Our stories for this second issue of Filipino American History Month (FAHM) 2024 reflect the many facets of being Fil-Am in this day and age. Our four million-strong community in the US has gone beyond its farmworker beginnings and expanded into a variety of professions, affiliations and locations.

But of course, no matter how far we've evolved, we begin a FAHM issue with our manongs, they who sowed this American earth so we can strive and thrive. PF contributor Alex S. Fabros, Jr., whose biography can fill several volumes, regales us with stories from his young life among the manongs of California's Salinas Valley. These are stories told orally, although Fabros, the historian, meticulously checked newspaper sources to confirm some of the incidents he writes about. "The Ilocano Gang of Salinas Valley" is a rare and valuable attestation to the hard but also fun-filled lives in California farms in the mid-20th century.

Fil-Ams have accomplished much in various fields previously unknown or unreachable to our manongs. Later this week, the Philippine Development Foundation (Phildev) will honor some to them, and we feature them here.

In this crazy election season, Fil-Ams are participating in record numbers. But one Filipino Republican pauses to reflect on his disappointments and dilemma.

Fil-Ams are now all over the US, not just on the West Coast, and so, some of them have not been spared nature's wrath. The poet Tony Robles who moved from California to North Carolina years ago writes about how the recent Typhoon Helene has devastated his home and family. Read his lyrical account here.

And finally, a young Fil-Am megawatt celebrity visited and performed in her grandparents' homeland and wowed the country with her generosity. Read the story in our In The Know section below of Olivia Rodrigo's love gift.

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We can't help but repost this heartwarming Facebook post of Kalookan Bishop Pablo Virgilio David when he first heard that Pope Francis announced him as the newest Cardinal-designate of the Philippines. Get to know Bishop Ambo as he is fondly called in our In The Know section below.

FROM A WHIRLWIND TO A SOFT BREEZE

I was enjoying a quiet Sunday morning at the Collegio Filippino after a heavy Synod schedule. I slept a bit longer because my Sunday Mass was not going to be until 4pm at the Chaplaincy for Filipino Migrants in Rome. For the first time in many days I had 8 full hours of sleep. After my late “Coffee with Jesus” my phone started ringing. I ignored it because I was also preparing my Sunday homily for my 4 pm Mass at the Sta Pudenziana Church. Besides, the call registered as an international call so I restrained myself from answering it because I’m using a Philippine SIM card and the call would have had to pass through the Philippines and would have been very expensive. Haha, now I realize it must have been someone from the Vatican trying to reach me to inform me about the announcement that was going to be made by the Pope at 12 noon after the Angelus.

Later at noon, the procurator at the Collegio sent me a congratulatory message on WhatsApp. I texted back and said, “For what?” He texted again and said, “Na-announce po na Cardinal kayo.” I texted back and said: “Joke?!” That’s when he called me up to say it could not be a joke because the Pope himself had announced it after the 12noon Angelus. And he sent me the video cut-out from the newsfeed of Vatican news. Then i began to receive a deluge of messages. It felt like being caught in a whirlwind. I put down the phone and did a five minute breathing exercise, which instantly calmed me down. Now it felt like Elijah standing by the mouth of a cave and feeling a soft breeze that penetrated my soul and prepared me for this new chapter of my life and ministry as a bishop, as a servant of God’s people. I said, “Ok, Lord. My life is in your hands.”