And Along Comes 'Larry the Musical'

A shout-out to Northern Californians: if you haven't yet, hie over to the Brava Theater in San Francisco to watch the superhit "Larry the Musical." Night after night, it gets a standing ovation from the audience, and that's quite a major statement in the [jaded] culture mecca of the San Francisco Bay Area. PF contributor and FilAm history enthusiast Elena Buensalido Mangahas, herself a theater veteran, hails the show for both its historical and theatrical significance.

April is Filipino Food Month, a celebration which started in 2018 in the Philippines and has since expanded to encompass the global Filipino diaspora, thanks to the foodie culture bearers who have elevated Filipino food to international standards. Veteran Filipino food writer Micky Fenix, who is also the president of the Food Writers Association of the Philippines, gives us a backgrounder on how this officially sanctioned (by the Philippine government) 30-day celebration and offers a path forward for future activities.

Retired FilAm professor James Sobredo attended the recent global summit on nursing held in Iloilo City where the real state of nursing as a profession in the Philippines and other countries was discussed extensively. While the worldwide appetite for hiring Filipino nurses continues unabated, working conditions are not always ideal. Filipino nurses in the US were at the forefront of the Covid-19 pandemic which resulted in a disproportionate number of fatalities among them. The big income gap between nurses in Philippine hospitals vs. those employed abroad has resulted in a nurse shortage in Philippines. How to solve this conundrum is a question for the current and future generations of Filipino health workers and policy makers.

On an entirely different note, first-time PF contributing writer Yugel Losorata profiles Ted Reyes, the multi-talented former leader/composer and lead singer of the Filipino band The Freesouls. Reyes has since moved to the US to seek a wider stage for his considerable creative abilities. 

Though Women's History Month is over, we continue to honor women who played important roles in our lives. Toronto-based poet/author Patria Cabatuando-Rivera pays tribute to her unforgettable elder sister in "My Ate Nene, With Flowers in Her Hair."

Around this time every year, we commemorate the Bataan Death March which happened on April 10, 1942. Some 75,000 Filipino and American prisoners of war were made to do the arduous trek of about 65 miles. Read Again the account of Filipino veterans advocate Jon Melegrito when we joined re-enactment of the march a few years ago in New Mexico. For him, it was personal. His father was one of the survivors of that WWII tragedy. https://www.positivelyfilipino.com/magazine/re-enacting-the-bataan-death-march-a-personal-journey

[Video of the Week] Tradisyon: Serving Accessible, Traditional Filipino Comfort Food At New York City

[Webinar] Nurse Unseen: The Role Of Filipino Nurses During The Pandemic And How They Became Victims Of Anti-Asian Hate

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Anti-Asian Hate Watch

Vandalism at Chicago mosque investigated as possible hate crime
https://asamnews.com/2024/03/19/downtown-islamic-center-chicago-mosque-vandalism-hate-crime/

A man was arrested after he verbally assaulted, pepper-sprayed an Asian gas station owner because the suspect wanted to pay in all coins
https://ca.style.yahoo.com/man-arrested-verbally-assaulted-pepper-014758333.html

Anti-Asian hate attack unites community in Portland, OR
https://asamnews.com/2024/04/01/senior-citizen-concussion-attacked-with-log/

As Attacks on Asian Americans Regain Spotlight, SF Group Seeks to Soothe Community
https://www.sfpublicpress.org/as-attacks-on-asian-americans-regain-spotlight-sf-group-seeks-to-soothe-community/

Sinophobia unmasked: The racism pandemic
https://mronline.org/2024/03/25/sinophobia-unmasked-the-racism-pandemic/

Funding provided by the State of California.

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In The Know

‘Tubaw-inspired’ provincial capitol building to rise in Maguindanao Norte
https://mindanews.com/top-stories/2023/08/tubaw-inspired-provincial-capitol-building-to-rise-in-maguindanao-norte/?

TIPS: What you'll need to apply for a US tourist visa
https://philstarlife.com/living/163945-tips-us-visa-application?page=2

Mall of memories: Greenbelt 1’s closure evokes fond memories
https://bilyonaryo.com/2024/04/01/mall-of-memories-greenbelt-1s-closure-evokes-fond-memories/property/?

BIZ BUZZ: PAL ready for takeoff to Seattle
https://business.inquirer.net/452746/biz-buzz-pal-ready-for-takeoff-to-seattle?

