January 22, 2025

Know Your Rights

January 22, 2025/ Staff

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.

*****

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.

*****

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.

*****

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/?

January 15, 2025

Good People

January 15, 2025/ Staff

It has only been 15 days since 2025 began and already our senses have been assaulted by the major disaster in the Greater Los Angeles and the impending doom of man-made disasters to come. Our ancestors believed that whatever happens at the onset of a new year portends what will happen in the year ahead. If we go by this superstition, we're in deep trouble.

But there's always a yang to a dark yin, the wellsprings of hope and optimism, the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel. When the going gets rough, good people always rise up to the moment of need and voluntarily do good deeds (as there are those who play the blame game -- however far-fetched their theories -- and do nothing). Canada, South Africa, Mexico and even Ukraine, among other states and countries, have deployed their firefighters to help quell the conflagrations. The LA fires have become sterling reminders of what global cooperation can do.

GoFundMe, the app for donating money, is busy receiving donations for families who've lost their homes. A word of caution though: GFM, however well-intentioned, also attract online scams, so be very wary. If you wish to donate to a family you know, it would be best to contact them first and get their actual GFM address.

As of yesterday, January 14, the Philippine Consulate has identified 150 Filipinos affected by the fire. We know this is a very conservative number and that's because the Consulate identifies Filipinos as only those holding Philippine passports. Those who have naturalized as US citizens no longer fall under the ambit of the Philippine government and are therefore not entitled to whatever assistance is available.

As Los Angeles continues to suffer hell on earth, we continue to storm the heavens for rain, respite and renewal.

Stories This Week

How Mindanao, Sulu, and Palawan Were Nearly Lost to the United States by Dr. Federico V. Magdalena

Abra On My Mind: Tracing My Family Roots by Rene Astudillo

First Filipino Fire Survivor Report Stresses Financial Needs by Yiming Fu

Ramon Santos’ Intriguing World of Non-Music by Manuel Hizon

[Video of the Week] Flora Arca Mata

In The Know

Take these 10 Precautions Before Trump Takes Office
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/take-10-precautions-before-trump-takes-office-glenn-d-magpantay-qymze/

Philippines alarmed after China sends ‘monster ship’ to disputed shoal
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/philippines-alarmed-china-sends-monster-ship-disputed-shoal-rcna187557?

New report sheds light on why young Asian Americans are 40% more likely to develop allergies
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/asian-america/asian-americans-pacific-islander-native-hawaiian-allergies-rcna186695?

Roughly 150 Filipinos displaced by LA fires
https://asamnews.com/2025/01/14/displaced-filipinos-la-wildfires/

Jollibee provides free meals to Los Angeles wildfire victims
https://asamnews.com/2025/01/14/pacific-palisades-eaton-relief-aid-natural-disasters/

Displaced Filipino Families Affected by the LA Fires with GoFundMe Links
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/17hqZniTXSkz2xCXg06dLL3bV7NCnp-JROBPESwnjsgw/edit?gxpyLncJALv8_aem_yEnfWfaPJ_C6Q8722P2Mnw&gid=0#gid=0

January 08, 2025

An Icon of Human Decency

January 08, 2025/ Staff

The President Jimmy Carter exhibit at the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site in Atlanta, GA.

Jimmy Carter, the 39th President of the United States, served from 1977-1981 -- an ancient time now for our young readers but halcyon days for those who lived through it. He may not have been the most effective president but he led at a time of decency, courtesy, honor and civil bipartisanship in US politics. Remember those days?

It was after his presidency, however, that the full measure of Jimmy Carter's greatness emerged. From the time he left office at 56 years old until his last breath at 100 years old, he was an indefatigable fighter for democracy, human rights, international peace and economic development. He wrote multiple books, helped build houses with Habitat for Humanity, lectured, met with world leaders and basically showed the world what a real decent human being can be -- one who puts the greater good over and above self-interests, without the need for the trappings of high office.

Let's extol President Carter today; we may not see the likes of him again in the coming years.

*****

Positively Filipino has been unstinting in its coverage of the exemplary work of Filipino American nurses through our articles and webinars. It's gratifying to find out that even outside the US, Filipino nurses are winning accolades and positions of responsibility, as reported by our contributing writer, Jerome Babate who heads the Filipino Nursing Diaspora Network (FiND), in "2024: A Landmark Year for Filipino Nurses Globally."

*****

Much have been written about the [long-delayed] Congressional Medals of Honor that the US Congress has [finally] bestowed on Filipino World War II veterans but there's still one crucial benefit that has eluded them: getting their families who were left in the Philippines to the US. Seattle-based veterans' advocate Conrado (Sluggo) Rigor, Jr. describes the heartbreaking fate of Filipino vets who came to the US in their twilight years in "Forgotten Freedom Fighters."

*****

On the lighter side, how would you like your portrait done by an artist whose works are conversation pieces? PF Correspondent Rey de la Cruz writes about the portrait painter, Kim Canonigo.

*****

For a story that will leave you breathless with shock, check out our first link (from the New York Times) in our In The Know section below.

Read Agains:

January Is Fiesta Time Staff

How Filipinos Got Their Surnames by Penelope Flores

[Video of the Week] The Last Traditional Sailboat in the Philippines