Issue 40, June 2021
Kene Brian Lazo ‘Walis tambo’ rioter is arrested
Fourteeno Photography
Frontline nurses
Open Upper East Side restaurant
Casey Giles
Teen author publishes 2 fiction books
Letter from the Editor
A personality cult is not a political party
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here was a time the Grand Old Party stood for something. Its first president was Abraham Lincoln who famously abolished slavery in America. Its principles were rooted in classical conservatism, espousing free trade and limiting social welfare. Over the years, the Republican Party veered Right, developed a more defined ideology defending gun rights, opposing abortion, curtailing immigration, and providing tax breaks to the elite. It used to be the party was respectful of science. Today, the same party has raced to the extreme Right. It is currently led by xenophobes who worship at the foot of Donald Trump and embrace the canard that the 2020 elections won by Joe Biden was marred by massive fraud. The party’s prominent leaders include personalities involved in sex trafficking, corruption, treasonous collaboration with the Russians, and conspiracy theorists who reject science especially in their Donald Trump and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy. attitudes toward the coronavirus and climate change. The Trump-led faction of the GOP is behind the January 6 insurrection that has caused ||Eisenhower colossal damage to American democracy. There was a time when the GOP When one looks at the lineup of potential GOP represented the best of conservative values in leaders today, they are increasingly looking like middle America. a roster of Mafia mugshots. The GOP is now a Let’s go back to Dwight ‘Ike’ Eisenhower, house divided with no clear ideology to sustain it. the general who defeated the Nazis in Europe They had no platform in the 2020 elections. The and the first Republican in his time to win pro-Trumps believe only he can win back the the presidency after 20 years of Democratic White House and Congress in 2024; the antirule. He is the president credited with Trumps see him as a disgrace who “betrayed” creating the Interstate highway system, the office of the president and his oath. winding down the Korean war, and running
Contributing Writers Tricia J. Capistrano Ludy AstraquilloOngkeko Joel David Mariel Padilla Wendell Gaa Maricar CP Lindy Rosales Hampton Danielle Vania Angelito Cabigao Bonus
Founding Editor Cristina DC Pastor Address P.O. Box 8071 New York, NY 10116
a government where corporate tax rates topped 50 percent. Today, those rates are down to 21 percent. As an aside, he served in Manila as an aide to Douglas MacArthur before the war. Ike is deemed a moderate, a dirty word in the GOP. If he were around today, he would probably be booted out like Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney who has a fondness for the truth and does not mind saying it like it is. For defending the legitimacy of the 2020 elections, she was ousted as the thirdranking House Republican and replaced by a Donald loyalist, someone who has called the former president "a critical part of our Republican team.” What does it say about a party when its so-called leaders cower before Trump and, like the Nazis in Germany in the 1930s, lie 24/7, commit atrocities and crimes against humanity by separating children from their parents? The elements of the GOP who would not stand for this should indeed break away and form their own party. For conservatism to survive as a governing ideology, they need to assert the original vision of the Republican Party as a counterbalance to the liberal outlook of the Democrats. You could debate with the GOP then over policy. These days, they behave like fanatics who consider opposing views like it was an attack on their faith. A personality cult is not a political party.
Contact Thefilamny@gmail.com
The FilAm is a publication of A&V Editorial THE FILAM |
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Gina Ortiz Jones awaits confirmation as under secretary of the Air Force The Biden administration has nominated Gina Ortiz Jones to serve as under secretary of the Air Force, the White House announced on April 27. If she is confirmed in the U.S. Senate, Jones becomes the first out lesbian to hold the position and the highest ranking Filipino American in the Biden government.
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Ortiz Jones -- was raised in San er nomination was received April Antonio, Texas by a single mother. 28 in the Senate and has been referred to the Committee on Armed Mom Victorina Ortiz graduated from the University of the Philippines in Services. The announcement says Jones has Diliman and migrated to the U.S. in spent her career working to protect U.S. economic the late 1970s initially finding a job as a domestic worker. She became a and national security. “Commissioned through the Air Force ROTC program at Boston University, Ms. Jones served as an Air Force intelligence officer and deployed to Iraq with the 18th Air Support Operations Group supporting close air support operations. A member of the LGBTQ community, Ms. Jones served under ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.’ Upon separation from the Air Force, Ms. Jones advised on military operations in Central and South America with the 470th Military Intelligence Brigade and U.S. Army South. She joined the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) as an inaugural member of U.S. Africa Command in Stuttgart, Germany and served in the Libya Crisis Intelligence Cell. “Following an assignment as the Special Advisor to the DIA Deputy Director, Ms. Jones was detailed to the Interagency Trade Enforcement Center to serve as the Intelligence Community’s Senior Advisor for trade enforcement. She joined the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative as a Director for Investment leading the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) portfolio. Ms. Jones served as the Democratic nominee for Texas’s 23rd Congressional District in 2018 and 2020. She has advanced degrees from Boston University, the University of Kansas, and the U.S. Army School of Advanced Military Studies.” Born in Arlington, Virginia, Jones Phone banking with her dog Harley during the 2020 campaign for – whose full name is Gina Maria Texas’s 23rd district. Facebook photo
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With mother Victorina Ortiz from Pangasinan. teacher in the Harlandale school district and works with children with special needs. Jones has a younger sister, Christi, who works in the U.S. Navy. “I’m very proud of my Filipino background,” Jones told The FilAm in a 2018 interview. “My mother is from Pangasinan. She is Ilocano, I am Ilocano.” She told the Advocate the value of hard work was “instilled by her mother’s example in pursuing the American dream,” such that “if she was willing to work hard, the sky’s the limit.”
3 nurses open the 1st Filipino restaurant on the Upper East Side Three night-shift Filipino nurses (from 7 p.m. to 7:30 a.m.) working at Mount Sinai Hospital often wished how they would love to eat home-cooked meals after a hard day’s night. What started as “joke only” started to become a “why not”?
