The Philippines, China, and the West

    "Dawning with Spain's arrival in the Philippines was a new, distinctly modern era."  Charles C. Mann proposes this view in Chapter One of his 2011 book, 1493.  The subtitle of the book, Uncovering the New World Columbus Created, suggests the intriguing thesis of the work.  Columbus did not discover a New World in his first voyage in 1492; rather he helped to create one, a global world.  This is a rather refreshingly fresh view of history.  Columbus, an Italian sailing under the patronage of Spain, initiated the era of a global society.  About eighty years later, the Spaniard Miguel Lopez de Legazpi established the trade link between Spain and China, and the new global order was under way.  Noteworthy is the fact that Legazpi was trainted as a notary, in the Spanish civil service.  He was a businessman; China was the wealthiest country in the world; Spain was dominant in Europe.  Thus came about the famous "galleon trade" between Spain and China for well over 200 years.  Legazpi wisely moved his headquarters from Cebu to Manila, in easy reach of Chinese trading boats across what is now the South China Sea.

     Ultimately what particularly interests me about this persuasive historical presentation developed by Mann is the geographic importance of the Philippines as a bridge between West and East.  This geographic importance has rather obvious political and economic consequences, which raise the question: why do the major powers of both West and East tend to overlook the bridge that could connected them in the first place?

So Filipino

"People swept dirt from the pews and wiped clean the mud-covered, ornate tile floors of a church.  The sound of hammers hitting nails and the buzzing of chain saws reverberated in the streets.  Debris was piled on corners and set ablaze" (Green Bay Press Gazette, November 16, 2013).  When I read this paragraph in a brief wire report in my local newspaper, I smiled and thought, that is so Filipino.  It had to have come from a Philippine news source.  Just a week and a day after Typhoon Haiyan/Yolanda, and the home team is back to work.  True the short piece went on to speak about the "mass graves" and the homeless, but it also noted that the "resilient residents of the disaster zone were rebuilding their lives and those of their neighbors."  The report gave credit to the international relief effort, including the U.S. effort, specifically the USS George Washington aircraft carrier, but it ended with this assessment: "But the storm victims moved ahead-with or without help from their government or foreign aid groups."  So Filipino.

Overall, I think the U.S. press coverage of Typhoon Haiyan/Yolanda effectively captured Americans' attention.  I confess that my main U.S. sources are the New York Times, the Washington Post, and the Green Bay Press Gazette, as I've noted in previous entries.  I have for many years avoided television news because of its emphasis on the sensational in order to capture the largest audiences.  I did find pictures on line, mainly from my Filipino friends on facebook.  These were both amazing and heartrending.  I also found in the days immediately after November 8, when the typhoon hit Leyte and Samar in the Eastern Visayas, the most restrained and reliable news reporting came from the Philippine Inquirer on-line edition.  When American friends of mine would ask me for my take on the typhoon, I referred them to the this source.  I also was able to add that none of my Filipino friends was directly affected.  They are mostly in Manila and vicinity, which was north of the path of the typhoon. 

To one of my American friends, I said, I cannot understand why the U.S. newspapers didn't rely more on local Philippine news sources, which were right there and which are some of the most reliable news sources anywhere.  None the less U.S. news sources-maybe even television- helped to show the extent of the disaster and thereby to gain an outpouring of international aid.

Mayor Estrada's Apology

I just read that former Philippine President Joseph Estrada, the present Mayor of Manila, has offered to go to Hong Kong to apologize to that city for the deaths of eight of its citizens who were tourists in Manila in 2010.  The eight were killed by a hijacker when Manila officials, the then mayor Alfredo Lim in particular, grossly mishandled the attempted rescue.  According to the article by Ffloyd Whaley in the New York Times for Friday, November 2, Mr. Estrada's efforts may not be enough.  Hong Kong has demanded a national apology from the Philippines, but President Aquino has steadily refused since the killings were the act of one individual, not the country.  President Aquino will not stand in the way of Mayor Estrada's visit and formal apology, and perhaps it is most fitting that the current mayor make retribution for the former mayor's egregious behavior.

Kudos to Mayor Estrada, and perhaps his appropriate action will atone somewhat for his own past egregious behavior.  I must confess that I had not known that Mr. Estrada had been elected Mayor of Manila until reading this article.  My thoughts carried me back to 1998 when I was teaching at the University of the Philippines Diliman, Manila.  I watched Mr. Estrada's inauguration as President of the Philippines and then followed his subsequent decline and fall.  He was successfully impeached within a year and ordered to stand trial for stealing over a million dollars from the country, a capital offense there, possibly the only one.  He went to prison.  Within a few years, however, the former movie star, former president, was free.  He ran for office and was elected, I can't recall for what, but for a prominent position.  And now he is Mayor of Manila.  I know that Filipinos are famous for being forgiving, but their electing Mr. Estrada Mayor of their capital sets a new standard.  Perhaps the citizens and government of Hong Kong will imitate them.

Zombadings!?

"Remington and the Curse of the Zombadings" received high praise in a review in Friday's New York Times ("Weekend Arts"), October 25.  The review is on the page with a bunch of other movie reviews, the page that I usually scan quickly and go on, but a completely new and outlandish (also very clever) word caught my attention: "Zombadings."  It is part of the title of the new "Filipino horror comedy." Trust a Filipino, in this case writer-director Jade Castro, to invent a term that is fun and catchy and linguistically ingenious.  Filipinos are great at bi-lingual puns.  According to the reviewer (Jeannette Catsoulis) the film lives up to its intriguing title.  It is funny, ghoulish, and (horrors) meaningful all together.  There's a sex change curse, a serial killer, and lots of satire.  The movie pokes fun at the zombie genre, but much more importantly at homophobia.  Apparently viewers will be treated to repetitions of just about every stupid anti-gay-and-lesbian slur, which is in itself laughable, dumb(ading) laughable.     

