The Deviant Mother

(Late reflections for Mother’s Day)
Of all the made-up commercial holidays, Mother’s Day, for me, is the least irritating. After all, if I was going to be guilted into blowing money on cards, flowers, and the obligatory brunch, at least it was going to be for Mom. So to moms everywhere, y’all rock.
And this goes double [...]

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Aspiring to whiteness

As we celebrated the eve of November 4th, I was struck by a comment from New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson. He pointed out with pride the role of the Latino vote in Obama’s election. I wish I could say that about my fellow Filipinos.
And yes, I know, the Filipino vote is not monolithic. I am [...]

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Filipina caretaker case reconsidered

Juana Tejada, the Filipina caregiver who was being deported this August from Canada due to her cancer, has been granted an extension on her temporary work permit. She can stay until December 10, as the authorities continue to assess her case.
Ms. Tejada began working in Canada in 2003, via the Canada’s Live-In Caregiver program. [...]

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The “Invisible” Cyclists

It’s no small task to be a bicyclist or pedestrian in Los Angeles. Motorists don’t expect you. Many get angry when they’re inconvenienced and have to brake.
Last July 4th, Christopher Thompson of Brentwood, an emergency room physician, deliberately swerved his car onto the path of two cyclists, then slammed on his brakes. One [...]

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Our histories are inextricably connected

Please read professor black woman’s post about the continued exploitation of migrant farmworkers in California, then sign the UFW petition for farm workers’ rights.
For my fellow Pinoys, please remember that in 1965, led by Larry Itliong, Philip Vera-Cruz, and Pete Velasco, 1,500 Filipino farm workers went on strike in Delano, California. The agribusinesses [...]

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Human Trafficking

We have an image of human traffickers and slavers as a sleazy bunch operating in “uncivilized” regions of the world. But traffickers can also look like former ambassadors who live in swanky townhomes in Manhattan’s Upper East Side.
This report details the story of Lauro Liboon Baja Jr., who along with his wife and daughter, [...]

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Action Alert: Please sign petition for dying Filipina caregiver

After posting this entry on domestic workers, I learned of the case of Juana Tejada, a Filipina caregiver working under the Canadian federal Live-In Caregiver Program (LCP). She came to Canada in 2003, fulfilled the LCP’s stringent requirements, and was applying for permanent residency in 2006, when she was diagnosed with stage 4 lung [...]

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The Perils of Domestic Work

In October 2007, Jocelyn Dulnuan was found dead with multiple stab wounds inside the Mississauga mansion where she worked as a live-in caretaker. She was 27 years old, a native of Ifugao province.
Jocelyn migrated through the Canadian government’s Live-In Caregiver Program (LCP), a program which has been heavily criticized by groups like the [...]

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Marriage Equality

In honor of California’s affirmation of marriage equality rights, as well as Asian Pacific American Heritage month, here are some interesting tidbits from my previous readings:
New Peoples Army Recognizes Same-Sex Marriage by LeiLani Dowell
On Feb. 4, [2005], the New People’s Army (NPA) conducted the first same-sex marriage in the Philippines. Two guerrilla fighters who have [...]

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Bayanihan in America

My grandfather used to tell me stories about bayanihan. Of how, when a family needed to move, neighbors gathered around the house. They slid bamboo poles under the structure, forming a sort of bamboo harness. Then individuals would each take hold of a pole, and together they would hoist up the entire structure [...]

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