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nd thus, was born Bilao, the first Filipino restaurant on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. It was founded by three friends, Jude Canela, Maricris Dinopol, and Joan Calanog who put their minds and hard-earned funds together to fulfill what they and other nurses would want for breakfast -- Tapsilog, Tocilog, Longsilog, Dasilog, Tinapalog or Cornsilog. These are traditional breakfast staples of garlic fried rice and egg with Tapa, Tocino, Longanisa, Daing, Tinapa or Corn Beef. As Jude said, “Going to Queens for Filipino restaurants is out of the question, too far. Cooking in our apartment is too hard, since we are all tired. So, we planned a restaurant that is open to accommodate the night shifts, at 8 a.m.” Jude took care of marketing. Joan was responsible for Finance, and Maricris for Operations since she is also an entrepreneur. She owns a dry-cleaning business on the Upper East Side. When she learned that the French bakery beside her corner dry cleaner was closing shop, she thought it was perfect for their eatery. The location on First Avenue between 74th and 75th streets is walking distance from several hospitals, such as Lenox Hill, Sloan Kettering, Cornell Metropolitan, Hospital for Special Surgery, and of course, Mount Sinai. The key to a successful restaurant is the chef. Maricris recruited the Filipino chef Bojie Asuncion whom she knew from previous work. The three partners decided theirs would be a
COVID frontliners Jude Canela, RN; Maricris Dinopol, RN; and Joan Calanog, RN: Full-time nurses, full-time entrepreneurs full-service restaurant rather than one that simply offers ‘silog’ breakfast morning, noon and night. They asked Chef Bojie to cook the normal dishes that Filipinos eat back in the Philippines. They tasted Longsilog, a Filipino favorite for breakfast. Photo: Krys Gatmaitan every dish he cooked before deciding which would go on ing name. Their second choice was the menu. Bilao, hard to pronounce for Americans ||The name but nobody else had that name. Filipino Having the set menu, they initially clients know it means the handcrafted chose Kusina as the name but so many basket where rice is winnowed. other restaurants have the same soundTheir initial plan to open in March
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2020 was thwarted by the pandemic. No matter. Financing came from their own pocket, so no interest payments to the bank and no big payroll. When Governor Andrew Cuomo declared that restaurants could partially open in August last year, Bilao quietly opened, setting up tables by the curbside. Initially, there were complaints about service taking too long. “We are not a fast-food eatery. We want each dish cooked to order, not heated by microwave,” Jude insisted. Slowly, their clientele grew. Not only Filipinos but surprisingly non-Filipinos began to patronize as well. For most nights, majority of the diners are non-Filipinos! Some of them have Filipino friends or have visited the Philippines. They order Dinuguan (Pork cubes cooked in pork blood and vinegar) or Sisig (Pork ears, jowls, liver topped with chitcharon), special dishes served only in Filipino households. Within three months, Bilao was breaking even. News articles have appeared in Gothamist, Eater, Seamless, and other popular foodie sites. Then, someone came several times to eat and later asked to interview Jude, who met with him without knowing who he was. A big surprise came on November 25, 2020 when the Food Section of The New York Times featured a glowing review by Pete Wells. The paper devoted a whole page to Bilao, noting that, “Each time I have gone to Bilao, there have been people in scrubs...” This would be followed by an appearance in the TODAY Show of NBC by Jude, Maricris, and Joan. The three nurses’ dream of opening an authentic Filipino restaurant has made it in New York City. Bilao is located on 1437 First Avenue Between 74/75 streets. 212-650-0010.
‘Walis tambo’ Capitol rioter Kene Brian Lazo is arrested The ‘walis tambo’ brandishing rioter who was at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C, on Jan. 6, 2021 has been identified as Kene Brian Lazo, a Filipino from Norfolk, Virginia, the FBI announced on May 26.
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azo is facing four federal crimes: “Knowingly entering or remaining in a restricted building or grounds without lawful authority; disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds without lawful authority; disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds or in a Capitol building; and parading, demonstrating or picketing in a Capitol building,” according to the criminal complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. The case is assigned to Judge Zia Faruqui. An FBI special agent assigned to the Counterterrorism Division stated that after the events of January 6, the FBI received numerous tips from the public about the individuals who “unlawfully entered” the Capitol. “I was assigned to investigate a tip that identified a Facebook user with an account named ‘Fam Council’ as someone who unlawfully entered the Capitol,” he writes in his arrest warrant statement of facts. The agent found a screen shot of a picture that looked like Lazo’s outfit. He was wearing a Rodbustars helmet, and his face was covered in goggles and a face mask. That image
Lazo unmasked. is similar to the much-publicized photo of an individual carrying a Philippine-type broom with a Captain America replica shield at the tip of the broom handle. The Fam Council account was traced to Lazo and his wife Jen Lazo. Both are believed to be the Fam Council account holders, and Rodbustars LLC is the name of their building construction and repair business, according to reports. In a conversation posted on the account, Lazo tells a person believed to be a relative: “all is
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good uncle..i will be going (sic) ro Washington DC to protest on jan6.” He later posted after the riot that “I took a boi boi to the Capitol and swept the floor literally…” The FBI agent believed ‘boi boi’ was a reference to the ‘walis tambo’ broom. He likewise posted on Facebook several photos of himself wearing his Superman costume using the American flag as his cape, as if to say he would be wearing such attire during the rally. Lazo was arrested May 28 at his house on Herbert Street. He is one
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of more than 500 individuals who have been charged for their participation in the riot at the Capitol during a joint session of Congress to certify the 2020 election of Joe Biden. Then Vice President Mike Pence was presiding when at around 2 p.m. a mob of Donald Trump supporters forced their way into the building, overwhelming security and ransacking the legislators’ offices. Many of them, including Lazo, arrogantly posted pictures of their participation during the attack.
‘Their race was their face’
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By Rasmin Diaz
hen I was slashed on a train I cried for help and nobody helped me so I was a victim twice -- by the person who slashed my face and the people who just watched me.” So spoke Noel Quintana in the public service announcement created by The Outstanding Filipinos in America (TOFA) coinciding with the observance of May as Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month. “Stop the hate” has become the resounding cry of Filipinos – and Asians -- in America after the violent attacks against senior citizens Quintana and Vilma Kari, the FilAm woman who was attacked on her way to church. The Filipino American community is rallying behind them and calling on the larger community to not only speak up but more importantly to act against systemic racism. Elizabeth Kari, the daughter of Vilma, urged Americans to “share a sense of community with one another.” Former Consul General to New York Ambassador Mario de Leon, said violent acts against seniors like Quintana and Kari are so horrific “there is no doubt” their race was judged based on their face. Community leader and philanthropist Loida Nicolas Lewis provided a bit of history of the violence against Asian Americans dating back to 1882. She said, “When the economy is in trouble in the United States and
Elizabeth Kari, daughter of assault survivor Vilma Kari
Jon Melegrito, executive secretary of the Filipino Veterans Recognition & Education Project
Christina Baal Owens, executive director of Public Wise THE FILAM |
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millions of Americans are out of work, people who look different from the White majority become the scapegoats of the period.” Christina Baal Owens, executive director of Public Wise, also noted that racism against the AAPI community long predates the Covid-19 pandemic. “To the non-Asians watching, I implore you to do your part to stop anti-Asian hate, stop attacks as you see them, call out anti-Asian racism, even if there are no AAPI folks in the room. Assure your AAPI friends that you will help keep them safe.” “We call on all Americans to speak out strongly against this rising tide of hatred and bigotry. Asian Americans have been a vital part of this nation's history, and they belong here just as much as everybody else who have come from foreign shores and call America their home,” said Jon Melegrito, executive secretary of the Filipino Veterans Recognition & Education Project. Other speakers in the video are White House Executive Chef Cris Comerford, Dr. Erwin Valencia of the New York Knicks, Gina Pazcoguin (NYC Ballet), CBS News reporter Hazel Sanchez, Hollywood journalists Ruben and Janet Nepales, Jo Koy’s mother Josie Harrison, CUNY Professor Kevin Nadal, Miles Dela Cruz of TOFA Awards, recently confirmed California Attorney General Rob Bonta; Brunswick, Ohio Mayor Ron Falconi, Steven Raga (Candidate, 2021 NYC Council), and Yimeng He, Chinese graduate student at Columbia University. The PSA is available on YouTube and Facebook.