My compliments to the reviewer and the NYT for taking proper notice of Filipino movies.  Filipinos have long had a love affair with Hollywood.  Judging from "Remington and the Curse of the Zombadings," they evidently have graduated from admiring and imitating to creating something new and their own.  The reviewer concludes with a mild warning that this film may not be for everyone, but she adds that its "exuberance and warmth of spirit are irresistible."  Netflix maybe?

Final thought.  Filipinos are notably welcoming to the gay and lesbian community, something I have noticed in the past in their art and literature.  Another reason to pay them closer attention.

Two Young Saintly People

As I sat in the Church of San Agustin during a celebration of the canonization of Kateri Tekakwitha this past November, 2012, I couldn't help but think of one of the other six people just canonized as a saint in the Catholic Church, Pedro Calungsod.  The two new saints had much in common.

Calungsod was a teenager (probably 17) from the Visayan Islands of the central Philippine islands.  He joined a Jesuit missionary who went from there to Guam in 1668.  A few years later both he and his Jesuit leader suffered martyrdom for their faith.  A recent photo article in the Philippine-American VIA Times Newsmagazine, May of 2013, focused on the "enshrinement" of Calungsod at a parish church in Chicago, where there is a large Filipino population.  It was the kind of joyous celebration that Filipinos love.  Calungsod was celebrated as a model "of our youth," as the Cardinal Archbishop of Chicago said in his message.

I was hearing that same message in the ceremony at San Augustin in the Isleta Pueblo.  Kateri Tekakwitha was martyred for her faith at the age of 24 in the Colony of New York, when the English ruled the colonies.  She had become a Catholic at the age of 20, influenced by the example of some Jesuit missionaries.  She refused to give up her new religion and marry.  She has been known as the Lily of the Mohawks for this reason.  In his homily about her, the Archbishop of Santa Fe held her up as an example to all young people for her commitment and courage.  The Archbishop had chosen the 400-year-old Church of San Agustin in the Isleta Pueblo as New Mexico's official Shrine of Kateri Tekikwith, the first Native American saint.  The church was filled with Native Americans of all ages. 

I was, by the way, present at the enshrinement of Kateri Tekakwitha at the invitation of a friend, a Norbertine priest named Joel Garner.  Father Joel had just become Abbot Joel of the Norbertines in Albuquerque where they serve Hispanics as well as Native Americans.  I am fortunate to travel quite a bit.  Perhaps if I stayed put more I would be more regular with my blog entries, but I would have less to write about.

 

Philippines Gets U.S. Press Coverage

     The lack of sufficient and timely coverage of events in the Philippines has been a major omission on the part of the U.S. news media. This omission is irritating but not surprising, given the even greater omission of the Philippines in U.S. history books. Of late, however, there has been an up-tick in coverage by the news media. I should qualify "news media" with the full disclosure that I have not watched television news for about fifteen years and listen to public radio only when in the car. My news media is the New York Times (NYT, daily, both hard copy and on line), the Washington Post (daily headlines on line), and my local paper, the Green Bay Press Gazette (daily hard copy). For an initial example, see my previous entry on this blog, "Filipinos Outraged by Government Corruption" (Sept. 8, 2013). Floyd Whaley (NYT) was on the scene in Manila and published two pieces about this issue, including in the second one a large picture of the chief current corrupter of officials, businesswoman Janet Napoles Lim. This coverage appeared in late August of this year.

Barely two weeks later (an unusually short gap for news about the Philippines), Reuters, the widely syndicated print news agency, announced the outbreak of armed violence in Zamboanga in the Muslim Autonomous Region (MAR) in the southern island of Mindanao (Sept. 12). Apparently a small but lethal group of Muslims broke away from the main group (the Moro National Liberation Front or MNLF). The MNLF had signed a treaty with the national government and established peace in the region about a year ago. Floyd Whaley of the NYT picked up on the news of the new outbreak of fighting by the rogue group and wrote a couple of articles, which appeared on Sept. 13 and Sept. 16. The latter article focused on the fact that President Aquino flew to the region for an inspection and to help restore peace. I had never read of a president visiting the MAR at any time, much less while bullets were flying, some even at the president's escort helicopter. The same day that Whaley's second piece appeared, there was a notice in the "Nation and World Watch" section of my local paper with the headline, "Philippines: 100 guerrillas die, captured." I could count on one hand the number of notices in the local Green Bay paper in my 45 years here, and I wrote two them as guest features.

News snippets about the Philippines have also appeared with increasing frequency in the business sections of newspapers and magazines in the last year, ever since the Philippines has emerged as the new "Asian Tiger" with its economy expanding, just as other Asian nations are experiencing a bit of a downturn. More surprising to me are a couple of complimentary film reviews in the NYT, including one this past Friday, Sept. 27. The movie, On the Job (in Filipino with English subtitles), gets high marks for fine acting and "wondrously alive" filming. The film shows the seedier side of Manila and the deep-rooted police corruption there.

