Our Very Own Monsters

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Our regular contributor Claire Mercado Obias, who loves to write about books written by authors of Filipino heritage, introduces two of them this week, both falling under the horror genre. The Secret Lives of OFWs by Manila-based author Jet Tagasa sounds like juicy gossip but this short-story compilation actually draws on Philippine mythical creatures as counter-power to the travails and suffering that Filipino domestic workers with foreign masters often endure. Tagasa is a former OFW herself so she is familiar with the feelings of distress and hopelessness that OFWs go through.

"Merging my stories with Philippine folklore is a way of adding power to stories of helplessness. A way of saying that all of us have an inner monster we can tap into, to overcome monster challenges. Making these stories more than just about suffering, but also, of hope,” Tagasa explains.

The second book in Claire's article, House of Monstrous Women by Fil-Am Daphne Fama is as much a horror story as it is a political statement. Set during the 1986 People Power Revolution which toppled the first Marcos dictatorship, Fama's employs the imaginative merging of monsters and folklore to voice out her frustration with the political monsters in our midst.

“When the Marcos family reappeared in the political arena trying to rewrite the past, I was so frustrated by how they were trying to rewrite history, I wanted to bring mainstream attention to both the revolution, that period of history, and how people can truly make a difference if they come together,” Fama tells Claire.

It's a good time to read these two books as Halloween and Undas (All Saints' Day) creep up on us. But then horror has become too real, almost mundane in its regularity lately that every day can be a good day to fight the monsters, especially those in suits, that threaten to spook us to helplessness. 

[Our Stories This Week]
The Monsters in Our Midst by Claire Mercado-Obias
That Strange Writing in Philippine Passports by Howie Severino
A Marvel Superhero Shatters the Asian Male Inferiority Complex by Anthony Maddela
FilAms Among The Remarkable And Famous, Part 72 by Mona Lisa Yuchengco

[Read It Again]

An Ilongot Murder Mystery by Michael Gonzalez
Soup Tales and Big Breakfasts by Micky Fenix
Escape Through Death’s Door  by Criselda Yabes

[Video of the Week] Filipino American National Historical Society in Stockton

[Partner] Philippine International Aid’s “Giving Hope to the Children 2025”

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Staff

A Fil-Am Pioneer on Two Fronts

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Our most prolific contributor of Fil-Am history stories, Alex S. Fabros, Jr. has handed us another gem of a story on Ramon Reyes Lala, who was a pioneer on two fronts. He was the first Filipino to be naturalized as a US citizen: "In 1896, despite court rulings that barred Asians from citizenship Lala secured naturalization as a U.S. citizen. How he did so remain uncertain—perhaps through a loophole, persistence, or the benevolence of a sympathetic judge. But the certificate was real, and he carried it like armor," writes Fabros. And two years later, in 1898, Lala came out with The Philippine Islands, the first English-language book by a Filipino published in America. Unfortunately, we can only find a very blurred picture of the original cover but there is a 2015 reprint by Jefferson Publication (sent to us by Fabros) available online (link posted at the end of the story). It's a very interesting and valuable read, with graphic descriptions and images of the Philippines and its people in the late 1800s. 

A few years later, in 1903, as American colonialism was taking root in the Philippines, a clever act of creative subversion initiated by Filipino/Kapampangan playwright Aurelio Tolentino had the invited American officials squirming in their seats. Tolentino's play, "Kahapon, Ngayon at Bukas" was touted as a harmless historical drama (and thus approved by the American censors). In reality, it was anything but. Robby Tantingco, a noted book author and academic, posted this amusing vignette on his Facebook page to commemorate Tolentino's 156th birth anniversary on October 15.

She started out as a model and a beauty queen, became a multi-awarded actress and later on, the head honcho of the nation's biggest media conglomerate. Now retired from her corporate roles, Charo Santos-Concio has returned to acting. Her full-circle life is the stuff of inspiration and emulation, as her classmate of yore, Elizabeth Ann Quirino relates.

A short documentary titled "Oakland Ilokana" by Fil-Am Elenita Makani O'Malley puts together the voices and the stories that previously eluded the filmmaker until she focused on her grandmother Lola Marie, Marie Veronica Mendoza Rivera Yip, one of the first Filipino children to grow up in Oakland, CA's Chinatown. The film is a tribute and an archive to the grandmother, Filipinos in Oakland, and to the city itself. PF contributing writer Lisa Suguitan-Melnick reports. 

