A Fateful Homecoming, August 21, 1983

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What does it take for a young kid fresh out of high school in the mid-'60s to learn about real life before he joins the US military in Vietnam? For Fil-Am writer/historian Alex S. Fabros, Jr., it was doing back-breaking labor with Filipino manongs in the farmlands of California. In this issue, we post the first of a series of five stories Fabros wrote about his time as a farm laborer. The story -- and the series itself -- is a valuable Fil-Am history lesson, made more so by the author's end notes and citing of sources. 

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"He will be lonely without me." While probably said in jest, these words from Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino, Jr. of his arch-rival, then-President Ferdinand Marcos, shortly before he (Aquino) left his US exile to fly home to Manila is the ultimate ironic statement. Forty-two years ago tomorrow, on August 21, 1983, Aquino landed in Manila and was shot dead, a heinous act that marked the beginning of the end of the Marcos regime.  Chibu Lagman, a then-student journalist who happens to be Aquino's fraternity brod recalls his last interview with the Filipino martyr.

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Humor that bites -- that's what stand-up comedian Vice Ganda is known for. With over 20 million followers in social media, Vice is a formidable force in Philippine society and politics, as our Manila-based correspondent Rene Astudillo attests. 

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Filipina nurses in WWII is now the focus of a campaign by the Bataan Legacy Historical Society to recognize their heroism with a Congressional Gold Medal. Cecilia Gaerlan, the group's Executive Director and founder, writes about Adelaida Garcia, one of the heroic nurses, to jumpstart the campaign.

[Read It Again]
The Ghosts of Plaza Miranda by Gregg Jones
August 21, 1971: A Testament to My Immaturity by Mila D. Aguilar 
Diary of a Fil-Am Cop by Edwin Palomar

[Video of the Week]
”Quezon” Trailer

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Staff

Get and Protect the Power to Vote

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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

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Staff

Meet the Scam Fighter

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The numbers are staggering: $1.03 trillion lost to digital scams in 2024 worldwide and increasing exponentially every year. In the US, online fraud went up by 25 percent in 2024 from 2023, with a large number victimizing people over 60. 

The Philippines, where almost 80 percent of the population are digitally active in varying degrees, digital crimes are two-thirds higher than the worldwide average. The country has been described as the epicenter for online shopping scams, among others. 

It's quite a breath of relief that there are Filipino tech experts in-country who have made fighting online crimes their life mission. One of the more prominent ones is Art Samaniego, a journalist and co-founder of Scam Watch Pilipinas, a national citizen movement that educates the citizenry on cyber fraud. Samaniego's doggedness, vigilance and commitment in fighting online scams is heroic as it is necessary. PF's Manila-based correspondent Rene Astudillo profiles this admirable crusader.

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If you're in San Francisco, take the time to visit The Hinabi Project's exhibit of Philippine indigenous textiles and perhaps join the workshop on traditional Philippine weaving this month until September. "Hinabi's Woven Worlds" by Liza Suguitan Melnick and Almira Astudillo Gilles entices and provides details.

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Still thinking of where to go for a dream vacation this year? How about checking out Puglia, the less grandiose southern region of Italy, located on the map at its boot. Criselda Yabes, now based in France, chose the coastal towns and historic marvels of the region for a brief vacation, and was beguiled by the natural attractions and the food. "Puglia Pulls You" is both a promise and a come-on. 

Read It Again

The President Who Never Was by Susan V. Tagle
The Accidental Cheese Monger by Richard Cavasora
‘Time to Change’ – How It All Began by Atek Jacinto

[Video of the Week] Fr. Leo Patalinghug

In The Know

The tragic story of Gelo Dela Rosa as narrated by Pablo Virgilio Cardinal David
https://verafiles.org/articles/the-tragic-story-of-gelo-dela-rosa-as-narrated-by-pablo-virgilio-cardinal-david

Filipina lawyer in Netflix docu fights for women victims of sexual assault
https://www.rappler.com/entertainment/series/filipina-lawyer-toni-jaramilla-netflix-documentary-trainwreck-cult-american-apparel/

'Utang na Loob' and Its Complicated Role in the Cycle of Poverty
https://www.esquiremag.ph/long-reads/notes-and-essays/sandwich-generation-in-the-philippines-meaning-opinion-

Meet Antonio Miranda Rodriguez Poblador, the Filipino Who Co-Founded Los Angeles
https://www.esquiremag.ph/long-reads/features/antonio-miranda-rodriguez-poblador-los-angeles-california-founder

Her father was a US Navy man who served in Vietnam. So why is ICE detaining her?
https://www.wrdw.com/2025/05/24/her-father-was-us-navy-man-who-served-vietnam-so-why-is-ice-detaining-her/

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Staff