It remains to be seen, of course, if the current attention being paid to the Philippines in the U.S. press is just an anomaly or a trend. Hopefully a trend, so we get more news than just Philippine-U.S. combined military maneuvers or the occasional (monthly perhaps) notice of the friction between China and the Philippines over disputed possession of islands in the South China Sea.

Filipinos Angered by Government Corruption

"Shocked!"  "Angry!"  "Mad!"  I rarely hear (or read) such words from my Filipino friends, but I did over the past two weeks about the corruption scandal in the Philippines.  In my observations, Filipinos are easy going, perhaps to a fault, when it comes to corrupt government individuals and their associates.  They enjoy lampooning corrupt officials and the notoriously corrupt police force.  The lampoons, or sometimes even arrests, don't change things.  I read not too long ago that Erap Estrada had been elected again to public office.  He is the former president who was impeached for corruption and put in jail, where he faced a capital punishment sentence for stealing over a million dollars from the people who elected him.  As the current head of the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism said recently, "If you can't jail them, elect them" (New York Times, August 30, 2013).  (This same NYT article, points out, I should note, that the corruption is not within the Administration of President Aquino.)

But Filipinos have a tipping point, as President Marcos discovered too late, when he was outsted by the huge non-violent People Power Revolution in 1986.  It seems that Janet Lim-Napoles became the tipping point this time, though she is just the last in a series of recent cases of official corruption.  Ms. Lim-Napoles, a businesswoman with deep pockets and insider connections, was imprisoned in late August.  She allegedly bribed government officials to siphen off something like $141 M USD.  These funds had been established by the government for projects to bring relief to the very poor.  The officials and their connections concocted bogus relief programs and then pocketed the money for themselves. 

Thus the outrage and the tens of thousands of Filipinos protesting non-violently but very angrily in Luneta Park in Manila on Monday, August 26.  Thus the reaction of my frustrated friend, "Bob, we are not only angry! ! ! We are Mad!"   

Reading About the Philippines

Island of Tears, Island of Hope offers multiple insights into the Philippines, and it is non-fiction and non-war, although there is fighting.  I learned about the country's sugar-cane industry, something I had known about but not explored before.  According to the author, Niall O'Brian, "Ninety percent of that rich plain [the western side of the tall island] is covered with sugar cane.  When you say Negros you say sugar" (p. 4).  I also was reminded of the Marcos years, specifically the period of the violent clashes between President Marcos' dictatorial  regime and the NPR (New Peeoples' Army) from the mid 1970s until 1986.  The NPR was trying to radicalize the farmers and under-employed workers on the sugar cane plantations.  The Marcos government reacted with repressive measures; the NPR made repraisals; matters spiralled.  What impressed me most about the book was how these first two insights paved the way for the most penetrating of the themes, the conflict within the church and among the peasant farmers between violent and non-violent means of opposing the regime and working for justice.  This conflict makes for some of the most fascinating reading, examining the different paths chosen by individuals, often those in the same family, and by different priests and religious, not a few of whom chose to take up arms.  The violent versus non-violent solution that troubled so many is at the heart of the book and leads to one of the central issues of non-violent resistance and the theology underlying base Christian communities.  To crown these achievements, the book is written with the eloquence of simplicity.  Read it.  

"Red Arrow" Division.Veteran Dies

Arden L. Koehler served in the Pacific Theatre as a Staff Sergeant in U.S. 32nd "Red Arrow" Division from 1941-1945.  He died peacefully this past Saturday, August 24, 2013 at the age of 94 in Green Bay, Wisconsin.  The Red Arrow Division started out as the Wisconsin National Guard but expanded to include other units from the Midwest, particularly Michigan when World War Two broke out.  Like many of his fellow Wisconsin soldiers, Mr. Koehler was a farmer and a descendent of German immigrants.  Like most of the obituaries of these survivors of the war who have died in recent years, his obituary states the simple facts about his war-time service.  Much is left unsaid.  For many in the Red Arrow, they would have moved with MacArthur from Australia to battles in New Guinea and through the South Pacific to the battles and landings at Leyte Gulf (Leyte Island in the Visayas) and Lingayan Gulf in Luzon, norwest of Manila.  They then fought their way to and into Manila.  A highlight of his obituary: "He was able to be out in the field last week, helping with the wheat harvest."  Filipinos would appreciate that.

"Sea Levels Could Rise 3 Feet By 2100"

"Sea levels could rise three feet by 2100." That's a direct quote from a recent article in The Week, a reputable source according to a knowledgeable friend of mine.  My son the oceanographer, who studies ocean currents, temperatures, salinity, and such matters, has told me of the likelihood of ocean levels rising globally for a couple of years now.  The culprit is climate change and the melting of ice caps.  A couple of inches doesn't seem like a lot, but then you think of places like Manila and New Orleans, two of the world's largest seaports.  They would both be partially under water.  This thought leads to others.  What will happen to Corregidor Island in Manila Bay?  Or downtown Manila for that matter.  My fancy stretches further afield, to the Chocolate Hills of Bohol in the Visayas.  This natural wonder, well inland on the island of Bohol, consists of hills of seashells (under the brownish soil and grass cover).  Much of Bohol was once under water, millions of years ago.

The scarey warning does not come from an end-of-the-world prophet.  It comes from the IPCC, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, part of the UN, and made up of top oceanographers from around the world (full disclosure: my son belongs).  The IPCC shared a nobel prize with Al Gore a few years ago.  Their forthcoming report also will note that "It's 95% likely that humans are to blame."  In other words, this time the earth-changing climate change is not natural but man-made. 

