We win some, we lose some
/Five days ago, the US Secretary of the Navy Carlos del Toro announced that a still-to-be-built Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer, the type considered the backbone of the US Navy's surface fleet, will be named after Telesforo Trinidad, the Navy fireman 2nd class whose extraordinary heroism also made him the only Filipino in the US Navy awarded the Medal of Honor. In January 1915, Trinidad was aboard the USS San Diego when an explosion occurred and the ship quickly caught fire. Even as he was injured, Trinidad braved the flames to rescue two of his fellow crew members.
Why did it take more than a century to garner this honor for this Filipino serviceman? It was through the combined efforts of various individuals, and civilian and military groups in the US and the Philippines (among them the Bataan Legacy Historical Society which started the ball rolling in this campaign) that the Navy bigwigs took notice of this historical lapse. The number of Filipinos who have served in the US Navy for a century can fill up an entire US city, and this win is theirs as well. A good reminder that change can happen when there's unity.
The death of a beloved icon of Filipino movies, Susan Roces, this week brought a flurry of tributes from many who grew up idolizing her. But there was more to her than being "the face that refreshes." Following the questionable "defeat" (remember "Hello Garci?") of her husband, movie king Fernando Poe Jr. in the 2004 presidential elections and his subsequent sudden death, Susan Roces became a feisty, outspoken critic of then-President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. To pay tribute to the wholeness of her presence in Philippine cultural history, we are reprinting a story on her from Filipinas magazine.
Also featured in this issue: an expansion of a historical landmark in Quezon City, our continuing series on remarkable Fil-Ams, and profiles of a Filipino priest who worked among the Amazon tribes and a Fil-Am cultural historian in Seattle.
And if you haven't yet, do sign up for PF's next webinar on June 2. It will be an interesting discussion on an intrinsic Filipino trait that has been both boon and bane to our culture.
This Week’s Stories
Fil-Ams Among The Remarkable And Famous, Part 31 by Mona Lisa Yuchengco
Thorns And Roces by Gemma Nemenzo
MiraNila: Glimpses Into A Gracious Age by Glenna Aquino
A Pinoy Priest In The Jungle by Harvey I. Barkin
At A Museum Of Memories by Anthony Maddela
[Cook It Again] Classic Turon
[Video of the Week] The Manila Film Center Tragedy
In The Know
Hawaii lawmakers back effort to bring Filipino curriculum to public schools
https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/2022/05/06/hawaii-lawmakers-support-effort-bring-filipino-curriculum-public-schools/?fbclid=IwAR2er990XH3JjAU7TOHgYSRCavwqcpGLgJv2NatXNPn9vj4hiT7vmdscr1Y
The story of Jacksonville's Filipino community
https://www.thejaxsonmag.com/article/the-story-of-jacksonvilles-filipino-community/?fbclid=IwAR3czV9ThGlSYrEVbZRb6dicSF5xuHvudumPrGO1GgX9AJYePUWRYYrAuxM
From glamor and grace, to guts and glory
https://lifestyle.inquirer.net/37435/from-glamor-and-grace-to-guts-and-glory/?fbclid=IwAR2GZUEtEev56Ui3K87XfM-h6pfAa5r5sF0Wl2MLXg73a6AnMvGdKRq4VQs
Nellie and Paz: The Women Who Drove the Luna Brothers Mad
https://www.esquiremag.ph/long-reads/features/nellie-and-paz-the-tale-of-the-luna-women-a1729-20191119-lfrm2?utm_source=Facebook-Esquire&utm_medium=Ownshare&utm_campaign=20220515-fbnp-long-reads-nellie-and-paz-the-tale-of-the-luna-women-a1729-20191119-lfrm2-fbold&fbclid=IwAR2wXUAqmBBZGs9FkpYrnShjFQkIs5N4nSIFBVxKnDNMIDn2Ppgwaa2Xovk
‘Kaya natin:’ The philosophy behind Orlando’s newest Filipino restaurant
https://www.clickorlando.com/news/local/2022/05/09/kaya-natin-the-philosophy-behind-orlandos-newest-filipino-restaurant/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=snd&utm_content=wkmg6&fbclid=IwAR0lo9FFd7MXOteZWZ2qchKybWXVFv5eGbil6WUN3qG2Qpd-Ak3PzLDqwtQ
Liwayway Gawgaw: From Cornstarch Company to a Global Behemoth
https://www.esquiremag.ph/long-reads/features/history-of-liwayway-marketing-corporation-a00293-20200202-lfrm?utm_source=Facebook-Esquire&utm_medium=Ownshare&utm_campaign=20220508-fbnp-long-reads-history-of-liwayway-marketing-corporation-a00293-20200202-lfrm-fbold&fbclid=IwAR3ibV_BQaAWX_O2-XCFv5qvemD9b5e-BRXP6fiWkL4Lj6XDzlkq3ENa6yc
Former College Dropout, Now a Successful Lechon Belly Business Owner
https://www.businessnews.com.ph/former-college-dropout-now-a-successful-lechon-belly-business-owner-20211228/?fbclid=IwAR0i3E3-nLCNuozmGZCUMaoQ6odwmVIBBrmxQ10U_61eZY65ukvKq5SgpgQ