Ambassador Mario de Leon, former Consul General in New York
NEW YORK NEEDS A MAYOR WHO DOESN’T BACK DOWN
A REAL PLAN TO PROTECT NYC FROM VIOLENT CRIME MORE MONEY IN THE POCKETS OF NEW YORKERS HELP FOR SMALL BUSINESSES LEFT BEHIND ND TH
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DEMOCRAT
Immigrants contributed nearly a quarter to New York City's GDP: report The NYC Mayor's Office of Immigrant Affairs (MOIA) has released its fourth Annual Report, “State of Our Immigrant City.” Major new findings include: · The poverty rate among immigrant New Yorkers is higher than for New Yorkers born in the United States. Further, the poverty rate for undocumented immigrants is 29.2 percent, higher than the 27.1 percent for green card holders and immigrants with other statuses. The two groups in New York City with the lowest poverty rates are U.S.-born citizens and naturalized citizens. · For the second year, the City experienced a decline of immigrant residents. Since 2008, the City's non-citizen population has dropped about 10 percent overall. Additional notable statistics from the report about immigrant New Yorkers include:
|| Population · New Yorkers by Immigration Status: 63 percent U.S.-born citizens; 21 percent naturalized citizens; 10 percent green card holders or other status; and 5 percent undocumented. · Top Ten Countries of Birth for Immigrant New Yorkers, from Highest Population to Lowest: Dominican Republic, China, Jamaica, Mexico, Guyana, Ecuador, Bangladesh, Haiti, India, and Trinidad & Tobago. · Top Ten Languages of Immigrant New Yorkers with Limited English Proficiency (LEP), in Order: Spanish, Chinese (including Cantonese and Mandarin), Russian, Bengali, Haitian Creole, Korean, Arabic, Polish, Urdu, and Italian. · Nearly 62 percent of New Yorkers live in family households with at least one immigrant. · About 12 percent of New Yorkers live in mixed-status households, in which at least one undocumented person lives with other persons who have legal status. · About 14 percent of all children or 240,000 live in mixed-status families.
|| Economy · 80 percent of undocumented immigrants (age 16 and older) are in the labor force, compared to 65 percent of all New Yorkers. · Immigrant New Yorkers contributed $244 billion to the city's Gross Domestic Product (GDP), about 23 percent of its total GDP.
In a city of more than 8 million people, 5 percent are undocumented immigrants. Photo: Unsplash
|| Health · 12 percent of immigrant New Yorkers lack health insurance, compared to 4 percent of U.S.born New Yorkers. · 46 percent of undocumented New Yorkers lack health insurance. · 13 percent of undocumented children (under age 19) in New York City lack health insurance, despite the fact universal coverage is available to all children, regardless of immigration status, in New York State. The release of the Annual Report closes out MOIA’s 17th Annual Immigrant Heritage Week, a week-long celebration honoring and highlighting the stories, cultures, and contributions of immigrant New Yorkers. Both the Annual Report and Immigrant Heritage Week are important reflections of how critical immigrants are to the health and vitality of the City’s communities.
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“Immigrants are essential, and this has never been more apparent than during the COVID-19 pandemic. As we celebrate their critical contributions, we must also recognize the barriers they face and commit to addressing their needs,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. “The Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs has done incredible work to empower our immigrant neighbors and build a stronger city for all of us.” “Our 2020 Annual Report reflects on the enormous sacrifices immigrant New Yorkers have made to support our city through its greatest time of need, while suffering some of the pandemic’s most severe impacts,” said Mayor's Office of Immigrant Affairs Commissioner Bitta Mostofi. “As our communities heal from both the pandemic and four years of racism and xenophobic policies from the Trump administration, we must ensure that the needs of our immigrant communities are central to our recovery.”
When the Japanese ruled the Philippines By Allen Gaborro
The memory of World War II and the Japanese occupation of the Philippines is hardwired into the collective Filipino consciousness. Filipinos of that generation, including Lourdes J. Astraquillo Ongkeko, preserve precious memories of that time.
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ngkeko has resided in the United States for many years. But this has not darkened her wartime memories. As she writes in her autobiographical composition, “Love Is Timeless in War and Peace: A Truth Beyond Compare”: “The very early lessons I learned from World War II are constantly enshrined in my memory. They are not learned from books. Gradually, they come from experience and common sense laced with reality.”
This evocative impulse drives Ongkeko’s consideration of the past. “Love Is Timeless” weighs in on a chapter in Philippine history in which Imperial Japan attempted to politically, culturally, and linguistically de-territorialize Filipinos in the name of its thinly-disguised expansionist “Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere.” In her foreword to “Love Is Timeless,” Ongkeko begins shaping the historical landscape of her book. She writes about how, as a young teenager, she experienced the moment that war was initiated with the bombing of her hometown Baguio by Japanese aircraft on December 8, 1941: “That day in December, strong explosions suddenly came after one another...Tears blurred our eyesight ...Peace of mind was making its departure as the clear air substituted by smoke, made us cough intensely.” Ten hours prior to Japan’s first assaults on the Philippine Commonwealth, the US naval base at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii was attacked by Japan thereby setting in motion America’s and the Filipino people’s entry into World War Two. By January 1942, the capital Manila had fallen. The city’s capitulation ushered in what would be the brutally repressive Japanese occupation. The Japanese asserted their power and dominance over Filipinos with “gestures of contempt” as historian Renato Constantino called
them. In “Love Is Timeless,” Ongkeko reconstructs how Filipinos were confronted with the choice of deprecating public acquiescence or ruthless physical punishment. With Japanese soldiers, Filipinos had to show demeaning obeisance: “…all pedestrians who would walk by them, had to bow correctly as subjects were expected to obey... Bowing was not just a shallow one. It had to be in compliance with what the authorities demonstrated: deep enough.” Bowing was especially difficult for elderly Filipinos: “Those who failed to follow instructions were whipped: Beaten by ropes...They were not allowed to get up until they could repeat the kind of bowing that was required.” Then there was the learning of a new language. After an episode in which Ongkeko’s father was lashed and then forcibly undressed by a Japanese soldier for ostensibly not bowing properly, he implored his daughter to learn Japanese at a Japanese language school. This was to avoid similar consequences in the future resulting from what Ongkeko’s father delicately rationalized as a “lack of oral communication.” Heeding her father’s wishes, the selfless Ongkeko became proficient in Japanese. Alas, it was a voluntary move that an opportunistic Japanese propagandist would have been tempted to promote as a fine example of exuding the “Japanese spirit.” That spirit entailed making Japanese an official lingua franca along with Tagalog in the country. In doing so, the occupiers were trying to forge a more Asian (i.e. pro-Japanese) identity for Filipinos after decades of “corruptive” Western influences. In that context, electively learning Japanese ran the risk of being perceived by some Filipinos, depending on which ones you asked, as close as one could get to collaboration. Although this was undoubtedly not Ongkeko’s or her father’s intention.