Summer Party Filipino Style

Summer Party Filipino Style in Green Bay, WI

Two good Filipino friends, mom and daughter, hosted a summer party yesterday in classic Filipino style.  The food was central, plentiful (covering a long counter and a large table) and varied.  As usual I unfortunatley neglected to take down the names of my favorite dishes, but here goes a Taglish attempt.  My perrenial favorite is pancit, and this occasion reminded me why.  Plentiful noodles (vermicelli-like), in this case with lots of veggies and chunks of chicken, and light seasonings.  There are, of course, almost endless variations of Filipino pancit.  My wife's favorite dish of the evening was a soup (mang.......) with a lentil-like base, fish-infused tofu (usually pork rinds), veggies, medium peppers and spices.  Of course, basic to the fun is the take-away at the end, where everyone is loading up on each others dishes.  We made off with plates filled with pancit (naturally) and one of the hostesses's specialties, meat kabobs (today's dinner), two different sweets (one a Wisconsin flan), and a piece of birthday cake (one ot two celebrated).  Oh, yes, and a bowl of the soup.

As always the key ingredients were the friendly people, parents and children (mostly very sophisticated-looking teenagers); the conversation often in slightly different accents and sometimes languages, flavored with jokes, laughter, and exchanges of interesting facts (I did take some notes) for future reference; friendships renewed and affirmed; very likey the most diverse group of partiers in town. 

Catching Up on Philippine Politics

I recently filled in one of the many gaps in my understanding of Philippine Politics, the relationship between the President and the two legislative branches, Senate and House.  It seems that the House members are beholden to the President for national funding of "projects in their districts."  As a consequence, the administration has "considerable leverage over the body."  (Floyd Whaley, New York Times, May 15, 2013)  By contrast the 20 members of the Senate are not financially beholden to the administration and thus are much more independent.  The Philippine Senate is thus in much more of a position to support, oppose, and modify the administration's agenda.

I came across this interesting political tid-bit when catching up on the stack of old newspapers that pile up until my wife deposits them on the dining-room table, at my place for eating.  The source is an article reporting on the mid-term election in the Philippines this past May.  "Mid-term" refers to the half-way point in the six-year term of President Benigno Aquino (Philippine Presidents serve a single term).  The ballots had not all been counted, but it looked quite clear that the majority in the Senate was going to swing to Aquino's allies.  Since he has had a quite successful first three years, it looks as though he will have an even smoother way for the next three.  The Philippine economy is the fastest-growing Asian economy, and to his credit President Aquino pledged that he would work to extend "the benefits of ecnomic prosperity to the country's poor" and "to crack down on corruption."   

George W. Bush, a Nigerian, and a Filipino:: Great Photo in NYTimes

You won't want to miss the photo on the front page of the Thursday, July 11 New York Times.  It shows former president George W. Bush standing proudly between two freshly naturalized U.S. citizens.  One is a Nigerian in his U.S. Army dress uniform.  The other is a Filipino in his U.S. Marine dress uniform.  The message is clear.  We are a nation of immigrants, a nation made great by  immigrants.  Ironically one of the headlines next to the photo reads, "G,O.P. In House Resists Overhaul For Immigration."  It's as though Former President Bush is saying, "So what's the hold-up?"

I had numerous reflections about the two young immigrants pictured.  The young Filipino U.S. Marine, now American citizen, put me in mind of the famous all-Filipino unit in the U.S. Army that distinguished itself in the Battle of Bataan in late January to early April of 1942.  They were called "The Scouts."  They were MacArthur's prize soldiers, and they were regarded as the "best soldiers" on Bataan--on either side.  One anecdote tells of a group of Scouts relieving U.S. soldiers with some friendly ribbing: "It's OK, Joe, we're here now."

The young Nigerian reminded me of my 1993 visit to Ghana, the next-door neighbor to Nigeria and also a former British colony.  I visited the Ashanti area of Ghana, inland from the capital, Accra.  One of my memorable discoveries was the World War Two museum, a sturdy bamboo structure filled with pictures of Ashantis in British uniform, but with the focus on the face.  Tribal markings and no smiles.  I thought, "how would I react if I were to face one of these soldiers in the jungles of Burma, as the Japanese had to do?"

So, Mr. Bush, I agree.  What's the hold-up?

Filipinos of Mixed Heritages (Briefly)

My nephew has been to the Philippines twice in the last six months.  He recently shared his observation that he did not see much racial diversity there.  Here is an excerpt from my reply.

 

In the chapter about my teaching at UP Diliman in Sundays in Manila, I talk about how over the four or five months of that experience, I recognized the varieties of Filipino mixed heritages. I was pleased when I was able to recognize the differences among Filipinos of mixed heritages, including Korean, Chinese, Japanese, Spanish, American and Indigenous. Still, your point is well taken. The majority of Filipinos are still primarily of Malay extract, although this is gradually changing.

 

An interesting (partly) related anecdote.  A Filipina friend once told me that I should identify myself as Irish-American rather than American because my mother was 100% Irish, with both her parents immigrating from the old sod.  My friend is definitely viewing the maternal line as defining. She is also suggesting, I think, that "American" is too general and perhaps inaccurate as a designation.

Happy Philippine-American Friendship Day

On July 4, 1946, the United States formally recognized Philippine independence.  For a few years thereafter, the Philippines celebrated its Independence Day on July 4.  The country subsequntly went back to its original Independence Day, June 12, the date in 1898 when the Philippines declared its independence from Spain and signed its first constitution.  July 4 was then established as Philippine-American Friendship Day.

