A Cardinal for These Times

In a largely Catholic country like the Philippines, the papal designation of a new Filipino cardinal is cause for celebration. A total of ten Filipino bishops have been elevated to the cardinalship, the latest being Kalookan Bishop Pablo Virgilio David.

Apung Ambo (as he prefers to be addressed, instead of the traditional His Eminence), 65, is a standout among the nine other Filipino cardinals. Born in Betis, Pampanga, the 10th of 13 children, exposed to and appreciative of folk traditions, radicalized by martial law, honed by advanced theological studies in Belgium, tempered by his assignments to marginalized communities, the new Cardinal lives true to Pope Francis' call to "go to the periphery."

Even if the going means putting his life in danger, as Bishop Ambo soon found out when he was assigned to Kalookan, virtually ground zero for former President Rodrigo Duterte's war on drugs. For his active and vocal resistance to the extrajudicial killings, Bishop Ambo got a direct and top-level warning, "isang bala ka lang" (you're just one bullet's worth).

To know more about the very interesting Apung Ambo, PF contributor Paulynn Paredes Sicam spoke to the cardinal-designate's oldest brother, UP professor and Inquirer columnist Randy David, and their youngest sister, Marivic. Read her story here. 

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Part of the fun of Fil-Am History Month involves unearthing little known Fil-Ams who are nonetheless notable in their fields. Here we feature the artist Wayne Lacson Forte, who bills himself a "religious painter" whose reconnection to his Filipino heritage was a long but fruitful struggle. PF contributing writer Virgilio Reyes Jr. sent in this feature on Forte.   

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Last week we wrote about the Filipino food truck, Master BBQ AVL, in Asheville, North Carolina which was destroyed by Typhoon Helene. The owner/chef Paul Pike writes this week about how his small business came to be and why he is asking for help.

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Two permitted reposts from two very different publications: From KQED, a delightful story on "How a Buffalo Soldier Changed the Life of Latin Jazz Master John Calloway" by Andrew Gilbert.

From the PREDA newsletter, PREDA founder Fr. Shay Cullen presents a disturbing picture of child abuse in the Philippines and issues a call for justice for the victims.

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Our Video of the Week gives us a preview of the 3-part Emmy-nominated series by MG Montemayor, a broadcast journalist in Waco, Texas. The series honors the Filipino fighters of WWII. 

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In The Know

Biden Honors Fil-Am History Month
https://asamnews.com/2024/10/23/pinoys-filipino-americans-pride-culture-celebration/

America and the Philippines Should Call China’s Bluff
https://www.foreignaffairs.com/china/america-and-philippines-should-call-chinas-bluff?

Armed group abducts American in Zamboanga del Norte
https://www.rappler.com/philippines/mindanao/armed-group-abducts-american-elliot-eastman-zamboanga-del-norte-october-17-2024/

Dream to reality: Kapwa Kultural Center uplifts Filipino Americans
https://asamnews.com/2024/10/19/filipino-american-cultural-wellness-youth-center-opens-in-daly-city/

Pro-China propaganda pivots, targets civil society as tensions mount 
https://www.rappler.com/newsbreak/investigative/pro-china-propaganda-pivots-targets-philippines-civil-society-tensions-mount/

No plastics: Recalling the early Filipino kitchen
https://verafiles.org/articles/no-plastics-recalling-the-early-filipino-kitchen

Nicole Scherzinger Gets 6-Minute Standing Ovation for Triumphant Performance at Opening of Broadway's Sunset Blvd.
https://people.com/nicole-scherzinger-broadway-sunset-blvd-standing-ovation-opening-8731178

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Poultry in Motion

What happens when twelve inebriated teenage boys get exceedingly hungry at 10 o'clock on a hot and humid night? They get into mischief, of course. In this lengthy but laugh-out-loud funny piece "Which Comes First, the Chicken, or the Scruples?", first-time contributor Albert J. Lesaca provides the lurid details of a prank that exploded out of control and eventually entered the annals of UP (University of the Philippines) campus lore in the '60s. He was one of them so he knows whereof he speaks.

A powerful book by E.J.R. David titled "We Have Not Stopped Trembling Yet: Letters to My Filipino-Athabascan Family" is reviewed by Jen Soriano, writing it as a letter to her four-year-old son. The book is one of the very few that focuses on the life of an "Eskipino" (a mix of Eskimo and Filipino) family and the historical trauma and oppressive colonization that accompany a minority community in America. 

And speaking of colonization, here's a fitting Read Again from poet/author/academic Oscar Penaranda who writes about how he was reconciled with an authentic flag from the Philippine-American War, a long-lost flag that had his grandfather's name literally on it. Florentino Peñaranda, the grandfather, was one of the last combatants of the war for Philippine Independence to surrender to the Americans at the turn of the 20th century. 

Some stories you may have missed from other publications:

Filipino natives forced out of their ancestral lands by Chinese capital
https://www.efe.com/efe/english/destacada/filipino-natives-forced-out-of-their-ancestral-lands-by-chinese-capital/50000261-3984140?fbclid=IwAR0o_NRKD1RHynuH8SsMkAcVn5ij1FbVu6yCDVmlc2B5MsWVeLX7l3e8dkY

Duterte Opposes Gay Marriage in the Philippines, Reversing Campaign Pledge
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/20/world/asia/duterte-same-sex-marriage-philippines.html?fbclid=IwAR0OXHwoB7f19Cqk0MB5oRKjqW36yGCKlTZ8QiXsWSJRi3uWukGKRu3yBvA

The 19th Century African-American Soldier Who Fought For Filipino Liberation
https://www.zocalopublicsquare.org/2019/04/16/19th-century-african-american-solider-fought-filipino-liberation/ideas/essay/?fbclid=IwAR0o_NRKD1RHynuH8SsMkAcVn5ij1FbVu6yCDVmlc2B5MsWVeLX7l3e8dkY

Fil-Am screenwriter Michael Golamco on new Netflix film ‘Always Be My Maybe,’ and on seeing ourselves on screen
https://www.asianjournal.com/entertainment/showbiz/fil-am-screenwriter-michael-golamco-on-new-netflix-film-always-be-my-maybe-and-on-seeing-ourselves-on-screen/?fbclid=IwAR0om-j8qKYXO8QWgZVOKfUgfP-3XicSbaKrW2nb6co7H8cRVUMlnTiY8N0

A Letter to My Daughter: The Things in Life You Shouldn't Forget
https://www.esquiremag.ph/long-reads/notes-and-essays/a-letter-to-my-daughter-the-things-in-life-you-shouldn-t-forget-a1515-20170614-lfrm?fbclid=IwAR3EqLhL2RBeVpzpx7awljtUv3HEHhnUTELEZIeTiYXp3lZDPAuuv_VeteM

To prepare for Father's Day, here's a recipe you can make ahead from writer/author Cecilia Manguerra-Brainard, Leche Flan Vietnamese Style.

And for another touch of levity, a funny and clever Video of the Week from Canadian Filipino singer/comedian Mickey Bustos: If Freddie Mercury was Filipino...