In The Know
Philippines Condemns China after South China Sea Collision Captured on Video
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/12/world/asia/south-china-sea-chinese-navy-philippines-collision.html?
Filipino permanent resident detained at airport by ICE
https://asamnews.com/2025/08/11/drug-conviction-deportation-threat-green-card-holder-returning-from-vacation/?
13-year-old Canete strikes again, dominates Indonesian Drift Series
https://manilastandard.net/sports/314625737/13-year-old-canete-strikes-againdominates-indonesian-drift-series.html
This 13-year-old Filipina can drive better than you. | Bella Cañete
531K views · 19K reactions | This 13-year-old Filipina can drive better than you. Bella Cañete or “BabyDrift" secured a double win at the Indonesian Drift Series (IDS). Watch her performances here! | When In Manila
The Bay Area’s most notable 24-hour restaurant is also a casino
https://www.sfchronicle.com/food/restaurants/article/cafe-colma-lucky-chances-casino-20805387.php
