Our Compatriots in the Middle Kingdom

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Once upon a time, in the late 1960s and early '70s, friendship organizations in what was then known as Red China, actively invited Filipino students to visit their country. This was before diplomatic relations between the Philippines and China was established so the students had to leave Manila surreptitiously. When Ferdinand Marcos suspended the writ of habeas corpus in 1971 and came out with an arrest list of dissidents, some student leaders who were in China then were stranded. One of them was Jaime FlorCruz, then the editor of the student newspaper of PCC (now PUP); the two others were Chito Sta. Romana, the president of the De La Salle Student Council, and Eric Baculinao, UP Student Council president.

The three lived in exile in China for more than a decade, unable to return to their homeland because they faced arrest. Their exile years weren't wasted years though: they all learned to read, speak and write Mandarin like a native; produced books in Chinese; and gained very deep and valuable insight into Chinese culture and politics. All three became international journalists: FlorCruz with CNN, Sta. Romana with ABC and Baculinao with NBC. 

Their China expertise didn't go unnoticed by the Philippine government. Sta. Romana became the Philippine ambassador under Duterte, until his untimely passing in 2022. Now, under Marcos Jr., FlorCruz is the ambassador. But he remains a journalist at heart. In our lead story this week, Ambassador Jimi writes about some Filipinos who have found their niches and thrived in China, where almost 13,000 of our kababayans now live. 

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One man's dream of a retirement place surrounded by trees has evolved into a showcase of rare Philippine trees. Victor O. Ramos, former secretary of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, now spends his time in his arboretum in Pangasinan, where PF contributing writer Rene Navarro, an old college friend, visited and was amazed. Here's what he saw.

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Quilters are a rare breed and a mother-and-son quilting partnership is rarer still. But Mik Gaspay and his mother May are not just any other quilter. They are artists who see themselves as documentarians of memories. Read this enlightening feature on quilting and history by first-time PF contributing writer, Liana Garcellano.

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Want to join a Filipino Simbang Gabi online? Scroll down to our list below of In The Know links. Rappler is live streaming the daily dawn mass of the Archdiocesan Shrine of the Divine Mercy in Mandaluyong City. 

More This Week

Read Again:

The Birth of Simbang Gabi in San Francisco by Manzel Delacruz
My Tarlac Lights Up the World With Belenismo by Elizabeth Ann Quirino

[Video of The Week] This Short Film Will Make You Miss Your Lola

In The Know

LIVESTREAM: Simbang Gabi 2024
https://www.rappler.com/philippines/video-simbang-gabi-december-2024/

First Filipino winner of ‘The Voice’ stays humble under the spotlight
https://asamnews.com/2024/12/17/philippines-reality-tv-michael-buble-sofronio-vasquez/?jetpack_skip_subscription_popup

Family of gay son who died in SF demands feds investigate case as bias crime
https://www.ebar.com/story.php?ch=news&sc=news&id=336577

Journalist Atom Araullo wins game-changing civil suit vs red taggers
https://www.rappler.com/philippines/journalist-atom-araullo-wins-civil-suit-vs-red-tagging/? 

Sharing the mission of Good Shepherd
https://plus.inquirer.net/news/sharing-the-mission-of-good-shepherd/? 

The Untold Story of the Igorots' Revolt 
https://www.esquiremag.ph/long-reads/features/the-untold-story-of-the-igorots-revolt-

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Staff

This Month, We Remember

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When the First Quarter Storm erupted in the Philippines in January 1970, everyone who was living there knew that it would be an extraordinary, historic decade -- both in the good and bad sense. Unrest was widespread as manifested by increasingly large and frequent demonstrations against the government. Students, workers and peasants worked together to demand social justice and structural reforms. Many joined the revolutionary underground, providing a life force to the New People's Army. 

The buzzwords were plenty: Maoism, imperialism, bureaucrat capitalism, fascism, "Makibaka Huwag Matakot," "Marcos Papet Diktador Tuta" were the more popular ones. There were attempts at arms smuggling and bombings which culminated in history-changing events: the Plaza Miranda bombing of the Liberal Party miting de avance in 1971, the subsequent suspension of the writ of habeas corpus (a new term and concept we had to learn), and the declaration of martial law the year after.