Happy Friendship Day, RP and US

Mt. Pinatubo Holiday

During the recent 'summer' vacation (March-April-May) in the Philippines, my good friend June ('Beng') Dalisay (who illustrated Sundays in Manila) posted several pictures from her tour of the area around Mt. Pinatubo.  Mt. Pinatubo is the volcano that erupted 22 years ago this month, in June of 1991.  Upwards of 800 were killed, and many thousands lost their homes and livelihoods.  So why, I wondered, was June there on holiday.  The photos she posted showed a strange lunar landscape which they travelled over in jeeps and all-terrain vehicles.  June and her three companions had to go with a guide and driver, whom they included in the pictures.  It was an adventure tour.  I guess the Filipinos from that region, with classic Filipino fresourcefulness, are making a living from their new reality.  I had experienced that resourcefulness once in 1998 when I was teaching at the University of the Philippines Diliman.  Seeing June's photos, reminded me of the mozaic-like plaque on my office wall above my desk.  I bought it from a Filipino gentleman who came around to the offices at the Faculty Center one day, with University permission, he said.  The raised figures on the plaque are of the Blessed Mother holding the child Jesus.  Jesus is looking over his left shoulder looking decidedly frightened off into the distance.  The Mother is holding his hand close to her bosom in a protective and consoling gesture.  I still remember being a little irritated at the time, someone asking for money, but now the plaque is a prized possession.  The label on the back reads: "This product is made from the actual volcanic ash of the 1991 eruption of Mt. Pinatubo, Philippines.  Handcrafted by Mt. Pinatubo Victims." 

Thanks for the pictures, June, and for the reminder. 

Filipino Nurses and Immigration

Congratulations to the Philippine Nurses Association of Illinois (PNAI), which recently celebrated its 56th Anniversary.  This event was the cover story for the April, 2013 issue of VIA Times Newsmagazine.  In fact if you click on the appropriate link on this blog's home page you will immediately see the attractive cover of this issue with the pictures of the newly elected officers of PNAI.  Check it out.

PNAI began back in 1957.  I had thought that the arrival of Filipino nurses in this country started later.  As I learned from Home Bound, a book about Filipino immigration, Filipino medical professionals began arriving after 1986.  Indeed that was the year in which the U.S. made it easier for Filipinos, particularly doctors and nurses, to immigrate to address the shortage of the home-grown variety of such professionals.  That means that the members of PNAI back in 1957 probably had to be doubly good and/or doubly determined to immigrate to this country.

Here's wishing the PNAIs a Happy 56th!  Yay!

Reading About the Philippines

I am happy to get back to the topic of "Reading About the Philippines" (nonfiction and non-military) now that Philippine Independence Day (June 12) is past and the Goodreads book giveaway (ten copies of Sundays in Manila for which there were 1010 requests) has ended and the books are en route.  I have come across two books recently that could be of some interest.

Home Bound, by Yen Le Espiritu (2003) is about the immigration of Filipinos to the U.S.  Just from reading the few chapters available on line, I learned quite a bit of new and interesting information.  For examplde, since 1986, Filipinos have been second only to Mexicans in the numbers of immigrants coming to the U.S.  What happened in 1986?  The U.S. lifted many of its limiting restrictions on Filipino immigration becaue of the need for doctors and nurses in the U.S. and the supply of well-trained medical personnel, English-speaking of course, from the Philippines.  I have put this book on my 'to-read' list. 

Another discovery is History of the Filipino People by Teodoro A. Agoncillo (1960).  I am indebted to a Filipino student who recdently signed up on Goodreads to read Sundays in Manila.  She had given five stars to this book, as had several of her friends.  Even though it was a required text for a course, she and her friends commented on how readable it is and how muich it focuses on Filipino culture and society.  Unfortunately its availability is limited in the U.S.  Amazon lists just two booksellers, where it is fairly expensive (around $32).  The other caution comes from a Goodreads review.  It states that the author is one of the three or four most important Filipino historians after World War II, but it also says that he does not use original (primary) sources enough.

Anyone else have a contribution?  Please click on 'No Comments' to comment.  Thank you.

Happy Birthday Tomorrow, June 12, The Republic of the Philippines

The Republic of the Philippines is 115 years old tomorrow, June 12, 2013.  "Kalayaan" "freedom" in many ways  expresses what the day means to Filipinos.  Among other actions, the Filipino passion for Kalayaan explains why:

Filipinos fought against Spain from 1896 to 1898;
Filipinos fought against the U.S. from 1899 to 1902;
Filipinos fought alongside the U.S. at Bataan and Corregidor in 1942 and for liberation from Japan from 1944 to 1945;
Filipinos overthrew the Marcos dictatorship in 1986 through the People Power Revolution;
Filipinos invited the U.S. to close its last military bases in their country in 1991.

Mabuhay!  Have wonderful birthday, RP.  

Philippine Independence Day: June 12 versus July 4

"Filipinos justifiably take pride in reckoning their independence from June 12, 1898.  And, given the history of Philippine-American relations, it is understandable that they would prefer to celebrate their national birthday on June 12, rather than July 4.  In 1946 the US, in classic colonial fashion, chose July 4 as the official date of Philippine independence.  In fact the RP* did recognize July 4 as its independence day from l946 to 1962 but changed it to June 12 in the latter year."

Excerpted from "A Centennial Snapshot of Philippine History," Sundays in Manila, p. 35.  Members of Goodreads can still sign up (until midnight, June 11) to win a free hard copy of Sundays in Manila.