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Author Lourdes Astraquillo Ongkeko was forced to learn the Japanese language to avoid the consequences of penalty. If nothing else, studying Japanese helped Ongkeko navigate her way through a daunting existence. Becoming communicative in Japanese to the extent that Ongkeko was able to create for her a restorative psychological bridge to the days leading up to the return of American General Douglas MacArthur and the subsequent liberation of the Philippines. By September 1945 after a bloody campaign, the Japanese surrendered to the American and Filipino forces. Ongkeko had persevered, occupation and all. In enduring war’s trials and tribulations, Ongkeko came to memorialize in “Love Is Timeless” the moral imperative that “Love is direly needed in war.”
COVER STORY
Teen author Casey Giles publishes two fiction books Casey Giles, the only child of a Filipina immigrant and a fifthgeneration Texan, has published her first novel titled, “Indifferents,” last November of 2019, followed quickly by its sequel “Indigo Fading,” which was released on December 25, 2020.
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he had her book launch and signing event on March 6, 2021, in Sugarland, Texas with proceeds from the sale benefiting the GraceDrive Ministries for special needs kids headquartered in Texas but also has a ministry in the Philippines. “Casey has been part of our mission ministry group since she's 9 years old,” her mother Lilibeth Rogando Giles told The FilAm. “I asked Casey if she would want to sponsor special need kids through Shepherd’s Care under GraceDrive Ministries through the profit of her book sales, and she didn't hesitate and agreed.” The 15-year-old lives with her family and a hyper-active dog named Boodle in Houston. She attends Fulshear High School. She wants to study abroad for college and to one day travel the world. Casey finds it “exciting” going to new places. “They’re a good inspiration for writing,” she said in an interview with The FilAm. “Indifferents” follows 13-year-old Jack who finds a mysterious piece of technology that may save his camp – or destroy it -- depending on how it is used. “Indigo Fading” is Book 2 of Jack’s adventures that take him to a secret city where the walls seem to be closing in on him. The universe of “Indifferents” is set in a dystopian scene, where different organizations and groups band together to survive the run-down world and its obstacles, as well as avoid or make conflict and war. Jack, who resides in the center of the social turmoil, is not particularly on either side of the two extremes, “Good” and “Evil.” Casey said “Indifferents” was inspired by her love of reading and fabricating her own tales. “I love creating worlds that I get into, and plotting a fictional story.”
A day at the Katy Heritage Park in Katy, Texas. Fourteeno Photography
She wants to travel the world, a ‘good inspiration for writing.’ Fourteeno Photography “Indifferents” garnered much acclaim with readers describing it as a fun, “fast-paced adventure.” Although the novel -- in the Young Adult genre -- is directed towards middle schoolaged children, it can be enjoyed by people of all ages, from elementary students to adults, said Casey. Both books are available on Amazon. Growing up with books courtesy of her parents, Casey loves to read historical and science fiction. Her favorite things to do in her free time are hanging out at parks with her friends, going out for milk tea, and generally staying active both indoors and outdoors. She loves the color combination yellow and blue, and while she’ll
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Casey and parents Lilibeth Rogando from Alfonso, Cavite, and Wade Giles from Houston, a fifth-generation Texan.
listen to mostly any type of music, she is partial to Rock and its subgenres. She enjoys Fine Arts and History, her favorite classes include Orchestra and Social Studies. Casey has been playing the violin since she was 10, finding it more interesting than the piano, which she started earlier. She does painting, digital art, and dabbles in animation. Casey is the daughter of Wade Giles from Houston, Texas, and Lilibeth Rogando from Alfonso, Cavite. “My mom is a quality engineer and my dad is the general manager of an electronic manufacturing company. My dad is a native Houstonian,” said Casey. Through her writing, Casey’s goal is to “hopefully inspire my readers to be creative and pursue their passions.” Connect with Casey at: Email: boodledoodle11@gmail.com Instagram (writer’s and art pages, respectively): @teenauthor_cg @kaesse_ Facebook: @CaseyAuthorIndifferents
At a book launch at Brazos Book Store in Houston.
Filipino UN staffers who perished in the line of duty honored
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hree Philippine UN Staff Members who lost their lives while in the line of duty were among those honored by the United Nations Secretary-General during the Annual Memorial Service held virtually at the United Nations Headquarters in New York on May 6. The three UN staff members honored were Joanna Abaya, who served at the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF); Dr. Ronald Santos, at the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI); and Maria Luisa Almirol Castillo, at the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR). UN Secretary-General António Guterres reported that 336 UN personnel from 82 UN Member States, including civilian, military and police, paid the ultimate sacrifice in the service of peace or in COVID19 related circumstances in 2020, the highest number of UN personnel fatalities recorded in UN history. “Those dear colleagues were a reflection of the diversity and
Australian-American violinist Adele Anthony graced the solemn commemoration by playing sonatas by Bach. richness of experience of the United Nations,” he said. Under-Secretary-General Atul Khare of the UN Department of Operational Support (DOS) also stated that the live event provided
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an opportunity for families and colleagues, around the world, to gather and remember their loved ones. “Our fallen colleagues will be more than ever united in our hearts and we offer our love and prayers to
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their families and friends,” he said. Attending the event virtually, Ambassador Enrique Manalo, Permanent Representative of the Philippine Mission to the United Nations, said “the Philippines is grateful for the remarkable work of these Filipinos in the United Nations and for their sacrifices.” He said “their legacy and dedication will serve as an inspiration for all of us.” The names of the late Filipino staff members alongside their 333 colleagues were read one-by-one by UN staff members, Marie-Angle Diègue and Alessandro Susini. USG Khare hosted the memorial event while AustralianAmerican violinist Ms. Adele Anthony graced the solemn commemoration by playing a select solo violin sonatas by Mr. Johann Sebastian Bach. At least 657 Filipinos, inclusive of officers and uniformed personnel from the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Philippine National Police (PNP), are currently serving in the United Nations both in the headquarters and the field. -- Philippine Mission to the United Nations
Filipinos in the U.S. Navy
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By Andre Sobocinski
ilipino Americans have long played vital roles in the U.S. Navy and have helped to shape Navy Medicine through their numerous contributions as leaders, healthcare providers, medical administrators, and scientists. The story of Filipinos in the Navy began in wake of the Spanish-American War after Spain ceded the Philippine Islands (P.I.) to the United States. In 1901, President William McKinley issued an Executive Order permitting Filipinos to enlist in the Navy. Among those early Filipino pioneers were Teleforo Trinidad, the Navy’s first Filipino Medal of Honor recipient (1915) and David Nepomuceno, the first Filipino Olympian (1924). After the Philippines gained its independence from the United States in 1946, the U.S. Navy—still entrenched in the country—established an agreement allowing Filipino nationals to enlist. With few exceptions most Filipinos were limited to the Navy’s steward branch through the 1960s. This is a history that is personal for Rear Adm. Eleanor Concepcion “Connie” Mariano. The trailblazing naval officer and White House physician was the daughter and niece of Navy stewards. She was born at Naval Station Sangley Point while her father was detailed as a steward to a flag officer. “Joining the U.S. Navy as a young man was certainly a step up for my father even if the Filipino stewards, especially on shipboard deployment, were like glorified house boys,” said Mariano. Whether shipboard or ashore, stewards were typically engaged in the tedious and menial tasks of cleaning, cooking, preparing meals, and making beds. Those stewards and mess attendants assigned to senior medical officers, hospitals and hospital ships in the first decades of the twentieth century represent the first Filipinos in Navy Medicine.