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We Are Acting Against Hate

Hate crimes in California in 2022 was at an all-time high, with a jump of 20% from 2021. [https://oag.ca.gov/system/files/attachments/press-docs/Hate%20Crime%20In%20CA%202022f.pdf]

While overall, anti-Asian hate crimes/incidents have gone down in number following the easing of the pandemic and its accompanying anti-Asian rhetoric, it is still alarming that there were almost 10,000 reported cases between 2020 and 2021 alone. [https://archive.vn/qO57S] These stats illustrate that Asians are easily vulnerable to attacks; a single spark of hate can still ignite a prairie fire. 

It's not a time then for complacency. Or to even entertain (the premature and mistaken) relief that the tensions are over. As the recent beating of 75-year old Filipino American Amadeo Quintara in his own garage in Las Vegas by a white man shows, [see Corin Lujan's "Against Hate and Loathing in Las Vegas], hate is a living, breathing organism that will always be a threat, no matter how much we wish it away.

With this issue, Positively Filipino begins a partnership with the State of California and its agencies, the California State Library, the Department of Social Services and the Commission on Asian and Pacific Islander American Affairs as part of the Stop the Hate campaign. Through a state grant, PF will take an active role in providing historical and current information about anti-Asian hate crimes, assist in the documentation of incidents, and disseminate strategies on prevention and de-escalation. Our Act Against Hate section in the magazine and social media will be a valuable community resource for everyone who supports the struggle against hate, racism, discrimination and violence against Asians. 

Have you or someone you know experienced an instance when you felt targeted and afraid? Tell us about it at actagainsthate@positivelyfilipino.com. When did it happen? How did it happen? What did you do about it? It may not be something monumental -- murmured curses about your ethnicity, a deliberate bumping that threw you off-balance, being refused service, being sneered at during your daily walk -- all these little slights that we often just ignore, add up.  And to keep silent gives the perpetrators the green-light to proclaim their bigotry.  

So let us, as a community, raise our voices against hate in whatever form. Together we can stop, prevent, document, and de-escalate ethnic tensions while making sure that we ourselves are free of anger and prejudice.

This week, we also begin a series on Bridge Generation personalities, as profiled by historian/chronicler Peter Jamero in his monthly blog called Peter's Pinoy Patter. First up, Don Velez, 85, whose woodworking products are available on Etsy. 

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Stories This Week

Against Hate And Loathing In Las Vegas by Corin Ramos Lujan

The 'Woodjammer' by Peter Jamero

Badoc Island: Ilocos Norte’s Little Secret by Ian Layugan

Nina Daza Puyat’s Culinary Mission by Claire Mercado-Obias

[Recipe of the Week] The Happy Home Cook: Lumpiang Shanghai With Sweet And Sour Sauce byNina Daza Puyat

[Video of the Week] Bataan Death March Anniversary

Read Agains

A Reunion Of Strangers by Oscar Peñaranda

Remembering Leonard Ralph Casper by Cecilia Manguerra-Brainard

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In The Know

An unlikely provocateur, Miss Texas, takes on the state’s GOP leaders
https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2023/06/30/averie-bishop-miss-america-texas-platform-diversity/?utm_campaign=wp_main&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook&fbclid=IwAR2oJmngWsEVcX13CEL_VjQ7gk7q87csivTctzJxd3NaoPapkqXwZXhqM58

Why Baclaran Church was named ‘important cultural property’ in the Philippines
https://www.rappler.com/nation/history-why-baclaran-church-named-important-cultural-property-philippines/?utm_campaign=SocialFlow&utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=Social&fbclid=IwAR0dIjbKzCZPZFA7UmajG7m-1Zx0vBkaCqyjRwMsmToBRxH0qCA_UZGINCk

'I Am Fury': Filipino Photographer Captures Stunning Shot of Mayon Volcano Spilling Lava
https://www.esquiremag.ph/politics/news/filipino-photographer-edwin-martinez-mayon-volcano-lava-a00203-20230703?ref=article_featured

Why are Fireflies Vanishing in the Philippines? 
https://www.esquiremag.ph/long-reads/features/why-are-fireflies-vanishing-in-the-philippines-a00293-20200923?utm_source=Facebook-Esquire&utm_medium=Ownshare&utm_campaign=20230627-fbnp-long-reads-why-are-fireflies-vanishing-in-the-philippines-a00293-20200923-fbold&fbclid=IwAR1MwFXukfJ4rHXxqrNsFg9AckfTSXrgI6TWp1lPDU-9U1pGZbqmUFcSWns

