October 23, 2024

A Cardinal for These Times

October 23, 2024/ Staff

In a largely Catholic country like the Philippines, the papal designation of a new Filipino cardinal is cause for celebration. A total of ten Filipino bishops have been elevated to the cardinalship, the latest being Kalookan Bishop Pablo Virgilio David.

Apung Ambo (as he prefers to be addressed, instead of the traditional His Eminence), 65, is a standout among the nine other Filipino cardinals. Born in Betis, Pampanga, the 10th of 13 children, exposed to and appreciative of folk traditions, radicalized by martial law, honed by advanced theological studies in Belgium, tempered by his assignments to marginalized communities, the new Cardinal lives true to Pope Francis' call to "go to the periphery."

Even if the going means putting his life in danger, as Bishop Ambo soon found out when he was assigned to Kalookan, virtually ground zero for former President Rodrigo Duterte's war on drugs. For his active and vocal resistance to the extrajudicial killings, Bishop Ambo got a direct and top-level warning, "isang bala ka lang" (you're just one bullet's worth).

To know more about the very interesting Apung Ambo, PF contributor Paulynn Paredes Sicam spoke to the cardinal-designate's oldest brother, UP professor and Inquirer columnist Randy David, and their youngest sister, Marivic. Read her story here.

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Part of the fun of Fil-Am History Month involves unearthing little known Fil-Ams who are nonetheless notable in their fields. Here we feature the artist Wayne Lacson Forte, who bills himself a "religious painter" whose reconnection to his Filipino heritage was a long but fruitful struggle. PF contributing writer Virgilio Reyes Jr. sent in this feature on Forte.

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Last week we wrote about the Filipino food truck, Master BBQ AVL, in Asheville, North Carolina which was destroyed by Typhoon Helene. The owner/chef Paul Pike writes this week about how his small business came to be and why he is asking for help.

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Two permitted reposts from two very different publications: From KQED, a delightful story on "How a Buffalo Soldier Changed the Life of Latin Jazz Master John Calloway" by Andrew Gilbert.

From the PREDA newsletter, PREDA founder Fr. Shay Cullen presents a disturbing picture of child abuse in the Philippines and issues a call for justice for the victims.

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Our Video of the Week gives us a preview of the 3-part Emmy-nominated series by MG Montemayor, a broadcast journalist in Waco, Texas. The series honors the Filipino fighters of WWII.

In The Know

Biden Honors Fil-Am History Month
https://asamnews.com/2024/10/23/pinoys-filipino-americans-pride-culture-celebration/

America and the Philippines Should Call China’s Bluff
https://www.foreignaffairs.com/china/america-and-philippines-should-call-chinas-bluff?

Armed group abducts American in Zamboanga del Norte
https://www.rappler.com/philippines/mindanao/armed-group-abducts-american-elliot-eastman-zamboanga-del-norte-october-17-2024/

Dream to reality: Kapwa Kultural Center uplifts Filipino Americans
https://asamnews.com/2024/10/19/filipino-american-cultural-wellness-youth-center-opens-in-daly-city/

Pro-China propaganda pivots, targets civil society as tensions mount
https://www.rappler.com/newsbreak/investigative/pro-china-propaganda-pivots-targets-philippines-civil-society-tensions-mount/

No plastics: Recalling the early Filipino kitchen
https://verafiles.org/articles/no-plastics-recalling-the-early-filipino-kitchen

Nicole Scherzinger Gets 6-Minute Standing Ovation for Triumphant Performance at Opening of Broadway's Sunset Blvd.
https://people.com/nicole-scherzinger-broadway-sunset-blvd-standing-ovation-opening-8731178

July 31, 2024

Our Houses of Spirits

July 31, 2024/ Staff

Who among us can’t sing Bahay Kubo, an anthem of Filipino childhood written by National Artist Felipe Padilla de Leon celebrating the simple virtues of a humble nipa hut with a bountiful vegetable garden? Contributing writer Claire Mercado-Obias (A Tiny But Mighty Home) writes about the book Our Nipa Hut by Fil-Am librarian Rachelle Abalos, who shares her memory of growing up in the Philippines in a modest home that kept them safe through life’s challenges.

A sharp contrast to the nipa hut are the magnificent ancestral mansions of the rural gentry in Houses that Sugar Built: An Intimate Portrait of Philippine Ancestral Homes by Gina Consing McAdam and Siobhán Doran. Contributing writer Vic Salas (Up Close and Architectural: Houses that Sugar Built) reviews the book of stories and photographs that intimately explores the grand aspirations, both architectural and cosmopolitan, of the sugar barons that built them.

