Youth players grapple for the ball last March 26. The fundraiser money will pay for the convention travel expenses in July. (Photo by Jhoanne Gabagat)

Each year, youth belonging to the Couples for Christ (CFC) Youth Group are eager to travel to a conference in Virginia. It is an exciting prospect, but a costly one as well.

To raise money for this year’s 17th  CFC Youth USA National Leaderss Conference, CFC Youth Coordinators held a basketball tournament fundraiser called CFC March Madness held at the St. Isidore Church in Bloomingdale, IL last March 26.

CFC-Youth is a Catholic youth ministry where youth can learn and create a relationship with God through discovering their identity in a safe, energetic and fun environment, all the while also creating lifelong relationships with other youth like themselves, according to its Web site.

“We got over 100 players and 12 teams,” said Alane Mendoza, who was one of the fundraiser organizers. Alane is a member of the Singles for Christ Group in Chicago.

The youth were not the only participants who became involved. The regular Couples for Christ Group, mostly senior members, broke off into teams and sweated out a competitive basketball game that lasted all day, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

“On the day of the event, everyone in Couples for Christ , Singles for Christ, and CFC Youth came together to help with being a referee, do the scoreboards, the score cards and many other things, Alane said.
The two finalists were the Purple Rain and Team Underdog, but the champion trophy went to The Team Underdog, according to Dexter Malicay, a Singles for Christ member.

A player for the “Team Underdog,” Eddie Pascual, participated in the game after his friend from work invited him to play. He was impressed with his March Madness tournament. “It was a great ministry outreach opportunity the church put on. Basketball is almost universal and having this type of ministry really gets to players,” Pascual said.

The Team Underdog celebrate their victory. Member Eddie Pascual (2nd from R) said his partipation with the CFC March Madness game was worth it. (Photo by Jhoanne Gabagat)

Pascual was the champ, but he was humble about his winning status. “It wouldn’t have mattered if we were champs or not, It was the memory that made the whole thing worth it.” he explained.
The March Madness tournament raised $1000, according to Mendoza.  She said the money would cover the hotel stay and other travel expenses.

The youth will travel to Norfolk, Virginia on July 22-24. They will stay at the Old Dominion University.
CFC Youth Coordinators Rowel & Mildred Orivida assisted with the event. Singles for Christ Andrew Jose & Karlo Silva also helped coordinate the event. •

By Camelia Rodriguez
PINOY Associate Editor

This piece is from my blog (camisoul.tumblr.com). It is directed towards radio DJ, Adam Carolla. I emailed the post to Mr. Carolla, but have yet to hear a response. It’s quite lengthy so maybe he just needs more time to read it in its entirety.
——
Initially, I did not want to make any comments regarding Adam Carolla’s disrespectful comments about Manny Pacquiao and the Philippines. Yes, I was angry about everything he said, but I did not want to waste any of my time further giving an insignificant man any more attention.
However, I have now reached a point where I can no longer keep my thoughts and feelings about this situation to myself and I’m not going to sugar-coat what I have to say.

Adam Carolla, you are an idiot. Manny Pacquiao is not an idiot. Filipinos are not idiots. YOU, sir, are the idiot. If you were not an idiot you would have had the common sense to know that your comments would result in major backlash from not just the Filipino/Filipino-American community, but other communities comprised of non-racist individuals. I am all for freedom of speech and having an opinion; that is a right that you are entitled to but that you have very much abused. When you make statements that insult an entire country that are unwarranted and cannot be supported with nothing more than your ignorant thinking, then you have severely crossed a line.

With the comments you made on your radio show, you may have persuaded a handful of people to share your way of thinking. Ultimately, though, your comments showed the whole world how unintelligent, insensitive, and racist you are.

Having been born in America and been living here for 22+ years, I have seen how Americans regard their elite athletes. We celebrate them and their achievements, but eventually they become nothing more than a memory when the next superstar comes along. We are a country who has always been rich with individuals who excel in sports and whose names are known in households all over the world.

The Philippines, however, has never had someone of Manny Pacquiao’s status to cheer for. Mr. Carolla, why do you criticize a country for supporting a man who has achieved what others have not? Before the world witnessed the fighting ability of Pacquiao, the Philippines may have only been known to the world for its cruel dictator Ferdinand Marcos and his wife Imelda who owned over 3,000 pairs of shoes. Fast-forward to the 2000s and the Philippines gave the world a fighter unlike any other.

