PETER’S PINOY PATTER — MARCH 2017

Bridge Generation News

(The aging Bridge Generation is a rapidly vanishing generation. To remember their contributions to the Filipino experience in America, the life of a deceased Bridge Generation Filipino American will be featured from time to time.)  Royal Morales, 1933-2000: I first met Royal in 1957 at a Griffith Park student picnic in Los Angeles.  We were both graduate students — he at USC and I at UCLA. He spoke of how he aspired to use his education to make a difference to the Filipino community. Even then, I knew the affable yet serious Royal would reach his goal.  Born in the Filipino enclave of Bunker Hill in downtown Los Angeles, his educational and career path was a circuitous one. He visited the Philippines in the midst of the Great Depression only to be stranded there by World War II.  Royal was not able to return to America until 1951.  He subsequently earned a bachelor’s degree at Chapman University and a masters of social work at the University of Southern California. After serving in the U.S. Army during the Korean War, he went on to teach at UCLA for fifteen years. He was a revered lecturer — affectionately known by his students as “Uncle Roy.” In his lively classes, Royal told stories, played music, led discussions, and conducted Saturday field trips to Filipinotown.  He also worked at the Neighborhood Youth Association, was employed as Director of the Pacific Asian Alcohol Program, and for ten years led the Asian American Community Mental Health Training Center of Los Angeles.  In 1972 he founded Search to Involve Pilipino Americans (SIPA), the second largest continuous Filipino youth-serving organization in the country. In 1974 the busy Royal found time to publish Makibaka: the Pilipino American Struggle, one of the earliest books on the Filipino American experience. A consummate activist, he was usually at the forefront of 1960-70 movements to improve the lot of Asian Americans, especially Filipinos.  For his many achievements UCLA, USC, and the National Association of Social Work posthumously honored him with special recognition.  He died of a heart attack at the age of 68………….. The celebration of life on January 21 for James Fontanilla, 83, drew a goodly number of old time Stockton area Filipino families to express their final farewells.  Born in Delano CA but spending most of his life in the inland port city, Jim attended local schools, ending with the University of Pacific.  He began working as a nuclear chemist at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in 1963 where he was involved in the testing of radioactive gases, retiring in 1990.  Jim joined the U.S. Army in 1953, served on active duty as a second lieutenant during the Korean War, and transferred to the reserves until his retirement as a full colonel in 1993.  As a youth he played ball for several Filipino Youth clubs — the Fils and Padres.  His love for sports continued as an adult when he worked for many years as a basketball, softball, and volleyball official. Jim passed away on January 2 from the effects of Alzheimer’s disease…………. On January 15 Pastor Engkabo of Sacramento, a Korean War veteran, was honored by American Legion Post #604 for 36 years as a post member. In January, 22 out of the 31 members of my immediate family flew to Kona-Kailua, Hawaii to celebrate the 60th birthday of Peter Jamero, Jr.  All four generations were represented — from your blogger/patriarch to great granddaughter, Jada Drake.  As you might have expected, everyone enjoyed the beaches, the food, the people, the weather, our comfortable accommodations, our pool, and most of all — the meaningful interactions among our fabulous family. While in the there I had an unforgettable reunion with Tony Grafilo (the big guy in the lower right hand picture of the collage). He is now a successful cacao grower on the “Big Island” with extensive tree plantings also in the Philippines.  I first met Tony in 1971 at the first Young Filipino Peoples Far West Convention in Seattle.  At the time he was a San Francisco delegate with a well-deserved activist reputation.  His role at the convention was somewhat different. He served as peacemaker to help tamp down a fledgling effort that threatened to disrupt the convention. Tony is still beaming over the recent appointment by California Governor Jerry Brown of his nephew, Dean Grafilo, to Director of the Department of Consumer Affairs ……… Happy March Birthdays: Dolores (Ladaga) Abasolo, Bob Balandra, Tony Bucol,  Michael Flor, Corinne (Artiaga) Fontanilla, Joe Jamero, Manuel Luna, Eleanor (Engkabo) Paular, Rich Tenaza.