*RP=Republic of the Philippines

A Centennial Snapshot of Philippine History

"On June 12, 1898, the elected representatives of the eight provinces of the major* island of the Philippines, Luzon, adopted the constitution of a free and independent Republic of the Philippines.  The representatives signed their Declaration of Independence from Spain.  These provinces--still commemorated by the eight rays of the sun in the Philippine flag--had been leading the fight against Spain since August of 1896."

Excerpted from Sundays in Manila, p. 33.

*The Spanish colonial government, supported by its navy and army, was centered in Manila, Luzon.

Kalayaan

June 11 is a very special day for Filipinos: Independence Day.  I was priviledged to be teaching for a semester in the Philippines at the University of the Philippines Diliman in Manila during the Centennial of Philippine Independence.  The word I kept hearing over and over was "Kalayaan."

"27.  Kalayaan (Kah-lie-ah-on): Freedom

One of my favorite keepsakes from 1998 is a little enamel lapel pin in the shape and colors of a waving flag of the RP.  On the top, against the blue backgrond, are the lines, "Philippine Centennial," "1898-1998."  Below, on the red background in larger letters is "Kalayaan," and underneath it, again in smaller letters, "Kayamanan ng Bayan."  The latter expression means, "Wealth of the Nation."  Kalayaan even by itself is a memorably lyrical word, poetic in sound and quintessentailly Filipino in sentiment."

Excerpted from Sundays in Manila, pp. 232-233.  I will be making additional posts leading up to Independence Day.  I welcome your comments on or stories about "Kalayaan."

Reading About the Philippines: In Washington, D.C. Again

Two posts ago I reported that my search for readings about the Philippines had hit a blank wall at KRAMERBOOK, one of the two outstanding independent bookstores in Washington, D.C.  I can now report that the other, equally exceptional bookstore, Politics and Prose, came up equally blank.  Remember, we are talking nonfiction and non-military works.  I had a very helpful member of the staff searching for me at length on a busy Sunday afternoon, May 19.  She found nothing in-store on the computer and then tried her beyond-store search engines.  Nothing.  We chatted a bit during the searchings.

Staff: "You know that we are somewhat limited in what we can stock in the store."  Looking up for a moment from the screen, she acknowledged, "That's a rationalization, isn't it?"

Me: "Yep, and I'm not buying it.  You know that there is a considerable Filipino community in the D.C. Metro Area."  I was taking liberties with, stretching perhaps, my daughter-in-law's comment.  She had told me she had some friends outside the district who had Filipino nannies. 

Staff: "I know that."

Me: "I do understand that you probably have not had requests for books about the Philippines."

Staff: "Right," she said quickly and with some relief.

Me: "So what I will do is to suggest on my blog that folks in the area contact the store to make such requests."

Staff: "OK," she replied pleasantly.

So, you can contact Politics and Prose bookstore by: calling 202-364-1919 or by emailing books@politics-prose.com.  The quest goes on.

Memorial Day in the U.S., May in the Philippines

Memorial Day in the U.S. is two days away, the last Monday in May.  It seemed appropriate that I add one of my favorite photos to the "foto" section of my blog.  It is an old black and white picture of an an American soldier carrying an injured Filipino girl cradled in his arms.  I found it framed and hanging on a wall in the museum on Corregidor Island in Manila Harbor.  I cannot any longer make out the date, though it is most likely sometime in the first months of 1945.  The picture is very grim and yet seems hopeful to me.  You can find it easily, along with a few other photos, in the blog foto gallery.

May in the Philippines is very important as the Month of the Virgin Mary, to whom Filipinos have a great devotion.  Thus I have added an article to the blog, entitled "Maria Sanctissima: Strong Filipinas."  I wrote the article for the May, 2012 issue of VIATimes Newsmagazine, as number six in the series on Strong Filipino Women.  Filipinos embraced Mary when the Spanish colonized the country, in part because they recognized in her aspects of their own Mother Goddess.  The Spanish Friars never quite succeeded in keeping the Mother Goddess out of Filipinos' devotion to Mary.

Happy Memorial Day and Happy May

Reading About the Philippines: In Washington, D.C.

I went to KRAMERBOOKS today to look for books (non-fiction, non-military) about the Philippines.  KRAMERBOOKS is a thriving independent book store in D.C., just off Dupont Circle.  It's a must visit for me whenever we are here visiting, taking precedence even over the Smithsonian Museums.  To save search time, I asked a clerk to check her computer for me by putting in two key words: "Philippines" and "Manila."  Neither one came up as being in the store in any form.  "But I can show you our Asian section," she said, and did.  Stanley Karnow's book, In Our Image, was there, but it is about Philippine-American relations and spends considerable time on political intrigue and wars, which is why I haven't mentioned it before.  Its emphasis is reflected in the sub-title, America's Empire in the Philippines.  Notice where the Philippines finally gets mentioned.  I searched the rest of the Asian shelves but without finding any other likely titles dealing with the Philippines.

Sitting on the Metro on the way home, I told my wife about the conversation I had had with our daughter-in-law this morning.  She and our son and their two daughters have lived and worked in the district for upwards of twenty years.  I asked her if she were aware of a Filipino presence in the area.  "No, but maybe there would be more outside the district."  She thought for a moment and added, "I know several people who have Filipino nannies, because of the language."  That certainly rang true.  I shared the story of an OFW (Overseas Filipino Workers, as they are referred to in the Philippines).  This OFW had graduated from university with a degree in education.  She discovered that she could earn more as a housecleaner in the Middle East than she could as a teacher in her own country.  "I bet some of those Filipino nannies would love to read something about home some times," I concluded.