[Partner] San Jose State Mural

[Read It Again]

Quezon Saved Jews from the Holocaust by Ambeth R. Ocampo
A Lesson My Mom, the Actress Caridad Sanchez, Told Me by Cathy S. Babao
Leaving Gaza by Chupsie Medina

[Video of the Week] Boxer Pancho Villa

In The Know

Meet Pedro Fernández: FC Barcelona’s Filipino-Spanish Gem on the Rise
https://republicasiamedia.com/news/sports-news/meet-pedro-fernandez-fc-barcelonas-filipino-spanish-gem-on-the-rise/?

Hidilyn Diaz to teach at UP College of Human Kinetics in 2026: 'I’m excited and nervous'
https://philstarlife.com/celebrity/809976-hidilyn-diaz-teach-at-up-2026?fbclid

Filipinos in the 6ix | Connecting the Filipino Community
https://filipinosinthe6ix.com/?

Greatest OOTDs in Philippine History
https://www.esquiremag.ph/style/fashion/greatest-ootds-in-philippine-history-

From Colonial Roots to Global Nurses: The Evolution of Nursing Education in the Philippines
https://www.facebook.com/reel/830246312789751

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Staff

Achievers All

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In celebrating Fil-Am History Month (FAHM), we focus not just on historical stories of Filipinos in America but, more importantly, those who are making history in various fields. These Fil-Am achievers are not only elevating the status of the Fil-Am community with their exemplary works, they are also forging new paths that expand the very definition of Fil-Am history. No longer boxed into specific sectors like farm work or day labor, these new Fil-Ams -- many born and raised in the US-- are thriving in fields that were unthinkable to the manongs or even to the first-generation immigrant wave that came after 1965.

Take Dr. Patricia Quebada-Clerkin, a noted pediatric neurosurgeon, who chose to go into one of the hardest specializations in the field of medicine. Not only is she an innovator in her field, she is also a consultant and a professor while actively bridging the divide between her two homelands by participating in medical missions to the Philippines and sharing her expertise with medical students there.  

From a completely different field, Mark de Vera, a 36-year old Fil-Am creative skilled both in business and the arts, has reached the heights of a transformative industry: the publishing of the very popular manga and manghwa graphic novels whose origins are from Japan and South Korea, respectively. He leads the sales and marketing division of Yen Press LLC, one of the biggest publishers of these trendy literary genres.

Pushing for the recognition of Fil-Am authors especially during FAHM, Fil-Am bookstore owner Christine Bollow has come out with an art print that show 22 chosen books published in the US by Fil-Am authors, to highlight the variety of genres that they represent. Bollow's advocacy extends to championing Filipino-owned bookstores and Filipino content creators. 

While we celebrate how young Fil-Ams are hacking through new fields, we also honor individuals like Lorraine Agtang who witnessed first-hand the lives and struggles of Filipino farmworkers.

On a sad note, the Positively Filipino staff pays tribute to one of our contributors, Pablo Tariman, who left this earth last week. He was a cultural writer and journalist par excellence and we have been honored to be one of his outlets. We are reposting below some of the 18 stories he wrote for us through the years. To read about him, check out our In The Know section below.

[Read It Again]

Pianist Cecile Licad Is a National Treasure by Pablo A. Tariman
A Concert for My Daughter and Son-In-Law by Pablo A. Tariman
The Filipino-Finnish Conductor as Music Sensation by Pablo A. Tariman

[Partner] FilVetRep statement by Jon Melegrito

[Video of the Week] Are Filipinos Hispanic? Why It's Complicated!

In The Know

Filipino artist arrested by ICE outside his home in Texas
https://usa.inquirer.net/180961/filipino-artist-arrested-by-ice-outside-his-home-in-texas?

Did you know the first Filipinos in Hawaiʻi were recruited in 1906 from a rural area of the Philippines called Ilocos Norte? 
https://www.facebook.com/reel/2520449318322492

Ken Guanga covering San Francisco 49ers tailgate parties
https://www.facebook.com/reel/1977745786323606

Redwood City couple blends cultures to launch an Indian Filipino food concept
https://www.paloaltoonline.com/food/feature-food/2025/10/08/redwood-city-couple-blends-cultures-to-launch-an-indian-filipino-food-concept/?

Pablo Tariman’s long goodbye
https://www.thediarist.ph/pablo-tarimans-long-goodbye/?

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Staff