Fifty years later, which is this month, martial law continues to inflame emotions and incite debates. Each Filipino remembers it in one's own way, each memory valid if recalled honestly. For the privileged who benefited from it, those were good times; for the victims of its atrocities, their stories must be retold as history lessons. For most of the population, it was a slow burn towards anger; after all, despite the dictatorial decrees and military heavy-handedness, it was still possible to live a simple, under-the-radar existence. Until it wasn't.

It took 14 years before "tama na, sobra na" was on most people's lips, but that's another story.

This month we remember. And do our part in making sure that no one will forget. 

Aside from our collection of stories, Positively Filipino is also sponsoring the two-week FREE showing of the acclaimed movie by Ramona Diaz, "Imelda." Watch it here: http://www.positivelyfilipino.com/magazine/ramona-diazs-imelda-2003

We also invite San Francisco Bay Area folks to watch a new and important documentary film, "11,103" on Saturday, September 17. See details below.

FREE! To RSVP please visit: https://bit.ly/11103BayAreaPremiere

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Staff

Voyagers

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As the calendar moves swiftly towards Holy Week, we thought it a good time to step back and revive some stories we had published that you may have missed or may want to read again. This week we focus on four Filipinos of various generations who left the Motherland and staked their future in another country. Brave adventurous folks all, and their personal narratives serve as both inspiration and cautionary tales.

In mid-20th century, a Filipina from Bulacan named Enya Gonzalez made it big in New York City as an opera singer and became the first Filipina to be on the cover of Newsweek. First-time contributor Gaby C. Gloria profiled this plucky Filipina who broke through barriers in "The Bold Soprano."

In 1971, student leader Jaime FlorCruz travelled to China along with other student leaders and activists from various schools. Little did he know that he (and a few others including the current Philippine ambassador to China, Chito Sta. Romana) would be living there for 40 years, and he would become the CNN bureau chief in China. FlorCruz, who had officially retired as an international journalist, wrote about his life as an exile in "40 Years In China: From Stranded Activist to International Journalist."

Regular PF contributor Agatha Verdadero, who runs a publishing house in Africa, told us the story of how she and her team established lasting friendships with Somalians -- not an easy feat -- in "Friendship Worth One's Life."

Her story is common among overseas Filipino workers (OFW) but is nonetheless remarkable. Edita Balane, working as a nanny in Dubai, tells Ana P. Santos of her dreams in "Everyone's Children But Her Own."

Meanwhile, we compiled an interesting bunch of stories from various publications this week for our In The Know section:

When a President says “I'll Kill You.”
https://www.nytimes.com/video/world/asia/100000004819836/duterte-philippines-when-a-president-says-ill-kill-you.html?emc=edit_ta_20170326&nl=top-stories&nlid=63804747&ref=cta

Jason Day withdraws from WGC-Match Play to be with mother as she battles lung cancer
http://sports.yahoo.com/news/day-withdraws-from-wgc-match-play-to-be-with-mother-as-she-battles-lung-cancer-212239016.html?hl=1&noRedirect=1

Security guard is still on duty hours before he graduates, cum laude, at Saint Theresa’s College in Cebu
http://cebudailynews.inquirer.net/127331/security-guard-still-duty-hours-graduates-cum-laude-saint-saint-theresas-college-cebu#ixzz4cjl6qJd4 

Philippine Peso Is worst Asian currency in 2017
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/videos/2017-03-24/philippine-peso-is-worst-asian-currency-in-2017-video

And we continue our series of meatless recipes for Lent for the Happy Home Cook. This week, PF Correspondent and foodie Elizabeth Ann Quirino shares her recipe for Shrimps and Leeks Omelet.

For our Video of the Week, after being bashed by Filipino netizens for calling suman “boring food,” TastesLikeChicken's William revisits the Filipino sticky rice snack with suggestions on how to eat it.

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Gemma Nemenzo

Editor, Positively Filipino