Final thoughts: Publishers and booksellers don't seem to think that having "Philippines" or "Manila" among their titles will catch attention.  Perhaps they are right, if they are looking for the big sellers.  They might, however, be missing a smaller but appreciative audience.  Oh, and I did some surfing on line related to this post and found one title that might interest some readers: Filipinos in Washington, D.C.  The American emphasis, again, is quite clear.  It is in a series entitled "Images of America."  Not quite what I had in mind, but I will keep looking.  Any suggestions?

Philippine Independence Day and Book Giveaway

An American In The Philippines

 

Sunday, May 12, from Washington, D.C. One month from today Filipinos, at home and around the globe, celebrate Philippine Independence Day. To celebrate Independence Day, I am having a Goodreads Book Giveaway of ten copies of "Sundays in Manila," my travel memoir based on my first three visits to the Philippines ('94, '98, and 2005). In 1998 I was a Visiting Professor for a semester at the U. of the Philippines Diliman (UP). I arrived in early June, about a week ahead of the start of classes to find my way around. Of course, June 12 was an early-semester holiday, and a memorable one for me. It's one of many memorable occasions during my stay. The traffic jams boggled my mind, as a friend and I drove out of the city to get to some high ground to watch the fireworks. But we got there and had a wonderful dinner and conversation while watching the fireworks over Manila Bay. It was a special Independence Day because it marked 100 years since the Filipinos drafted, approved and signed their first constitution. They had the Spanish surrounded and about to surrender, before the Americans showed up and spoiled things. But more about that in the book.

Reading About the Philippines--Still Looking

I have checked Amazon.  They have a couple of standard travel books about the Philippines and several books about World War II in the Philippines.  We are looking for nonfiction, non-military.  History that emphasizes cultural and social aspects would be great.  I have also looked at current offerings on the U of the Philippines Press list.  A few come close but don't quite make the final cut.  Right now I am in Washington, D.C. and will hit some of the independent bookstores to see what is available.  There has to be something out there other than Nick Joaquin's "Manila, My Manila."  Any help welcome.  Maybe when summer vacation in the Philippines ends at the beginning of June?

Author's Review

I just copied my Author Review from my Goodreads author site.  The Goodreads site suggests that authors review their own book and give some background about the writing of the book.  That's what I've done.  If you are interested, click on "Author Review" in the list of articles here.  Enjoy.  rhb

Reading About the Philippines: Suggestions?: The Sequel

Two posts ago I asked for suggestions for good reads about the Philippines, non-fiction and non-military.  Since I still haven't received any such suggestions, I decided I had better prime the pump to get us started.  Here goes.  The Philippines has great newspapers with wonderful journalists.  I devour these when I am in country, and I check on them with some regularity when writing my monthly column for the VIA Times Newsmagazine.  Quite recently I have used the "Lifestyle" section of the Philippine Daily Inquire on line to read up on the current Cardinal Archbishop of Manila.  Pope Benedict had announced his resignation, so I wanted to know if there would be a Filipino contender.  There was, though a long shot, as described in "Manila Archbishop Luis Tagle: Filipino Most Likely to Become Pope" (Philippine Dialy Inquirer, Jessalynn G. de la Cruz, Jan. 7, 2012).  Note the date!  Pretty farsighted.  Another excellent source of good Filipino gossip ("tsismis") is <philSTAR.com>.  I'm still working on a list of books.  Suggestions?

Sundays in Manila Open for Comments

I have been looking for comments on this blog site and just discovered why there haven't been any.  I made the rookie mistake of not checking the settings to make sure that anyone could make a comment.  I would like to have any feedback on my April 19 post for reading suggestions.  I also raise questions on earlier posts.  You will find these in the Blog Archive on this page.  I welcome comments on any of these.  Also I will be adding a new post for the coming weekend.  My thanks for your visits and viewings and my apologies for not unlocking the comments window.  It is now open for business.  Just click on "no comments."  rhb

Reading About the Philippines: Suggestions?

A few weeks ago I received an email from someone who asked me for suggestions of books on the Philippines.  John (not his real name) had spent five months in Manila a few years back and formed an attachment to the people and the country, mainly in Metro-Manila.  He was there on business but got to know a number of his colleagues and their families socially, even being invited to attend a baptism and be a Ninong (godfather) to a new arrival. 

John recently read Sundays in Manila, which he enjoyed considerably, in part because in brought back pleasant memories.  I greatly appreciated hearing from him, and he set me to thinking when he asked me to recommend other, similar books about the Philippines.  He is looking for non-fiction, and he specified that he is not interested in books involving war.  I emailed back and recommended Nick Joaquin's Manila My Manila, and I promised to rummage about for other titles.  My list so far is, however, very short, so I am looking for some help.  Does anyone have some titles for me to pass along to John?  Please use the comments space to reply.