You think that the Philippines has “only got” Pacquiao to be proud of? Clearly you are not aware of the goings-on in the world because maybe the names Efren Peñaflorida, Charice Pempengco, Jed Madela, and Brillante Mendoza would be familiar to you. These are just four of the many Filipinos who are establishing themselves worldwide as geniuses of their crafts and bringing pride to the Philippines.

Efren Peñaflorida is a teacher and social worker who was voted “CNN Hero of the Year” last November 2009. He has dedicated his life to helping the poor children of the Philippines by providing them with knowledge that they otherwise would never receive. The entire world knows him now and because of that he has inspired others to appreciate what God has blessed them with and to help those that are less fortunate.

Charice Pempengco and Jed Madela are incredible singers who have put the Philippines on the map in terms of musical talent. They have voices that have moved audiences throughout the world. They have Oprah Winfrey, Ellen DeGeneres, Andrea Bocelli, and Celine Dion as fans. They came from humble beginnings, much like Pacquiao, and are beloved by many people across the globe.

Brillante Mendoza was awarded “Best Director” at the 62nd Cannes Film Festival for his film Kinatay. Rani Ann Ortega, Janice Lagman, and Camille Alarilla won gold last December 2009 at the 25th Southeast Asian Games. Filipinos have always known the greatness of their countrymen and women and now the world knows too.

What else do Filipinos have to be proud of? There are thousands of men and women who leave their families in the Philippines to work in the U.S., Europe, other countries in Asia, and all over the world to support their families financially. As the petition asking for your public apology (sorry, but Twitter is not going to cut it) so eloquently says, Filipinos are working as doctors, nurses, journalists, politicians, teachers, etc. Filipinos are also men and women serving in the U.S. military fighting for your freedom to have a radio talk show and to walk around your neighborhood without the fear of being shot down by individuals of a rebel group.

If you want to be like Floyd Mayweather, Jr. and his father, more power to all of you. Go ahead and think that Filipinos pray to chicken bones and took drugs during WWII so that they could be “bullet-proof” and that the Philippines is nothing more than whorehouses on every corner. If you want to believe those things then that is on you; I don’t have a problem with that.

What I do have a problem with is you spewing out your completely and obviously false beliefs on the radio where millions of people can hear. It may be difficult for you, but be smart. Do not make statements like the ones you made with a sense of authority in your voice as if you are for certain speaking the truth. Lastly, do not make any further statements insulting the Filipino people and their nation. It is pathetic that this was not your first or even second time to offend members of the Asian/Asian American community.

Do yourself a favor, Mr. Carolla, and make jokes that are actually funny and don’t showcase your ignorance as a human being. You are privileged and lucky to have the platform that you have. You are in a position where your words can reach millions of people in a matter of seconds. Don’t abuse it. Learn from this incident and make wiser decisions.

However, if you choose to continue to bash a community of people for no apparent reason on your show then I only have this much more to say to you: I hope you get what’s coming to you soon because karma is a bitch.•

The young Filipino-Americans of Chicago showed that 30 degree weather, cold gusts of wind and rain would not prevent them from enjoying a night of music and supporting a charitable cause.

Chicagoan Manny Garcia performs.

On Jan. 23, ManilaStar Events hosted its highly anticipated first annual Pin@ypalooza benefit concert to raise funds for the 3Doves Foundation and Philippine Relief Fund. The event was held at Portage Theater, 4050 N. Milwaukee Ave. Doors did not open until about 6pm but many began showing up at 2pm. By the time concert-goers were allowed into the theater, the line was nearly as long as an entire city block.

The event featured a wide variety of acts from singing to dancing to spoken word. Local performers such as Ashlee Barrera, Marilu Paguio, Nonstop Dance, Carl Yu, and TK Proposal (SHINE 2009 winners) really impressed the audience of over 500 and made them even more excited for the show headliners.

AJ Rafael and Melissa Polinar perform a special duet.

Youtube sensations AJ Rafael, Melissa Polinar, Chris Cole & Steven Cole, and Chicago’s very own Manny Garcia had the crowd screaming and cheering for almost the entirety of their respective sets.

Garcia performed his famous mash-up from the hit show Glee of “True Colors” and “Defying Gravity” to everyone’s delight. For the first song of her set, Polinar called out Rafael (both performing in Chicago for the first time) for a special duet of her original song “Honestly” which brought simultaneous deafening screams from all the girls in the theater.

