Better Late than Never

The US Department of Labor finally came around to honoring three Filipino American labor leaders in its Hall of Honor at the Francis Perkins Building in Washington, D.C. The three -- Larry Itliong, Philip Vera Cruz and Peter Velasco -- were leaders of the 1965 Delano Grape Strike in California, a five-year struggle that led to higher wages, better working conditions and a union health plan for farmworkers. Definitely a case of better-late-than-never, the November 20, 2024 event drew a crowd of 300 including PF contributing writer Titchie Carandang, who writes about this historic gathering.

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The rise in hate incidents all over the country, but with few convictions, begs the question -- when does, say, a random public assault against another person rise to the level of a hate crime? It's complicated, apparently, because there are prerequisites involved. Since hate crimes -- of the racial, gender, sexual orientation and disability varieties -- are here to stay, it's important to understand the legalities. Prominent San Francisco lawyer Lourdes Tancinco explains.                                                  

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Liquid inihaw? Is it even a thing? For those who are not (yet) as entrenched in Filipino cooking, here's one illuminating instructional for you from innkeeper/heritage advocate/culinary history geek An Mercado Alcantara. An's essay won first prize in the 2023 Doreen Gamboa Fernandez Food Writing competition.                                                

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If you're seeking to invest in real estate in the Philippines, you're strongly advised to look beyond Manila towards certain provinces that will give you more bang for your buck. Realtor Vlad Capistrano gives a bird's eye view of lucrative regional markets.

Read Agains:

Lulu’s Fifty-Peso Christmas Gift
Elizabeth Ann Quirino 

Delicious Dishes for Your Christmas Table
Staff

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In The Know

Bishop Ambo David takes oath as 10th Filipino cardinal
https://www.rappler.com/philippines/bishop-pablo-virgilio-ambo-david-takes-oath-10th-filipino-cardinal/

Who is Sofronio Vasquez, the first Asian winner of ‘The Voice USA?’
https://www.rappler.com/entertainment/music/things-to-know-sofronio-vasquez-the-voice-usa-winner/

Aglipayan Church, known for activism, hails Cardinal Ambo David
https://www.rappler.com/philippines/aglipayan-church-congratulations-cardinal-pablo-virgilio-david/

Wrong Guillermo: Cebu town mixed up patron saint for centuries
https://www.rappler.com/philippines/visayas/wrong-guillermo-cebu-dalaguete-town-mixed-up-patron-saint-centuries/

Jose Rizal's 'Josephine Sleeping' sculpture sells for a record P31.2 million
https://philstarlife.com/news-and-views/283484-jose-rizal-s-josephine-sleeping-sculpture-p31-2-million?L8Iykw5lgVYoyIckOdOvKlBw_aem_Mqa8HG68Uc0qSbFJbDaShg

‘Bona’: A Filipina Superstar Wreaks Vengeance in a Two-Fisted Melodrama
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/05/movies/bona-lino-brocka-metrograph.html? 

Man accused of duping Filipino churchgoers into investing in video Covid-test tech to plead guilty 
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/asian-america/man-plead-guilty-filipinos-video-covid-19-wire-fraud-rcna183428 

Kidnapped American YouTuber likely dead in Philippines
https://asamnews.com/2024/12/11/mindanao-zamboanga-del-norte-vlogger-southern/

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Take a Stand Against Racism

The civil unrest that is now engulfing our adopted country behooves all of us who are part of this American tapestry to examine our consciences and take a stand. That this is happening now within the context of a global pandemic that has already claimed, at this moment of writing, 107, 468 American lives, including a large number of people of color like us, is a tragedy. Yet it is also an opportunity.

We, the Positively Filipino staff, solidly stand beside our African American brothers and sisters in condemning the lynchings that they continue to bear, and the racism and social injustice in various manifestations that they -- and we -- have to live with daily. 

We condemn as strongly the hate crimes against Asians, including Filipino Americans, that have risen to an alarming level amidst this pandemic. 

