Tradition!

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Some folkways endure, even ones that may not be universally endearing. Cockfights is not to everyone’s taste, so being a breeder of gamebirds instead of betting on them is a better way of earning cash, as top breeder Hernani Jimenez or Nani proves (A Breeder, Not a Gambler Be, by Bella Bonner). 

Culinary folkways, however, are sure winners. The more obscure, the more tantalizing. Take linagpang or “grilled soup” as intriguing as fried ice cream. Francis Dave Lacson Selorio, a 2021 Doreen G. Fernandez Food Writing Awardee, savors memories of the soup’s grilled fish rendition (Linagpang: A Grilled Soup)

Perhaps one of the most treasured of Filipino manners is the warm solidarity Filipinos show to compatriots they bump into abroad. Ronald Salazar from New Zealand shares how Filipino crew members graced them with extra hospitality aboard the cruise ship Costa Smeralda (Cruising to Six Ports in Three Countries and Still Feeling Quite at Home).

Enjoy.

[Video of the Week] Reuniting With Mama — After 31 Years Apart

In The Know

Tandang Sora Women’s Museum
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZsyR5hmjnac

Queens doctor convicted in $24M medicare fraud scheme
https://asamnews.com/2025/02/16/queens-doctor-medicare-fraud/

Fil-Am deputy mayor resigns amid corruption charges against NYC mayor
https://usa.inquirer.net/166658/fil-am-deputy-mayor-resigns-amid-corruption-charges-against-nyc-mayor?

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Know Your Rights

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And so it begins.

If you or someone you know fear the big D (deportation), a sword that will sadly be brandished about in the next four years, immigration lawyer Lourdes Santos Tancinco lists down your rights and what you can do if/when ICE comes calling. We suggest you print it out and tack it by your door for easy access and reminder.

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But here's a happy immigration story from the most famous and most outspoken undocumented immigrant of recent years: Jose Antonio Vargas has gotten an O-1 visa and is now documented. What is an O-1 visa? The US State Department defines it as "The O-1 nonimmigrant visa is for the individual who possesses extraordinary ability in the sciences, arts, education, business, or athletics."  This option has been available for years but a 2024 Biden administration update last summer allowed Vargas, whose special circumstances previously disallowed him from applying, to finally get one. Watch our Video of the Week for Vargas' story. 

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We have another must-read story this week: "The Making of Edgar Matobato," the hair-raising, heart-stopping story of this killer-turned-whistleblower, formerly an important cog in ex-Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte's horrific killing squad. After a decade of hiding, Matobato has been able to leave the Philippines and is ready to testify against the former mayor/president. Veteran journalist and Columbia University School of Journalism professor Sheila Coronel takes a deep dive into Motabato's story, the issue of redemption, and the implications on the nation.

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On an entirely different note, diabetes has become the bane of Filipinos everywhere for various reasons. Here's how to manage it. 

Read Agains:

The First Quarter Storm Was No Dinner Party, Part 1 by Jose F. Lacaba

The First Quarter Storm Was No Dinner Party, Part 2 by Jose F. Lacaba

[Video of the Week] How I Got “Legal” After 31 Years as an Undocumented American

In The Know

Filipino community launches relief initiatives for LA fire victims
https://asamnews.com/2025/01/17/filipino-la-fire-victims-housing-immigration-financial-issues/ 

ICYDK: Andok's Recently Opened Its First International Store in Singapore
https://www.spot.ph/eatdrink/the-latest-eat-drink/110841/andoks-opens-first-international-store-in-singapore-a3412-20250114?

4 libraries for the people—and why we need more of them
https://plus.inquirer.net/supplement/4-libraries-for-the-people-and-why-we-need-more-of-them/? 

Wildfire survivors blocked from FEMA assistance due to fraud
https://asamnews.com/2025/01/16/wildfire-survivors-blocked-from-fema-assistance-due-to-fraud/ 

Maria Ressa says profit wins over safety as Meta ends fact-check program in US
https://www.rappler.com/technology/maria-ressa-profit-over-safety-meta-ends-fact-check-program-united-states/?

Cebu BPO executives arrested in US over alleged P2.5-B elderly authors fraud
https://www.rappler.com/philippines/cebu-bpo-executives-arrested-us-alleged-elderly-authors-fraud/?

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Staff

Things Are Fragile. Everyone's Looking for Answers.

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"Like millions of other undocumented Americans, I'm trying to figure out how I'm going to survive the next four years. Things are fragile. Everyone is looking for answers." 

Thus begins Jose Antonio Vargas, the Filipino American journalist (and Pulitzer Prize winner who must be the most famous undocumented of all) in his intro to his new YouTube show (youtube.com/DefineAmerican). We are running the first episode of this all-important conversation entitled "How to Survive the Next Four Years as an Undocumented American" as our Video of the Week. 

"The show will tell the truth about the immigrant experience in this country -- the full immigrant experience -- in a country where lies, misinformation and disinformation about 'illegal aliens' played a central role in bringing Donald Trump back to the White House," Vargas promises. It would be good to listen.

While most of us have our solid citizenship credentials, we are not exempt from the forthcoming firestorm. We are after all people of color with "strange" names and "strange" accents. Those who buy into the demonization of immigrants as "illegal aliens" will not ask for proof of legal residency or US citizenship before assaulting or insulting.

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It's December and Christmas and to Filipinos in San Francisco, that means the annual Parol Lantern Festival. MC Canlas who was responsible for introducing this beloved event in the area, shares some fun facts about how a Filipino tradition became a Fil-Am tradition. 

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And if you're looking for unique gifts for loved ones, PF regular contributor Claire Mercado- Osias lists some titles by authors of Filipino heritage that will surely titillate. 

For those eager to give a gift of cultural history, here's "Salumpuwit: Chairs in Filipino Life," an award-winning small book that focuses on butt-catchers.

More in Positively Filipino

Read Agains

The Happy Home Cook: Christmas Recipes
Elizabeth Ann Quirino 

Light of the Ancients
Myles A. Garcia

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