It's always a pleasure to celebrate with the rest of the world Women's History Month because we take pride in Filipino women everywhere who are coming into their fullness as achievers, leaders, advocates, activists, mentors, and role models in their chosen fields.

This week, to start off this year's month-long celebration, we spotlight two women, one a long-time literary giant and the other, the first Filipina to compete in the toughest horse race on earth.

Author/publisher Cecilia Brainard regards Linda Ty-Casper as one of the greatest Filipino novelists. Her critically acclaimed 1974 novel, Three-Cornered Sun has been given new life by a woman-owned publishing house called Exploding Galaxies, whose avowed mission is, according to Brainard, "to rediscover lost Filipino classics."

Solana Lim Perez is a young Filipina horsewoman who dared compete with veterans in the ten-day extreme endurance race in the grueling Mongolian Steppes. Though she didn't win, she completed the 1,000-kilometer Mongol Derby, a singular achievement in itself. Read all about this brutal contest from contributing writer Mikeli Mapua.

Filipino and Fil-Am thespians are having their time in Broadway as ANC reporter Don Tagala reports.

Here's a book that's one-of-a-kind: San Francisco Bay Area-based author and artist Michael Magnaye's La Vie en Pose, a collection of hilarious and satirical photos of the author in cross-dressing poses. You have to see it for yourself to appreciate the daring, the imagination and the acts of subversion. Guaranteed to be a hit on your coffee table because you ain't seen anything like it.

[Partner] Discount Tix To Larry The Musical, Meet Our Larrys, And More!

[Video Of The Week] The Domestic Slaves Rescued From London’s Richest Streets

Anti-Asian Hate Watch

Anti-Asian Hate Incidents
https://laist.com/brief/news/anti-asian-hate-aapi-resource-hub

UCLA, AAPI Data Report Urges Culturally Informed Mental Health Care for Asian American, NHPI Communities
https://bnnbreaking.com/breaking-news/health/ucla-aapi-data-report-urges-culturally-informed-mental-health-care-for-asian-american-nhpi-communities

Anti-Asian Bias Sometimes Is Disguised in ‘Microaggressions’
https://sampan.org/2024/frontpage/anti-asian-bias-sometimes-is-disguised-in-microaggressions/

Fight Anti-Asian Racism with Data and Community Help
https://asianresourcehub.org/

WA lawmakers pass bill to create hotline for hate crimes and bias incidents
https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/politics/wa-to-establish-hotline-for-hate-crimes-and-bias-incidents/

Hate crime charges added for home-invasion suspects accused of targeting Asian people
https://midmichigannow.com/news/nation-world/-hate-crime-asian-families-home-invasion-robbery-break-in-crime-crisis-seattle-washington-king-county-renton-son-english-cash-jewelry-arrest-charges-jail-bail-charged-june-assault-suspects-criminal-violence

Funding provided by the State of California.

In The Know

Andi Eigenmann reveals cause of Jaclyn Jose's death
https://mb.com.ph/2024/3/4/andi-eigenmann-reveals-cause-of-her-mother-s-death#google_vignette

This Filipino E-Learning Platform Has Created A Library of Free Online Courses That Everyone Can Contribute To
https://www.tatlerasia.com/gen-t/innovation/ask-lex-ph-library-free-online-courses?utm_source=tatlerasia.com&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=PH_DIG_FORDIPLOMACYANDFRIENDSHIP_FULL20240301

In Pictures: 15 Manila Spots That Signal Beginnings of a Larger Walkable Heritage Zone
https://www.spot.ph/newsfeatures/culture/108008/manila-best-history-and-heritage-spots-a6883-20240210-lfrm?utm_source=Facebook-Spot&utm_medium=Ownshare&utm_campaign=20240301-fbnp-newsfeatures-manila-best-history-and-heritage-spots-a6883-20240210-lfrm-fbold&fbclid=IwAR00ngha9N2gi78GZO_tHj5DmmishGMFKtWxcsJMYlJuhBXxA2zt4PmAV7Y

Spot Stays: This Palawan Resort's Water Villas Are Worth the Splurge
https://www.spot.ph/things-to-do/the-latest-things-to-do/107767/palawan-resort-setir-new-salepan-villas-a5138-20240117?utm_source=Facebook-Spot&utm_medium=Ownshare&utm_campaign=20240303-fbnp-things-to-do-palawan-resort-setir-new-salepan-villas-a5138-20240117-fbold&fbclid=IwAR1QFhEKpoCoCpXj9hAv0yy0g-moP2f3BMBnQ7A5pAHI-V-dfoDRChLhfJE

Navy sailor’s filmmaking son brings Filipino enlisted stories to the small screen
https://www.stripes.com/branches/navy/2024-02-23/master-chief-filipino-navy-film-13091538.html?utm_campaign=dfn-ebb&utm_medium=email&utm_source=sailthru&SToverlay=2002c2d9-c344-4bbb-8610-e5794efcfa7d&fbclid=IwAR3DvC51WEVVDT8DworW4827eYrLeng5PkmhrHoa1IL2iS2TalKU4ZZfxfA

We live in unsettled and unsettling times. In both the Philippines and the US, we can almost feel the ground shifting at our feet as we deal with the pandemic and await the coming of the political maelstrom.

For those who lived in the Philippines and were attuned to the national mood in 1972, there is a feeling of deja vu, because around this time 48 years ago, the ground beneath our feet was likewise unsteady. A week later, martial law was declared and the country's historical arc bent towards authoritarianism.

Lest we forget those years under the Marcos regime (14 more years of it, from 1972) and to add to the collection of narratives of that era, here are our stories:

Ex-political detainee Ernesto M. Hilario writes of his prison experience in "Never Again to Martial Law"

In my column, I recall my personal stories of visiting prison in "Visiting YRC"

Read Again:
Martial Law Stories: House Arrest

Martial Law Stories: The “Torture” of Playing for Miss Universe 1974

For those who missed PF's webinar on the Anti-Terror Law, here's the recording:

[Webinar] The Anti-Terrorism Law And How It Will Affect You