The expectations for Pin@ypalooza of the ManilaStar staff were very much exceeded. “Even a couple days after, I’m still speechless when I look back to the show,” says ManilaStar founder Jeff DeGuia. “I don’t think words can truly express how happy and proud I am of everyone. It was really awesome to see the community come out and support the performers and to come out and support a great cause.”

Pin@ypalooza was the first show of its kind in Chicago. The fact that it was produced entirely by high school and college students impressed many of the older audience members.

The ManilaStar Events staff with Pin@ypalooza headliners AJ Rafael, Melissa Polinar, Chris Cole, Steven Cole, and Manny Garcia

“It’s a great feeling knowing that we made this happen,” said Gephine Fernandez, ManilaStar Associate Director and Secretary. “We gave these people a chance to see these talents and have their pictures and videos and ‘OMG AJ!’ and ‘OMG Manny!’ moments.”

The future is definitely bright for ManilaStar Events. Their first ever major event was an amazing success and had everyone saying as they left, “I can’t wait for next year!”•

(Photos by Jonathan Caliso)

On Sept. 26, Filipino forecasters reported that there would be some rain across the Metro Manila area. They did not expect that “some rain” would actually be a month’s worth pouring down in just nine hours.

Fr. Gregorio L. Bañaga, Jr., C.M., president of Adamson University and Dr. Marco Tavanti, Chairperson of the International Public Service Graduate Program and directs the Manila-Philippines Program on urban poverty reduction. (Photo by Camelia Rodriguez)

“The rain started around 8 o’clock in the morning and by the time I left my house at 9 it was already pouring heavily,” said Fr. Gregorio L. Bañaga, Jr., C.M., president of Adamson University (DePaul University’s sister school in the Philippines). “The problem in the Philippines is that the forecasting system is not sophisticated so they didn’t know how much rainfall would actually accumulate.”

Fr. Bañaga said that the Philippine weather bureau was aware of the typhoon, but underestimated it.

“In the Philippines when you talk about a typhoon it usually means strong winds and less rain,” he said. “But this time it was the opposite. There was hardly any wind and just strong rain.”

Sections of the Philippines remain under flood water, including Adamson University, a Vincentian university. (Photo by Mar Bustamante)

Adamson University is located in Manila; the region hardest hit by Typhoon Ondoy (international codename: Ketsana). According to Fr. Bañaga, every building of the school was flooded with water. Many of Adamson’s equipment were damaged including laptop computers. The gymnasium floor (made of wood imported from the United States) was submerged in water and completely ruined. The floodwaters eventually receded within a few days.

Fr. Bañaga said that Adamson students, reflecting true Vincentian values, immediately went into action to help people affected by the massive flooding. Fr. Nonong Fajardo, C.M., director of the Integrated Community Extension Services (ICES) at Adamson University, called an emergency meeting that many faculty and students attended. Fr. Fajardo organized three main activities for the volunteers to undertake: “Relief Goods Distribution” (giving out food, water, blankets, etc.) , “Operation Linis” (cleaning up the homes damaged by floodwater), and “Medical Missions” (treatment of skin diseases and injuries by Adamson nursing and medical students).

Adamson University grief counselors have also made themselves available to speak with the typhoon victims who may be experiencing trauma. They are especially concerned with the mental state of the young children. “Two days after the typhoon hit it began to rain again, but only lightly. Many of the children were scared because they thought another typhoon would be coming.”

The devastation caused by Typhoon Ondoy in Northville, Marilao, Bulacan. (Photo by Mar Bustamante)

As of right now, Adamson is focusing on giving aid to the residents of the community known as Northville 4-B in Marilao, Bulacan. The families living in this community were formerly inhabitants of homes along the railway track in Tondo, Manila. “When there are disasters like typhoon Ondoy, a lot of aid comes from international agencies. But after that, people are left on their own. This is when they need a lot of help,” Fr. Bañaga said. “We want to be sure that at least in this community that we are helping that we will be there for them way after the relief services are over.”
Fr. Bañaga said that he hopes the people of the Philippines will not turn a blind eye to the lessons that can be learned from this ordeal. He especially hopes that the government will insure that every town and city will be equipped with lifeboats and machines to lift heavy objects.
“We cannot fool around with what we call climate change. People must realize that this is a reality,” said Fr. Bañaga. “The big lesson here is that you must always be prepared for anything.”

