politics

The arc of the universe is long, but it bends toward justice: Obama’s same-sex marriage pronouncement

I re-post this as I watch the CNN news coverage on the passage of Amendment 1 in North Carolina and President Obama’s favorable open support for same-sex marriage. I am moved by the value of this moment in the overall arc of social justice. With equal intensity, I find myself troubled by the retrograde character of … Continue reading »

Let tanks be beaten into tractors

About three years ago, I posted this because it struck a cord as the first African American U.S. President was inaugurated. I reprise it for three reasons: (1) as the 2012 U.S. Presidential election nears, let us not be manipulated to forgive the backwardness of the modern Republican party, (2) as we can only watch … Continue reading »

End of the year poem

[This is dedicated to all the OFWs and other wandering souls searching for their place in the world. May you find your way back home safely this holiday season. Mabuhay ang Pilipinas!] . Once again we reach the end of yet another year of life pursued of dreams caressed that finding home is near; Each … Continue reading »

Practical way to help out with SAVE Act campaign

Hello Friends. . Appreciate if you would advise as many of our kababayans as we know to ask their Senators and Congress Representatives to support SAVE Act (S. 2387 / H.R. 1244) by going to www.saveourindustriesact.org . and clicking on the “Write Your Representatives” tab to access the automated petition letter. . Estimated time to … Continue reading »

Religion and modern life

The purpose of an education

On Friday, October 22, 2010 at the Viewpoint Conference Room in Ackerman Union, UCLA Samahang Pilipino celebrated what would have been Manong Larry Itliong’s 97th birthday. Alumni had an opportunity to share some remarks; this is an abridged version of mine. I have a reflection and a challenge. Both are fitting with the economy being … Continue reading »

Someone Else’s War: Filipino migrant workers in the Iraqi war zone

“Someone Else’s War”    www.someoneelseswar.com Future Airs: 10/21/10, Thursday,  10:30 pm KVCR-DC Digital 24.3  (Channel 18 Palm Springs); 10/22/10, Friday,  3:30 am KVCR-DC Digital 24.3 (Channel 18 Palm Springs) Someone Else’s War investigates the conditions which draw thousands of Filipino migrant workers to work in the volatile Iraqi war zone. Show length: 30 minutes* “Someone Else’s War” is making its … Continue reading »

Positive Filipino America is in the Heart: October is Filipino/a American History Month

“America is also the nameless foreigner, the homeless refugee, the hungry boy begging for a job and the black body dangling from a tree. America is the illiterate immigrant who is ashamed that the world of books and intellectual opportunities is closed to him. We are that nameless foreigner, that homeless refugee, that hungry boy, … Continue reading »

Filipino Americans and the psychology of a middle child

When I am older, I will be stronger, They’ll call me Freedom, just like a wavin’ flag. (To hear the song, click Wavin\’ Flag ) These lyrics by the artist K’Naan are worth thinking deeply about, and for Filipino Americans, worth considering a life lesson. Freedom is a relative pursuit: we are never completely free; we are … Continue reading »

A significant life: A eulogy for John Delloro

Here’s the brief eulogy I gave for my friend John Delloro, Filipino American labor and community leader on Saturday, June 12 at the San Fernando Mission Rey Church, Mission Hills, California. I share the prepared version; some parts were unintentionally omitted during the actual delivery. John loved music, and one of the songs that captured … Continue reading »

The closing of the American conservative mind

The White rage against the Obama administration represents a closing of the American conservative mind. Taken over by the most extreme fringe of its base, the modern Republican Party is unable to engage in reason, which is the foundation of good governance and effective, credible political debate and leadership. The American conservative mind has closed … Continue reading »

Health insurance reform and the end of conservative White hegemony

The violence and extreme opposition that followed the passage of health insurance reform is not really about the fear of a government take-over, as the right-wing wants us so desperately to believe. As the public finds out the specific benefits of health insurance reform, the conservative claim of a government takeover rings hollow. In the … Continue reading »

Videos on 2010 Philippine presidential candidate forum

Candidate forum for 2010 Presidential candidates: Videos

Sorry…may be out of order; this post is intended to show some of the efforts by Philippine media to ‘educate’ voters. — Try not to be annoyed; many of the questions are…well…juvenile and stupid. To watch all the videos, follow this youtube channel, http://www.youtube.com/user/pinaswatch1

Marketing opposition to health reform; insurance industry insider reveals dark truth

Op-Ed Columnist Health Care Fit for Animals By NICHOLAS D. KRISTOF Published: August 26, 2009 . Opponents suggest that a “government takeover” of health care will be a milestone on the road to “socialized medicine,” and when he hears those terms, Wendell Potter cringes. He’s embarrassed that opponents are using a playbook that he helped … Continue reading »

Traits to look for in the next Philippines president

If Presidential candidates undergo a job interview before they get hired, what questions should voters ask? PMAP President Grace Zata tells us. For the People Management Association of the Philippines (PMAP), a human resource management group, it’s all about educating voters on how to pick worthy presidential candidates in the 2010 polls, just like company … Continue reading »

Obama’s defense of health reform

Why We Need Health Care Reform By BARACK OBAMA Published: August 15, 2009 . OUR nation is now engaged in a great debate about the future of health care in America. And over the past few weeks, much of the media attention has been focused on the loudest voices. What we haven’t heard are the … Continue reading »

Chicken A La Carte

By my good friend, Ferds… “Chicken A La Carte”

A brief history of Philippine martial law

Proclamation 1081 and Martial Law Philippines Table of Contents On September 21, 1972, Marcos issued Proclamation 1081, declaring martial law over the entire country , claiming that it was the last defense against the rising disorder caused by increasingly violent student demonstrations, the alleged threats of communist insurgency by the new Communist Party of the … Continue reading »

In the beginning: People Power 1986

The sacrifice that liberated a nation: 1/8 — could not embed the other installments. Check NinoyAquinoTV “Twenty-five years ago, on August 21, 1983, former senator Benigno “Ninoy” S. Aquino Jr. was shot and killed at then Manila International Airport. It happened less than a minute after soldiers escorted him from his seat on board China … Continue reading »