Remember Bataan Day

Bataan Day was actually three days ago, on April 8.  It marked the anniversary of the surrender of the United States Armed Forces Far East (USAFFE) to the Japanese on the Bataan Peninsula in 1942.  The memorial celebration began in Maywood, Illinois in 1943.  Maywood was then a little town outside of Chicago.  It's now part of the Windy City and brings to Chicago its celebration.  Young men from Maywood were among the first U.S. troops to be sent to the Philippines when war was expected.  When war actually came, they turned out to be just about the last U.S. troops to arrive.  They were among the 70,000 USAFFE troops to surrender, 12,000 American and 58,000 Filipino soldiers.  They were never forgotten by the "Maywood Mothers," who probably saved many of them by their letters and their political advocacy.  They stormed Washington and Tokyo.  To mark the occasion I am adding an article I have written about the Maywood Boys to my blog.  Also check the photo section.  rhb

New Chapter and New Sketches

Greetings.  I have added a new chapter entitled "Sundays in Manila."  It will explain the significances of the title of the book Sundays in Manila.  For some reason the sketches do not copy and paste, which is particularly unfortunate in this chapter because it contains three or four of my favorites.  To compensate I have added two sketches (See "Sketches") as well, including one from this chapter.  I am back at my desk and computer now, so entries will be more regular, at least 'till my next excused absence.  rhb 

New Chapter Excerpt

I have added a second chapter to the excerpts from Sundays in Manila.  Actually it is Chapter One.  The first 'chapter' is really the Preface.  Chapter One deals with my dawning and eclectic geography of the Philippines as well as my continuing attempts to understand exactly what happens when travellers cross the Ingternational Dateline.  I hopel you enjoy the added excerpt.  I will be away for the next five days but look forward to re-joining you on Apr.8.  In the meantime if anyone can advise me on the International Dateline, I will be grateful.  Salamat, ingat.  Thanks, see you soon.

Happy Easter Monday

Christmas has the twelve days celebration, but somehow the celebration has always seemed to me to stop too suddenly and then pick up a little at New Year's.  But the Easter Alleluias really keep the rejoicing going through the whole Octave of Easter Week and even beyond.  So Happy Easter Monday!  rhb

Women's History Month Concludes

Emmi De Jesus is an activist politician in the Philippines.  She represents the Gabriela Women's Party in the Philippine Government.  I came across her when she came to the U.S. eight months or so ago to oppose a return of a U.S. military presence in the country.  Rosella Torrecampos teaches linguistics and folklore at the University of the Philippines Diliman.  She mines this rich vein of Filipino tradition so that others do not forget their cultural roots.  This will be the last of the Women's History Month articles.  I'm still looking for comments from viewers.

Two Women Professors

This article appeared in the June, 2012 issue of VIA Times Newsmagazine, so we move from the talented artists to two talented University Professors and writers.  This is number seven in the "Strong Filipino Women Series."  Just a few days left in this year's Womens History Month.  If you have a Strong Filipino Woman you would like to share on this site, please do so.  rhb

Women's History Month's Final Week Continues

I am adding two articles today.  They go together as the titles suggest.  The first is "Three Women Artists" and the second is "Two Women Artists."  They make a good contribution to the final week of Women's History Month, showing the prominence of women artists in the Philippines.  Both articles appeared in VIA Times Newsmagazine last year as part of the series I am writing on Strong Filipino Women.

"Filipino Women"

This week is the last week of 2013's Women's History Month.  To celebrate I am going to publish a series of six articles on Filipino Women on this blog site.  I will start today, appropriately, with "Filipino Women," and add another article each day through this Saturday, March 30.  These articles have all appeared previously in VIA Times Newsmagazine as part of my series on Filipino Women. 

Please see the new article entry under the "Pages" section of the blog.  It is called "Dear Mr. President."  I wrote it for the November 2012 issue of VIA Times Newsmagazine after a visit to my barber who had some suggestions for the President related to the Philippines.  Enjoy!

Supposedly the vernal equinox occurred this morning around 6 a.m. here in Wisconsin, USA.  That means it is Spring.  So I got my bicycle out for a ride.  Unfortunately Lady Spring is still sleeping.  Freezing temperatures and icy winds hurried me back home.  Also unfortunately I have not been in the Philippines in mid-March (Valentine's Day is the closest and it was lovely).  I know the weather is warm and not yet so hot or humid.  (Sigh)    

Happy St. Patrick's Day.  My good friend, and the illustrator for Sundays in Manila, June ("Beng") Poticar Dalisay, told me that I am Irish-American.  That is, Beng explained, because my mother, whose maiden name is Mary Elizabeth Griffin, is 100% Irish.  When I said that my father's side, the Boyer side, is French, Beng said, "it's the mother's side."  My mother is the one who told me that St. Patrick chased all the snakes from Ireland and that he is the Patron Saint of Ireland.  It occurs to me that I do not know who is the Patron Saint of the Philippines.  Does anyone know who that is?

Maybe next time.

Well, the Cardinal Archbishop of Manila, Jose Luis Tagle, was not elected Pope.  Maybe next time.  I think he would have made a good Pope.  Good luck to Pope Francis I.

The last survivor of the army and navy nurses captured by the Japanese in the Philippines in 1942, Mildred Manning, died recently.  She was 98.  Her obituary appeared in the New York Times on March 11, 2013.  She had joined the army in 1939, as she said, to see the world.  "And what I saw was a prison camp."  She was one of the army nurses known as "the Angels of Bataan and Corregidor," the two surrender sites. Their story was published as a book in 1999 called We Band of Angels.  

Boyer in Brief

Welcome

Welcome-mabuhay-to 'An American in Manila'.  This site is new and will be growing, but please browse around.  Leave a message, just to say hello or with a question or comment.  I will check my posts twice daily and get back to you, normally in the same day.  Here's hoping that you adjust quickly to daylight saving time in most of the U.S.  It takes me a while to adjust.