Fr. Bañaga expressed his gratitude to the Chicago Filipino American community and the DePaul University community for showing their support for the typhoon victims in the Philippines. “I just want to thank everyone for helping and for Rev. Holtschneider’s [DePaul president] kind gesture of writing to the DePaul community. It is a great example of St. Vincentian solidarity.”•

For those who would like to contribute to Adamson’s relief and rehabilitation services, monetary donations can be sent to: Ayala Foundation USA, 255 Shoreline Drive, Suite 428, Redwood City, CA 94065 (Memo: Adamson University Rehabilitation Efforts).
Clothing donations, relief goods, supplies, etc. can be sent to Fr. Bañaga’s office: 900 San Marcelino Street, Ermita, 1000 Manila.

A week after typhoon “Ondoy” (international codename: Ketsana) devastated the Northern Luzon islands of the Philippines on Sept. 26, another strong typhoon made its way through the islands. This one was given the name “Pepeng” (international codename: Parma).

Despite the fact that they are millions of miles away from their native land, Filipino Americans in Chicago (according to census estimates approximately 28,000 Filipinos lived in the city of Chicago in 2000) have stepped up in various ways to lend a helping hand to their countrymen and women who have suffered the affects of the two typhoons.

Within the past couple of weeks Filipino American students have taken to their Twitters and have been using Facebook to spread the word about different ways to help those in need.  ManilaStar Events (a non-profit organization founded by University of Illinois at Chicago student Jeffrey DeGuia and comprised of high school and college students from the Chicagoland area) posted a Facebook event on Oct. 1 for their “Typhoon Ondoy Dance Fundraiser” at Dolce restaurant in Chicago and within a couple of days over one hundred people confirmed they would be attending.

“I decided to organize this fundraiser because I saw that fund raising events were mostly done by the older generation and did not see high school and college youth involvement,” said Lakhi Siap of ManilaStar Events. “I decided to have one that catered towards the youth. I want to show the community in Chicago that we are also organized and can make a difference.”

Through their event, ManilaStar was able to raise more than $800 in just three hours. All the proceeds will go towards the shipment of relief goods to the Philippines.

College organizations such as DePaul’s Asian Cultural Exchange (ACE) have also answered the call for help. ACE will be hosting a bake sale with all the proceeds going towards helping the Filipino flood victims. They will also be holding a clothing drive in the Student Center on DePaul’s Lincoln Park campus.

Loyola University’s Filipino organization, Kapwa, has teamed up with the Vietnamese organization, VASA, to hold a clothing drive.
“Already heavily involved in community service, I felt it was especially important to help the people of my native country after the horrific events took place,” said Andrew Balitaan, Internal Public Relations Officer of Kapwa. “After seeing numerous news articles as well as amateur, unedited video online, I was shown how hard the Philippines was really hit and quickly joined Kapwa in their efforts to provide relief.”

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign’s Philippine Student Association (PSA) has been collaborating with several Asian American student organizations, Filipino graduate students, and Filipinos in the Champaign-Urbana community to gather supplies, food, clothes, and money to support the victims of the Ondoy/Pepeng disaster.

“After hearing the damage of Ondoy, we started the drive on September 30. We’ve emailed our members, the Filipino community, and other students from different student organization to collaborate in these efforts,” said Justin Winfield, PSA president. “Knowing that a possible typhoon (Pepeng) was planning to hit the Philippine islands within that week, we wanted to act soon.”

Within one week, many students and community members brought in clothes, food, medical supplies, hygiene products, blankets, and more. On Oct. 12 PSA sent out their first set of boxes to the Philippine Red Cross and ABS-CBN Foundation (a major Philippine television network). PSA plans to continue gathering relief goods throughout the rest of the semester and into the new year. They would like to send as many supplies as they possibly can.

“We hope that the typhoon victims get the care and the supplies they need and we’ll do our best to provide those resources,” said Winfield.•

By Camelia Rodriguez
PINOY Associate Editor

Last month, upon hearing that former Philippine President Corazon Aquino passed away, I quickly said a prayer and immediately took to my Facebook and Twitter to update my statuses to say: “R.I.P. Cory Aquino. There will never be another like you.”

And I truly meant it. The strength and courage Cory Aquino showed during the incarceration and, later, the assassination of her husband Ninoy (events that may have caused anyone else to want to just give up) is beyond inspiring.