We denounce the insidious attempts of hate groups and criminals who are inciting and/or converting rightful protests into mass violence and looting to pursue their own nefarious agendas. 

We are deeply saddened by the absence of a credible and effective moral leadership in this time of crisis. 

We recognize that the struggle against racism will continue to be the biggest challenge of our lifetime. We've learned how it was in the past, when our manongs had to endure and fight against the lynchings and outright discrimination directed at them; we are witnessing it starkly today as we watched George Floyd getting murdered, a white woman falsely accusing a black man of assault, and people hurling racist diatribes to  random Asian Americans, blaming them for the coronavirus.  Yes, there is still so much more work to be done.  

But as we struggle to survive in the midst of a relentless virus, we also have a rare opportunity to look inside ourselves and accept some fundamental truths about the rightful place we occupy as immigrants and residents/citizens of this country: first, whether we like it or not, we belong to the category of people of color; second, whether we like it or not, racism is an issue we -- as well as our children and grandchildren -- will have to contend with and fight against; and third, before we can effectively oppose racism, we have to purge it out of ourselves first. 

So let's not waste the opportunity -- as our cities burn, as we shelter-in-place -- to have conversations with our families, our neighbors, our friends, everyone we encounter every chance we get, about what it really means to claim our place in this American sun. Let us listen to our American children who, because of actual experience or a broader world view, may have a better understanding of the roots of this unrest and the need to stand in solidarity with those who are working their way towards creating a more just and equitable country. 

More importantly, as we understand more, we should do more.  As events of the past few days have shown, we no longer have the luxury of apathy. Or inaction. We have to have our voices  heard through our stories, our advocacies, our participation and support of peaceful mass actions, and more importantly, through the ballot box.  

We're all in this together, not just in stopping the spread of Covid-19 but also in ridding this society of the cancer of racism.

Our stories this week:

"Why We Must Have Uncomfortable Conversations" by Constante Quirino

"Love (and Life) in the Time of Coronavirus, Part 4" by Mona Lisa Yuchengco

"Coronavirus Hits Home" by Anthony Maddela

"Exploring Your Final Options" by Myles A. Garcia

"Fil-Ams Among the Remarkable and Famous, Part 4" by Mona Lisa Yuchengco

And we certainly can use a cocktail this week so here's Elizabeth Ann Quirino's recipe for a Mango Tango Cocktail for the Happy Home Cook.

Our links to stories you'll want to read:

U.S. Asians, harassed over coronavirus, push back on streets, social media
https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/u-asians-harassed-over-coronavirus-111755020.html

The secret to Filipino resilience
https://www.ucanews.com/news/the-secret-to-filipino-resilience/88152

‘Out-of-the box’ tracing helps Baguio contain COVID-19 spread
https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1282085/out-of-the-box-tracing-helps-baguio-contain-virus-spread?fbclid=IwAR2x21SIpkU7C04m4S_QVzDde5mjWzrfLXagUOEao35rK3nGsEK8PEg-WEk

In Philippine slums, heat, hunger take a toll under lockdown
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-philippines-slums-idUSKBN231150?fbclid=IwAR2lISOwRLPWF7G30LxDlagOn9rxpFAnEVa6YyeW3GrYGa0Y14RuZrCl_Vo

Quarantine bottlenecks add to woes of returning Filipinos
https://apnews.com/e29d2830a0f15d531894db7b700db7ff?fbclid=IwAR0sUivSBGTko0XJbzGheV1IUVist_qgo5iqTDre3lYuw-bdM0bU6ELIQSA

The Most Influential and Enduring Families of the Philippines
https://www.esquiremag.ph/the-good-life/mavericks/who-are-the-most-generous-enduring-families-of-the-philippines-a1590-20161104-lfrm2?utm_source=Facebook-EsquireMoney&utm_medium=Siteshare&utm_campaign=20200520-influential&fbclid=IwAR2dBYxnMrv0ufL1EW5OBt7-8LcD5aWs4Nv7BCQbKU14mONj141BXzrMJNM