Pinakbet — News Across The Country

Countdown 12 months — for the FANHS Board of Trustees to financially ensure keeping the new Filipino American National History Museum in Stockton………….. On January 10 Pope Francis named Los Angeles Auxiliary Bishop Oscar A. Solis to lead the Diocese of Salt Lake City, Utah.  With his appointment, Bishop Solis becomes the first Filipino to lead a diocese in the U.S.  He will be serving a diocese of 300,000 Catholics that spans the entire state………… Did you know?  A Filipino — Irineo Esperancilla — carried President Franklin D. Roosevelt to his deathbed when the president suddenly collapsed in April 1945.  A White House steward, he worked for four presidents — Herbert Hoover, FDR, Harry Truman, and Dwight D. Eisenhower. Thanks to Erwin and Titchie Tiongson of Washington, D.C. for this tidbit……….. Jerald Acoba of Tulare CA made himself $95,000 richer by hitting a half-court shot during a Los Angeles Lakers basketball game on Tuesday, January 10…………. Wesley So, 23 year old chess champion of Minnetonka MN, is now ranked fourth in the world and considered most likely to compete for the world championship. More importantly, his grandmaster’s international chess rating has surpassed the 2800 level — a barrier not even legendary Bobby Fischer ever broke…………. Oops! In last month’s Filipino American History Trivia, I erred in identifying Thelma (Garcia) Buchhold of Alaska as the first Filipino elected to a state legislature. The correct answer — Ben Menor who was elected to the Hawaii state legislature in 1962.  Thanks to the ever-alert Linda Revilla of Sacramento for catching my mistake.

Musings

(Continuing my views of national news of particular relevance to Filipinos.) Civil/human rights received a crushing blow on February 14 with the Senate confirmation of Jeff Sessions as Attorney General — despite receiving “poor” ratings from the NAACP, the ACLU, and the HRC stemming from his long-held opposition to non-discrimination legislation while in Congress. Quality public education suffered a similar fate with the confirmation of Betsy DeVos as Secretary of Education on February 14.  After being characterized by opponents as “unqualified and unfit to serve”, billionaire heiress DeVos was narrowly confirmed by a partisan vote of 51 to 50………… President Trump’s attack on what he calls “the dishonest press” continued unabated. In a 77 minute press conference on February 16,  he called out the media repeatedly, accusing it as the “enemy of the people”.  Senator John McCain countered, “A free press is vital in order to preserve democracy as we know it. Dictators get started by suppressing free press.”……………. Most Filipinos, like other Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI), voted for Hillary Clinton for President rather than Donald Trump. Their vote was consistent with a 2016 National Asian American Survey on candidate favorability taken just before the election. But the survey also revealed a disquieting finding — Filipinos favored Trump the most among the eight AAPI demographic groups.  It is unknown whether that preference still held for the election since statistical breakdowns into specific AAPI groups have yet to be made.  Regardless, some Filipinos questioned why so many of their brethren seem to have voted for Trump. Among the questioners was Kevin Nadal, Associate Professor at John Jay College in New York City, who wrote on January 29:

To my immigrant family who voted for this president, here’s a piece of factual history. With the Tydings-McDuffie Act of 1934, there was a quota of 50 people from the Philippines who could immigrate to the US each year. In 1946, the quota was doubled to 100, and it wasn’t until 1965 that Filipinos could come here en masse. THIS WAS A FEDERAL LAW. If this law was still in place, you would literally not be here. Help me understand why you believe that new immigrants, refugees, or immigrants from Muslim countries don’t deserve to be here. Help me understand what makes you think that you’re better than them or any other immigrant. Help me understand why you think you’re more deserving than any other undocumented immigrant. (Because you stood in line longer? Because your sister petitioned you fairly, because she had access to resources? Because you have an education your life is more valuable than someone who didn’t have your same privileges?) Help me understand why you think that this president will protect your rights, when he hasn’t done anything for our communities.The people protesting today mirror the same people who protested 50-100 years ago to give you the civil rights you have today. If people didn’t protest then, you would not be able to vote, to own property, to live in your desegregated neighborhood, or to have a job in your desegregated workplace. If people didn’t protest then, you would not feel safe when you walked around today.

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