Of course, all homes simple or grand have to withstand nature’s mercurial temper, as shown by the most recent deluge that brought record floods to Metro Manila and other environs. Writer Rossana Lopez reminds us that devastating inundations also eat away at spiritual foundations: “Why do we put up with this?” asks Rossana, decrying the recurring disruptions to life and comfort that inclement weather brings (What the Rains Wash Away). She observes that the vaunted resilience of Filipinos can be self-defeating.

Can be self-defeating, it must be clarified, because resilience has indeed been a necessary part of many Filipinos’ life stories, such as the one contributing writer Virgilio A. Reyes, Jr. relates (War and Deliverance) of family members who had to rebuild their lives, and successfully so, from the ashes of the Second World War in the Philippines.

[Video of the Week] Olympic Pole Vaulter EJ Obiena

In the Know

Immigrant nurses “penalized” for quitting work reach settlement
https://asamnews.com/2024/07/26/stay-or-pay-traps-filipino-immigrant-nurses-says-lawsuit/

On remote island, Chinese patrols disrupt Filipino livelihoods – and gender roles
https://www.csmonitor.com/World/Asia-Pacific/2024/0723/south-china-sea-philippines-china-thitu-feminist-equality

Two members of a Washington family sentenced for selling fake Alaska Native art in Ketchikan
https://alaskapublic.org/2024/07/12/two-members-of-a-washington-family-sentenced-for-selling-fake-alaska-native-art-in-ketchikan/

Meet Fil-Am Olympic gold medalist in fencing Lee Kiefer
https://usa.inquirer.net/154198/meet-fil-am-olympic-gold-medalist-in-fencing-lee-kiefer?utm_source=usa_gallery_feat_story

Rugby Sevens bronze medalist Alena Olsen on her proud Filipino American heritage
https://www.instagram.com/megreyes_/reel/C-D1LOSypFi/

In SF Central SOMA, a beloved vehicle is driving the neighborhood’s Filipino revival
https://www.sfchronicle.com/sf/article/s-f-central-soma-filipino-19599903.php?

Anti-Asian Hate Watch

Here are With LGBTQ+ Hate Crimes Rising, How is California Responding?
https://ethnicmediaservices.org/stop-the-hate/with-lgbtq-hate-crimes-rising-how-is-california-responding/

Senate hopeful Adam Schiff reinforces support for AAPI communities in Oakland outreach
https://www.sfchronicle.com/politics/article/adam-schiff-oakland-aapi-19596772.php

Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff visits Wausau
https://www.wjfw.com/news/second-gentleman-doug-emhoff-visits-wausau/article_adb1a6e8-4c6f-11ef-b109-2332a6486180.html

Funding provided by the State of California.

June 14, 2023

Sesame Mucho

June 14, 2023/ Staff

In the early 1980s, Filipino children were introduced to two lovable muppets -- Pong Pagong and Kiko Matsing -- in the educational TV program, "Sesame." The two muppets were created by the Children's Television Workshop (CTW), producer of Sesame Street, in a partnership with the Philippine Sesame Street Project (PSSP). Under the partnership, CTW also trained key PSSP creative staff, including the puppeteers, in the Sesame Street model of educational TV -- curriculum-based segments, age-focused and fun.

"Sesame," the program, eventually became the famous "Batibot" and PSSP became the Philippine Children's Television Foundation (PCTVF), but the concept, format, and Pong Pagong and Kiko Matsing remained. The program aired five days a week for a remarkable 18 years, bringing forth an actual "Batibot generation" whose formative years were guided by the show, the same way generations of American children were reared on Sesame Street.

When the partnership between CTW and PCTVF expired in the 1990s, CTW claimed back Pong and Kiko, the muppets. Unfazed, PCTVF created locally made muppets for Batibot. Sesame Street's Filipino connection ended then.

Fast forward to 2023, and CTW, now known as the Sesame Workshop, recently introduced in Sesame Street, a Fil-Am muppet named TJ, mirroring a four-year old child living in Daly City. Conceptualized by Fil-Ams, TJ's creation followed the same rigorous attention to details that made Pong and Kiko so endearing to Filipino children. This week, we bring you the background story of TJ's creation, from PF Correspondent Anthony Maddela.

We are noting three significant events in this issue: Philippine Independence Day (June 12), Jose Rizal's birthday (June 19) and Father's Day (June 18). We hope you enjoy our lineup this week.