||The Northcott Brothers — Corpsmen and POWs
The Northcott brothers—John (b. 1918), Robert (b.1920) and Thomas (b.1921)—were three seamen apprentices-turned hospital corpsmen who miraculously survived a gauntlet of disease, torture and deprivation over their first years of naval service. They were born in what was still the U.S. Territory of the Philippines to a British-American father and a Filipino mother. The brothers enlisted in the U.S. Navy in January 1941 and were assigned to USS Vaga (YT-116), a tug used for patrolling the Filipino coastline from the Cavite Navy Yard to the island of Corregidor. When the Japanese invaded the Philippines in December 1941, the Northcotts helped scuttle the Vaga off Corregidor and joined a naval unit attached to the 4th Marine
From left: Former White House physician and navy officer Dr. Eleanor ‘Connie’ Mariano; former director of the Medical Service Corps (ret.) Rear Admiral Eleanor Valentin; and (ret.) Vice Admiral of the United States Navy Medical Corps Dr. Raquel Bono. Regiment in defense of Corregidor until their own capture on May 6, 1942. Along with fellow defenders of Corregidor, the Northcotts were transferred to the Bilibid detention facility in the heart of Manila. Throughout the Japanese occupation, Bilibid was used to process thousands of American, Filipino, Dutch, British, Australian and Kiwi prisoners to labor camps throughout the Philippines and Japan. Among Bilibid’s internees were physicians, dentists and hospital corpsmen who had once staffed the U.S. Naval Hospital Canacao. Despite suffering from tropical disease, malnutrition and lacking sufficient medical supplies and equipment, the personnel of this “hospital unit” continued to treat the sick and wounded, operating what was termed the “Bilibid Hospital for Military Prison Camps of the Philippine Islands.” The Northcotts were employed as “sick-bay strikers” working Bilibid’s makeshift hospital wards and receiving special instruction from doctors and pharmacy warrant officer in nursing, first aid, and administration. Bilibid’s hospital unit even had regular examinations for rate advancement. John, Robert and Thomas would each be examined and promoted to pharmacist’s mate third class in November 1942. In spite of many setbacks—including bouts of dengue fever and amebic dysentery—the Northcotts remained on near-continuous duty. As it was later reported in their Bronze Star citations, each continued their duties as corpsmen despite limited rations, constant harassment by guards; and each willingly shared their meager supplies of food, clothing and other necessary articles to less fortunate and ill prisoners. On October 21, 1943, John, Robert, and Thomas were among 228 Bilibid prisoners “drafted” for work detail on an old rice farm in Cabanatuan, 90 miles north THE FILAM |
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of Manila. There the brothers remained working in malaria-rife conditions until they were finally broken up. John and Thomas were sent to mainland Japan aboard the “hell ship” Oryoko Maru. Robert remained at Cabanatuan until his liberation. In December 1944, John and Thomas were loaded into the ship’s cargo hold with 1,617 others. Each were required to subsist on one-fifth of a canteen cup of steamed rice, two ounces of water, limited air, and no sanitary facilities. On that first night at sea 70 POWs would suffocate or die of dehydration. Two days later, while off Olongapo, the ship was strafed and bombed by aircraft from USS Hornet (CVA-8) killing another 270 prisoners. Those lucky enough to survive the sinking were herded onto a cattle boat which would be sunk off the island of Formosa killing an additional 268 prisoners. The remaining POWs were then loaded onto a third ship. Over the course of its 17-day voyage an additional 656 prisoners would die of exposure, starvation and disease before arriving in Japan on January 30, 1945—the very same day Robert Northcott was rescued from Cabanatuan. John and Thomas Northcott would spend the remainder of the war at prison camps in Japan before finally being liberated in September 1945. After the war, the Northcotts remained in the Navy. John and Robert served through 1961, rising to the rank of Chief Hospital Corpsman (HMC). Thomas was promoted to HMC in 1950 and served with the First Marine Division in Korea until wounded in action in September 1950. He was later awarded the Silver Star for his actions in theater. On January 6, 1942, 12 nurses were taken prisoner by the Imperial Japanese forces in the Philippines. Eleven of these nurses were U.S. Navy; the twelfth was a Filipino civilian nurse named Basilia Torres-Steward.
Mrs. Torres-Steward was married to a U.S. naval civil engineer corps officer, who was also interned during the war. During a 37-month imprisonment these 12 nurses (sometimes referred to as the “12 Anchors” for their strength and resilience) were held captive at Santo Tomas and later Los Baños prison camps. Despite suffering from the same deprivations and nutritional diseases as their fellow prisoners, Basilia Torres-Steward and the Navy nurses continued to care for the sick and injured. For many of the prisoners these nurses were the embodiment of selfless devotion and helped keep morale afloat during the lowest points of captivity. After repatriation, Mrs. Torres-Steward moved to the United States where she became a naturalized citizen.