Study: Philippines a global hot spot for online child abuse
https://apnews.com/302c0e1f30e3fd3df431fa832e2aad55?fbclid=IwAR0emonCmMfDQQIGYN6bWPoMCGnTt4m4uG1PwWdQEzGyKDS2gOyDu7IlXdU

 For our Video of the Week, a superb and timely performance by Nora Aunor in an 11-minute video clip: PansamanTanghalan: Layeta Bucoy’s Lola Doc

Lockdown and Nostalgia

If you google "lockdown and nostalgia," you'll see all the articles about how nostalgia -- the longing for what seems now as "better times" -- is a common offshoot of the anxieties brought about by the pandemic. The nostalgia can take various forms -- from bingeing on favorite music, old movies and comfort food, to reaching out to relatives and friends previously neglected. To the history inclined, it may mean researching past events or finally starting that genealogical tree for one's clan.

While his scholarly research on his ancestors' Teduray roots is definitely not pandemic-induced -- the breadth and depth of his research shows labor that spans decades -- social scientist and academic Eduardo C. Tadem's "The Saga of the Tamontaka Teduray Sisters" is a fascinating window into a lesser known Mindanao indigenous tribe that has spawned some big names in the Mindanao political landscape. 

Meanwhile, Japan-based Chinese-Filipino author and academic Caroline S. Hau tries her hand at fiction and the result is Tiempo Muerto, a novel about class divide and exile. Political scientist Patricio N. Abinales reviews in "Death and Loathing in Sugarlandia."

Our publisher Mona Lisa Yuchengco continues her series on outstanding Filipino Americans in part 2 of "Fil-Ams Among the Remarkable and Famous."

As our personal news feed is marked by the constant drip of reports on the deaths of people we know, let's stop and pay tribute to one of the biggest names in Philippine cinema, movie director Peque Gallaga, who passed away a few weeks ago of non-covid causes. Marra PL. Lanot writes "Three Days in My Life with Peque."

Check out our two Partner posts this week: 

A call to fight back against the growing trend of hate crimes against Asian Americans https://www.positivelyfilipino.com/magazine/partner-enough-is-enough

The online showing of a powerful play on the early Fil-Am farmworkers, our beloved manongs https://www.positivelyfilipino.com/magazine/partner-magno-rubio-now-online

On the occasion of her 67th birthday, Read Again "The Timeless Nora Aunor" by film critic Mauro Feria Tumbocon, Jr.  and watch this tribute video in Video of the Week.

For the Happy Home Cook, here's a recipe with a whimsical name: French Kiss from the prison kitchen of then-detained soldiers Elmer D. Cruz and Emerson R. Rosales. 

Here are links to stories from other publications:

These Filipino scientists left their career abroad to help PH combat COVID-19
https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/05/13/20/these-filipino-scientists-left-their-career-abroad-to-help-ph-combat-covid-19?fbclid=IwAR34-L44addHOuzbSw3NT6rOtRMI_9XfXfCipv8rD5myEc3jLhvNLJc01Sg

Combatting Covid-19 the Iloilo City Way
https://tribune.net.ph/index.php/2020/05/17/combatting-covid-19-the-iloilo-city-way/?fbclid=IwAR32ycnpiBvhfCUBk_ZQtVSaIGlHpnWSnQFuwBimaXEz5haOVluzh49vOdE

A New Portrait of Lapulapu
https://www.nqc.gov.ph/en_US/resources/a-new-portrait-of-lapulapu/?fbclid=IwAR1PKXQ25XESBgB0NIcfpWwUqV8wdxssFt1O5pCAnf9BN4bbAb_lU2CZGt8

Kapampangan ‘survival’ dishes
https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1272424/kapampangan-survival-dishes?fbclid=IwAR3Xy1osI5rqXgCy_FykIzqO3dqEGEDiYdSR2_KXI5BhBs36IxHxv4VPrCk

Column: Filipino nurses battled discrimination to work in American hospitals. Now they fight for PPE
https://news.yahoo.com/column-filipino-nurses-battled-discrimination-130014792.html