'Paraluman' in Huling El Bimbo video met a sad end; actress who played her has a happier story
https://news.abs-cbn.com/ancx/culture/music/07/02/23/whatever-happened-to-the-girl-in-huling-el-bimbo-video?fbclid=IwAR2qLIuock7BFGaNVcqTf3wdHkoCEjgJrvAQeP95aNLVnsx6SrYQdweoyso

Kai Sotto all set for NBA Summer League as Magic roster, schedule revealed
https://www.rappler.com/sports/nba/kai-sotto-all-set-summer-league-orlando-magic-roster-schedule-2023/?utm_campaign=SocialFlow&utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook&fbclid=IwAR101n1pPbNsmqPrJ-lH_0H3hQQw2q56vC0ZLlLgWEGdL_sYasxQDT5Yt4c

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Warriors and Remembrance

We end this month that marks the 81st anniversary of the Bataan Death March with a rare first-person account by the late Lt. Col. Federico Peralta who survived the cruelty, the extreme hunger, malaria and severe exhaustion, and was later released as POW #24. Peralta served in the Philippine Armed Forces for 26 years and was able to write down his story and leave it with his daughter before he passed on in 1995. This is a riveting, heartbreaking recollection of the insanity of war and a testament to the valor of what has been called "the greatest generation."

In another WWII story, anthropologist/author Thomas McKenna's recently released book Moro Warrior documents the little-known valiant resistance of Moro guerillas against the Japanese army. The focus is on the unlikely friendship between a Moro boy and his American teacher which exemplifies the bond between the Muslims and the Americans in fighting a common enemy. PF Correspondent and Mindanao advocate Criselda Yabes reviews the book. 

If a centuries-old tree could talk, what fascinating stories it would tell. At the Lichauco ancestral home in Sta. Ana, beside the Pasig river, the balete tree which has given the Lichauco children so much joy, has been officially declared a Heritage Tree by the Philippine government. Two Lichauco daughters, Sylvia and Loretta, pooled their childhood memories for this article.

And speaking of warriors, once upon a time, in the late 1970s, an esteemed Kalinga chief named Macli-ing Dulag led his tribe's resistance against the Chico River Project of the national government. The damming of the river would have wiped out the vestiges of the Kalinga way of life. Macli-ing was assassinated on April 24, 1980 by government troops. Since then, April 24 has been designated as Cordillera Peoples Day. Read Again Ma. Ceres P. Doyo's story on this valiant warrior: The Unforgettable Macli-ing Dulag — Positively Filipino | Online Magazine for Filipinos in the Diaspora

It's summer in the Philippines, and traditionally the season brings about a rite of manhood for Filipino boys. Read Again: 

Circumcision: Writhe of Passage — Positively Filipino | Online Magazine for Filipinos in the Diaspora

Summer also means mango season in the Philippines and now, even here in the US. Visit your Asian store so you can taste again this delicious treat from PF Correspondent and foodie, Elizabeth Ann Quirino: The Happy Home Cook: Mango Refrigerator Cake — Positively Filipino | Online Magazine for Filipinos in the Diaspora

[Video of the Week] Why Is The Filipino Calamansi Being Left Behind?

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In The Know

LIST: Premium buses to drive you through a relaxing out-of-town trip in PH

https://philstarlife.com/living/312762-list-premium-buses-baguio-ilocos-bicol?page=4

Coloring the Margins: Pacita Abad

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/25/arts/design/walker-pacita-abad-minneapolis.html?fbclid=IwAR1ATyWLHeUWYAgvfbG7ooJsZerqmUqlrQmEtRLfov3W9DP1sp2PEQ9pYbU

Goodbye, tilapia surprise: Selecta’s transparent ice cream container goes viral

https://www.rappler.com/technology/internet-culture/selecta-transparent-container-viral/?utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=Social&utm_campaign=SocialFlow&fbclid=IwAR0go2TlC_xvwYsIh2sjn4dbswlnAYnz3ttwpzDEpo9RAThfI006JBRIzL4

IN PHOTOS: Why Chef Tatung’s Azadore might be the coolest-looking new restaurant in QC

https://news.abs-cbn.com/ancx/food-drink/restaurants/04/21/23/this-might-be-the-coolest-looking-new-restaurant-in-qc?fbclid=IwAR1zq7ZidToM2uplawqJtEThpTaaPralDoWUmhd1oYTSCap9uYBQ0c2Mdj8

The Fascinating World of Caroline Kennedy

https://anankemag.com/2016/10/18/the-fascinating-world-of-caroline-kennedy/?fbclid=IwAR1nj-LlPycni9avD8nLVBXh72A0Eh4RKYyv5Gvk6SovR9TZU_wsHpeI1SU

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