Dr. Jose Sotto Cruz of Angat, Bulacan, P.I., was commissioned in the Navy Medical Corps in 1971. He remained in service through Gulf War rising to the rank of Captain. Cruz instilled in his four children the importance of education and an aspiration to serve as leaders in whatever fields they chose. Two of their children—Anatolio and Raquel—chose the Navy. Anatolio attended the Naval Academy, graduating in 1980. Raquel Cruz—later Bono—was commissioned in 1979 through a Health Professions Scholarship Program. Both siblings rose through the ranks becoming the only brother and sister flag officers in the Navy. And among her many distinctions, Dr. Bono became the highest-ranking officer of Filipino ancestry in Navy history when ||Expanding roles for FilAms: promoted to Vice Admiral in 2015. From mess stewards to doctors Dr. Connie Mariano received her Navy Like Admiral Connie Mariano’s father, commission as an Uniformed Services Bienvenido Dona enlisted in the Navy as a mess University of the Health Sciences steward. At 27, the Northern Mindanao native was (USUHS) student in 1977. In 1992, she older than most recruits in-processing at the Naval became the first Navy medical officer of Base Sangley Point, Cavite, P.I. in 1955. Filipino heritage to serve in the White Dona was among the rare few able to break from John and Robert Northcott (center and right) with fellow POW House Medical Unit. The next year she the steward rating—going from steward to striker pharmacist’s mate PhM2c Ernest Irvin. Photo: BUMED Archives became the first Filipino and only the and finally to Hospital Corps School in San Diego, second woman to serve as primary phyCalif. After graduating from “A” School, Dona became of wars and conflicts. Among them was HM2 Allan sician for a U.S. President. And in 2000, Mariano one of the first Filipino national to serve as hospital Cundangan Espiritu. became the first Filipino naval officer to achieve corpsman. A native of Metro Manila, P.I., Espiritu emigrated the rank of Rear Admiral. Following a tour at Naval Hospital San Diego, with his family to California in 1981. He grew up with an Eleanor Valentin was the daughter of Filipino immiDona attended Field Medical Service School at Camp interest in marine biology and dentistry. Inspired by his grants who met in San Francisco, Calif. Her father was Pendleton, Calif. On May 19, 1965, he was assigned to brother, Espiritu enlisted in the Navy in 1997 becoming a grocer and tailor; her mother was a detective who had the Headquarters & Service Company, 3d Battalion, a hospital corpsman. As an FMF Corpsman, Espiritu formerly worked in the Manila Police Department. Her 7th Marines (Rein) FMF with orders to Vietnam. As an qualified as a scout sniper, a master parachute jumper, parents instilled in Valentin the mentality that if she FMF corpsman, Dona was the cherished “Doc” to his and received special training in mountain warfare, worked hard she would succeed in anything she did. Marines—a first responder instilled with the knowljungle warfare, and Survival Evasion Resistance Escape After obtaining master’s degrees in public health and edge to “stop the bleeding, clear the airway, protect the (SERE). Using these skills, he served two combat tours in biostatistics, Valentin was commissioned in the Medwound, and treat and prevent shock.” And it was not be Iraq. Espiritu volunteered for duty with a Marine Exploical Service Corps. She ascended the ranks becoming long before he put these lifesaving skills to use. sive Ordnance Device (EOD) Team while on his second Rear Admiral and in the process earned the distinction Tragically, Dona’s life was cut short on March 23, tour in 2005. He was killed in the vicinity of Ramadi on as the first woman to serve as Director of the Medical 1966. While taking part in a search and clear mission in a mission of detonating a roadside bombs. HM2 Allan Service Corps and first Filipino American to serve at a well-fortified village in the Quang Ngai Province, Dona Cundangan Espiritu was posthumously awarded the the helm of a Navy staff corps. was shot and killed in the final act of attending to a fallen Bronze Star with Combat “V” in 2006. Dr. Godofredo Liboon Navarro took the helm of Marine. For his professional skill and unfaltering dedThe 1960s and 1970s saw new opportunities afforded Naval Hospital Subic Bay, P.I., in 1989. He is the first ication to duty under duress, Dona was posthumously to Filipinos in the U.S. Navy. And during these decades Filipino commanding officer in Navy medical history. awarded the Silver Star. some of the first Filipino physicians, dentists, nurses In 1991, following the eruption of Mount Pinatubo, On January 15, 1966, while on patrol near the village and Medical Service Corps officers were commisNavarro helped to lead the relief effort. Under his of Phu An, north of Saigon, Dona’s platoon was hit sioned. These pioneers included Drs. Honorato command the naval hospital provided medical care to by a “withering volume of small arms and automatic Nicedemus (Nicodemus), Ofelia Maralit, Estelita some 1,182 native Filipinos. weapons fire.” As others in his unit later testifies, Dona Carandang, Remedio Galang in the Medical Corps and In every community within Navy Medicine Filipidisregarded his own safety and ran over 100 meters Dr. Napoleon Dimayuga Rivera in the Dental Corps. no-Americans have excelled as officers and enlisted, against a barrage of enemy fire to reach wounded Dr. Robert Mendoza Poquis was a second-generation and serving with distinction in positions of command, Marines. Calmly and coolly, he administered first aid Filipino born in Hawaii. In 1961, he become the first Filleaders and as caregivers. Today, 11,208 Navy active and evacuated the casualties to safety. Two days later, ipino American optometrist commissioned in the Navy. duty service members identify as Filipino. Among Dona was again seen dashing through a hail of gunfire He remained in service for 30 years, becoming the Navy them are 1,480 physicians, dentists, nurses, MSC playing the role of lifesaver optometry specialty leader before retiring as an 0-6. officers and hospital corpsmen who continue to build Today, Bienvenido Dona’s name is one of 645 hospiMelchor “Mel” Flondarina of Agno, P.I., enlisted on a proud tradition of service and heritage in Navy tal corpsmen and 57,939 servicemen enshrined on the as a mess steward in 1957 before transitioning to the Medicine Vietnam Memorial Wall in Washington, D.C. hospital corps. In 1967, Flondarina was commissioned André B. Sobocinski is a historian at the U.S. Navy Over the ensuing decades other Filipinos in Navy as a Medical Service Corps officer, becoming one of the Bureau of Medicine and Surgery. This article was Medicine exhibited valor and while on the frontlines first Filipino-born MSCs in the Navy. published by the Department of Defense DVIDS Media. THE FILAM |
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Archdiocese of Newark celebrates 500th anniversary of Catholicism in the PHL The Archdiocese of Newark, in conjunction with the Diocese of Paterson, is honoring the 500th anniversary of the first Mass in the Philippines with a year-long Jubilee Celebration consisting of a special pilgrimage and several other cultural festivities that will enable Filipino parishioners to give thanks for their faith.
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hose participating in the pilgrimage will follow a replica of the Jubilee Cross — which Ferdinand Magellan erected at the first Mass in the Philippines 500 years ago — and statues of Santo Nino de Cebu and Our Lady of Manaoag as they travel each month to 12 churches with large Filipino populations throughout the Archdiocese. Additionally, all parishioners are invited to attend a celebration of Saint Lorenzo Ruiz de Manila and Saint Pedro Calungsod at Newark’s Sacred Heart Cathedral Basilica in September, followed by the observance of Simbang Gabi at the Cathedral on December 14. Then, in March 2022, Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin, C.Ss.R., Archbishop of Newark, will celebrate an anniversary Mass commemorating the Gospel’s arrival in the Philippines on March 31, 1521. Cardinal Tobin recently wrote a pastoral letter acknowledging the exemplary faith of Filipino Catholics around the world, including the 46 priests and 56,361 parishioners within the Archdiocese. “Today, millions of Filipino migrants present in some 200 countries share the gift of faith they have received,” Cardinal Tobin said in his letter, available at www.rcan.org. “In their new homes, Filipinos faithfully live their Christian faith, often in
A replica of the Jubilee Cross stands together with the statues of the Santo Nino de Cebu and Our Lady of Manaoag. Photo: The Archdiocese of Newark unassuming and unheralded ways. They preach the Gospel by their actions. In parishes and communities, they take an active part in worship while serving as members of the choir, readers, Eucharistic ministers, catechists, and volunteers in so many parish activities. They enrich their parishes with a rich array of beautiful cultural and religious traditions. In countries where the practice of the Christian faith is difficult, even dangerous, I have witnessed courageous
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An illustration of the first Catholic mass held in Limasawa Island in Leyte in 1521. Photo: National Historical Commission of the Philippines
Filipino Catholics who find ways to come together and worship.” To accommodate such fervent devotion, the Archdiocese has incorporated Filipino religious traditions into the Jubilee Cross pilgrimage. Each month, the church hosting the cross will highlight one Filipino faith expression or popular devotion like Flores de Mayo, the monthlong May festival celebrating Mary. Pilgrims are encouraged to call each parish to inquire about its celebration plans.
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A full schedule is available online of when each church will host the Jubilee Cross, along with what type of faith expression or devotion it will offer during that month. “It’s like finding home away from home,” said Reverend JM Manolo A. Punzalan, the pastor of the Immaculate Conception Church in Mahwah who spearheaded the pilgrimage. “Even though they’re here, they can still celebrate the richness of our culture and tradition as Filipino Catholics.” After attending Mass in the cross’ presence, participants can have a special Pilgrim Passport stamped by a church representative. Passports that have been stamped at least 10 times will be entered into a raffle at the pilgrimage’s end in March 2022. Prizes include pilgrimage trips to the Holy Land for two separate winners. “So many Filipinos dream of one day making it to the Holy Land, but it is often not financially possible,” Father Manolo said. “This is a way of letting them go for that goal while joyfully bringing Filipinos together to celebrate the gift of faith and inspire them to give it to others.” To request a Pilgrim Passport, inquire at one of the participating churches or contact Reverend Manolo at 973-570-6088 or fr.manolo@iccmahwah.org.
Pinay artists lead banner-making workshop at Queens Museum In partnership with the organizers of No Longer Invisible, the Queens Museum is displaying a collectively handpainted banner, signs, and video documentation created for the multi-racial, multi-faith vigil and community gathering in response to the recent and ongoing attacks against Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities. The exhibit will run from May 15 to June 13.
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ueens Museum has invited artist duo Jaclyn Reyes and Xenia Diente of Little Manila Queens Bayanihan Arts to lead a collective banner-making workshop. The banner, centered around the concept of We Belong, invited multi-lingual participation and took inspiration from the rich culture of hand-painted and highly vibrant signs in the neighborhood of Flushing, and other immigrant neighborhoods throughout New York City. The Queens Museum’s Teens program, staff and visitors of the museum contributed to the production of the banner and/or to make their own personalized signs to speak out against xenophobia, racism and violence against AAPI communities. Queens Museum’s New New Yorker program collaborated with Queens Memory Project to conduct video interviews at the vigil that will be archived with Queens Public Library. Artist and videographer Manuel Molina Martagon captured the interviews and produced a short documentary on the vigil. No Longer Invisible was a multi-racial vigil and community gathering grounded in art, healing and solidarity for the AAPI community in the wake of anti-Asian violence. Attendees were invited to Bowne Playground in Flushing to participate and partake in an altar installation, healing stations and circles, community art projects, as well as enjoy local food and performers as part of the program. No Longer Invisible was led and designed by Asian American women, creatives, grassroots & community organizations doing direct work in Queens and NYC. The vigil was co-presented by OCA-NY,
MinKwon Center for Community Action (Year of Uncertainty Community Partner), Blasian March, Queens Museum, Wide Awakes, For Freedoms, Caribbean Equality Project (Year of Uncertainty Community Partner), and Queens Public Library. Jaclyn Reyes is an artist, designer, cultural organizer, and educator whose multidisciplinary practice intersects with education, storytelling, and research. Xenia Diente is a Queensbased artist and public art administrator with over 18 years of experience working with visual artists and designers to plan, design, fabricate and install public art citywide in civic projects. She strives to strengthen opportunities for artists and designers to creatively serve NYC. Little Manila Queens Bayanihan Arts is a collaboration between artists and cultural workers who support community-based
Jaclyn Reyes; Xenia Diente. Facebook photos arts and creative placekeeping efforts by those who support the diasporic Filipino community in Woodside, Queens and the greater NYC area. Manuel Molina Martagon is a multidisciplinary artist working in performance, video and social engaged projects. In 2018 he organized EL RECREO at Recess and was a recipient of
A community gathering grounded in art, healing, and solidarity for the AAPI community. THE FILAM |
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More Art’s Engaging Artist fellowship. Before the pandemic, Molina Martagon presented with Artists Alliance and Cuchifritos, Acquired Taste, a project that uses cooking classes as a vehicle to engage in a multisensorial dialogue reaching out to current topics such as immigration, labor, tradition and access.
Owner Aida Kimmons
Salon Agnesia 469 West Side Ave Jersey City, NJ 07304 (201) 360 - 2118 info@salonagnesia.com salonagnesia.org
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At least 5.44 M Asian Americans are vaccinated: AARP
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ay is (AAPI) Heritage Month, a celebration of AAPI achievements and a time for the country to recognize our community’s contributions throughout U.S. history. As of May 17, the CDC reported 157 million Americans have made the choice to be vaccinated. Among this number, at least 5.9 percent of Asians (non-Hispanic) and 0.3 percent Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander groups have had at least one vaccination—that’s approximately 5.44 million loved ones! Moreover, since the start of vaccine distributions, more than 84.5 percent of older Americans (65-plus adults) have been vaccinated—a dramatic shift in numbers that shows the wider community is doing its part to protect our elders and others by getting vaccinated. This means that 5.44 million Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community members are on their way to resuming the activities that they miss—
Dr. Adelaida Rosario seeing family and friends near and far, gathering with the older generation, and traveling. And, vaccines are preventing nearly 100 percent of hospitalizations
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and deaths from COVID. This is proof that the vaccines are effective. In a recent AARP panel, Dr. Adelaida Rosario shared the unique challenges of the Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) communities in receiving information about the vaccine. “The AANHPI community is extremely diverse and therefore, there isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach with communications,” said Rosario. “The Department of Health and Human Services has been working on a number of print materials and virtual materials in the relevant languages so we can reach the community in their native tongue.” Rosario was referring to a new national campaign to more than 15 AAPI communities, called We Can Do This. “In addition to this pandemic, there’s this heightened negative attention right now, focused on the Asian American community because of all the stereotypes and it’s terribly unfortunate,”
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Rosario added. “It becomes a ‘double pandemic’ essentially for all of our older Asian American community members because they’re dealing with all of this awful discrimination in addition to, layered with, this health crisis.” Rosario acknowledged that there are side effects for some people but said that it is “small numbers” and “rare occurrences” of illnesses compared to the millions who are fully vaccinated and have experienced minor side effects but are otherwise “doing fine.” “The benefits so far outweigh these small risks. The same kind of risks that any parents taking their small child to get their series of shots, you’re up against the same numbers,” Rosario said. “These rare occurrences are happening, but we’re really celebrating the successes that we’re seeing with the numbers of infections dropping and the successful inoculations at a population level that’s currently occurring not only in the United States but across the world.”
Social media has turned us into spontaneous storytellers. Our new feature called “Remembering: Pinoy. Powerful. Personal” is a collection of short essays of memories pushed aside by time and making themselves apparent in the writer’s present. Some of the essays are contributed; others culled from social media posts. To send your essays, email thefilamny@gmail.com.
They’re tearing down my hall
Cats have spirits too
By Cecile Licad
By Eunice Barbara Novio
Philam Life auditorium, one of the oldest and best acoustics halls in Manila, will be demolished and supposedly transformed into a big mega mall. How sad that they couldn’t even preserve what’s beautiful. I had made my debut there at 7 years old, and across the street of the hall was the Manila Doctor’s Hospital where I was born.
I received a few messages affirming my feelings towards my cat Max. While reading some notes, I thought I heard his voice calling for attention. My husband said it was just the howling dogs. He never said it’s just in my head. Not anymore.
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hen Jayson died, I felt his presence many times. He was the only one who would rub his body around my legs while I washed plates or did the laundry. Animals do have spirits. They know how to communicate. They are the first to recognize our feelings which are oftentimes unfelt by humans. Last night, I cried myself to sleep. I woke up several times, still thinking that Max was sleeping on my pillow. Sara, the elderly cat, knowing that I was sad stayed with me all night. But she did not lick my arms like she is wont to do. Probably, she still smelled Max on my body. When Max came, Jimi is already a year old, so we were expecting a new baby in the house. I was already planning his life — by May, he would be spayed, given vaccines, and so on. Since he was so tiny, I did not buy a collar yet, but I was planning to buy a shiny red collar for him. Max left us even before I finished planning what to do with him. He is buried in our garden box. I know, someday, I might see him in some form — as a flower, a vegetable, or even a fruit. And he lives with me as long as I live. Exploring my feelings towards my cats makes me understand deeply attachment, love, death, and life.
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any memories there, including me watching and listening to the great Chinese pianist, Fou Ts’ong, when I was 6. I remembered having a bad allergy in my nose that day and sneezed and a German older couple tapped my dad aggressively and got pissed and scolded him, “How dare you bring your daughter to the concert?” Of course, my dad ignored them. Goodbye memories.
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COVER STORY
The day Harvard Radio played 11 hours of Filipino music
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By Jeromel Dela Rosa Lara
am a Filipino immigrant. I was born, raised, and lived in the Philippines for 11 years. My mother and I arrived here in America in 2011. My mother is a certified nursing assistant (CNA) doing the job of domestic caregiving, which is the arduous and literally back-breaking work that many Filipino immigrants do abroad. The Philippines is the biggest supplier of nurses worldwide. The life of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) like my mother is a life of survival as Filipinos work abroad to help relatives in the Philippines. The pandemic of anti-Asian racism is taking a toll on OFWs, Filipino diaspora communities in the West. It seems to me no one bothers to listen to our stories. It is just like when the first person in the UK received the Pfizer vaccine back in December. Many Western media outlets proclaimed white British woman Margaret Keenan’s name, story, and photo, but nothing is known about the nurse who administered the vaccine. That nurse was a Filipina. Her name is May Parsons. This is a metaphor for what being Asian, being Filipinx, is like here in the West. The West depends on the care of Filipinxs for the well-being of its people. Yet, they would not care about our stories and presence further exacerbated with the pandemic of anti-Asian racism. Filipino music is a testament to these stories. On May 19, from 1 p.m. to 12 a.m. Eastern Time, I played 11 hours of Filipino music on Harvard Radio Broadcasting (WHRB) operated by Harvard students at 95.3 FM in Boston and online at whrb.org. I gave my program the title “Kumanta, Sumayaw, Makibaka! - Sing, Dance, Solidarity!” I played Kundiman love songs, a wide array of genres in Original Pilipino Music (OPM), and protest music where the songs included the voices of movements affirming Philippine cultural identities from the Philippines to the United States. I also provided commentary and context. I had a rough structure of how to use the 11 hours based on the variety of themes below. --Vacation and summer scenes of the Philippines --Stories of indigenous communities in the Philippines who have been subjugated and colonized 500 years ago in 1521. I talked about the present struggles of indigenous communities where the Philippine government under Rodrigo Duterte has been responsible for the murders of indigenous activists through extrajudicial killings and the government’s incursion on indigenous communities. --Daily life and scenes in the Philippines --Stories of American colonization of the Philippines and how this history is so overlooked in American history education and discourse. I read out loud essays by Filipino historian and postcolonial thinker Renato Constantino such as “Filipinos in the Philippines” and “The Miseducation of the Filipino.” --Stories of Filipinxs in America and how America has the
The author aired Kundiman, OPM, and protest songs during the Filipino Music Orgy(©).
Promotional graphic for WHRB’s Filipino Music Orgy©. THE FILAM |
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pandemic of anti-Asian/AAPI racism. I read primary sources, such as the issues published on the week of January 23, 1930, on The Evening Pajaronian that is full of racist accounts against Filipinxs. I also read the Filipino response to this American white supremacy racism through the pamphlet “The Torch” where Filipino journalist in America David P. De Tagle asserts that Filipinxs have equal rights to the white man. I played music in this theme that speaks to these stories of Filipinxs enduring and resisting American white supremacy and anti-Asian racism. My point in this theme is to let people know that all of the antiAsian/AAPI racism and hate crimes that people are hearing about today is not new but is part of what America is with its systemic racism. I am assuming here that my listeners probably have never learned about the Watsonville Riots of the 1930s or the 200,000 Filipinxs who died between 1898 to 1902 in the Philippine American War. --Stories of Filipinx resistance. I highlighted for instance the story of Larry Itliong and the Filipinxs who led the United Farm Workers movement. When people think of UFW, people oftentimes would only associate them with César Chávez, Dolores Huerta, Mexican, Latinx, and Chicanx peoples. But the bigger picture is that the United part of UFW is the unity of these communities with Filipinxs who were credited to be the first ones to go on strike. I read out loud parts of the primary source El Malcriado, the newspaper of the UFW that tells these stories.
With his mother Miriam Dela Rosa Lara when they were still living in Antipolo. ‘I have so much respect for her.’ --OPM and the art of Filipino music From the comments that I have heard and received, there is a general sense that this has been a new experience for people: listening to Filipino music. People
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were receptive and appreciative of this kind of music and the stories they have not heard of before. The 11-hour, live, nonstop programing on Filipino stories through Filipino music is part of Harvard Radio’s tradition known as the Orgy©. During final exams period, students who are part of WHRB can have a large amount of airtime broadcasting marathon-style music programs. This tradition, which happens during the Fall and Spring semesters, first started in 1943 when a Harvard College student played all of Beethoven’s nine symphonies on the radio probably in celebration of finishing their finals. An Orgy© can go for several hours. Information about “Kumanta, Sumayaw, Makibaka” WHRB program can be accessed on the Harvard Radio page dedicated for it on whrb.org. Jeromel Dela Rosa Lara is a reporter for WHRB News, a DJ for WHRB’s Jazz Spectrum, and the curator of the Filipino Music Orgy©. He also taught a five-week experimental college course for the Harvard community in April called “Over 7,641 Reasons Why: America in the Philippines, Filipinxs in America.” Jeromel is a junior at Harvard College studying Social Anthropology and Comparative Study of Religion. He is a first-generation low-income (FGLI) student. An only child, he was raised by a single mother. He says: “My mother is the second oldest and the only woman in the family with five other brothers. I have so much respect for my mother who has accomplished and endured so much in her life.”
Issue 40, June 2021
Gina Ortiz Jones
Awaiting confirmation as under secretary of the Air Force
Archdiocese of Newark
Celebrates 500 years of Catholicism in the PHL
Jeromel Lara
11 hours of Filipino music on Harvard Radio