Despite Aquino’s world-wide recognition for the movement she inspired in the Philippines, there are still those who never heard of her and what she had done. A few friends (Filipino Americans) asked me, “Who is Cory Aquino?” It stunned me that they had never heard of this woman or what she did. I responded with a one-sentence answer, “She was the former Philippine president who led a bloodless revolt in 1986 to overthrow Ferdinand Marcos’ dictatorship.” All I’d hear in return was, “Oh, okay.”

Granted many of us young Filipino Americans are second or third generation and we are not required to learn Philippine history (because as Americans we are taught the Constitution and events of World War I in school), is it not our responsibility to take it upon ourselves to learn about the nation of which we are descendants of?

How can one proclaim that they have “Filipino pride” when they do not even know whom the Philippines regards as “bayanis” or who was the woman to bravely stand up to a dictator to free the nation that she loved?

I do not mean to preach or to come off sounding like I’m above other young Filipino Americans – that most certainly is not my point. But I will admit my own ignorance.

It was not until my first year at DePaul University when I took the course “Asian American Histories” that I learned of the involvement of Filipino men and women during World War II. We did not spend too much time in class discussing this as there was much more we needed to cover throughout the course, but I wanted to know more. I was fascinated and excited to know that Filipinos played a major role in WWII fighting on the American side.

I can’t help but wonder if the people who insist on wearing t-shirts with the Filipino design even understand how the flag came to be and what it stands for. I also can’t help but shake my head at the people who get tattoos of “baybayin” words only because it looks cool and not for the significance of the ancient Filipino script.

It’s easy for one to exclaim “Filipino pride!” But having the knowledge about what it is you are proud of will make people believe you.•

By Camelia Rodriguez
PINOY Associate Editor

American Idol recently made its way to Chicago last month to hold its Season 9 auditions. Yes, it really was eight seasons ago when we witnessed Kelly Clarkson becoming the first ever American Idol. And it was three seasons ago when I first auditioned for the hit show. Unfortunately, I did not make it to the second round to sing for Paula, Randy, and Simon (as most of you may know, fourth judge Kara DioGuardi did not join the American Idol judging panel until this past season).

After my “Idol rejection” during Season 5 auditions, I took a bit of a hit to my ego and vowed never to audition again even if the show came back to Chicago. I obviously went back on my word and decided to audition again on June 22 with a few of my friends.

It was estimated that about 50,000 young men and women filled the United Center for a chance to prove that they could be the next pop sensation. Most weren’t even Chicago natives; coming from Wisconsin, Indiana, and as far as Florida.

With the past success of Jasmine Trias, Camile Velasco, and Ramiele Malubay on “Idol” it didn’t surprise me to see many Filipino Americans at the auditions. Desiree Lombos says that she decided to audition for the experience and also to “represent Filipinos”.
I’m sure the many other Pinoys/Pinays who auditioned share Lombos’ sentiments seeing as how Asian Americans in general are not very visible in the American music industry. “I believe that there is a serious lack of representation of Asian Americans in the media,” says Reuben Robredillo. “I decided to try out not only to represent myself, but also to represent the Asian American community.” He hopes that an Asian American will make it far this upcoming season and possibly be crowned as the next American Idol.

I also hope that an Asian American (whether they be Filipino, Korean, or Chinese) can come out on top on Idol. I see many talented Asian Americans singing their hearts out on YouTube, but why is it that their fame is limited to just being on the Web?
When it was my turn to sing for the judges I went completely numb. I believe I performed my best and that’s all that really matters to me. Unfortunately, I heard the same thing that was said to me when I auditioned for Season 5: “You have a nice voice, but you’re just not what we’re looking for.”

Oh, well. Maybe competing on American Idol isn’t the best way for me to promote Asian American visibility in the media. I guess God just has bigger and better plans for me.•

By Camelia Rodriguez
PINOY Associate Editor

My parents came to America from the Philippines in the 1980s with the same hopes and dreams of many other immigrants. They wanted to raise their children in a country where opportunities of success would not be denied them; a country where their children would be free to flourish in every way possible and pursue their own goals and dreams.

But in this country, it is very easy for a second-generation Filipino-American to forget or even turn his or her back on the culture of their ancestors. It is very easy to assimilate to and completely adopt the traditions and beliefs of the American culture while becoming unaware of the lives your parents and their parents lived in their native land.

My parents never beat my younger brother or me over the head with everything Filipino. They did not enroll us in Filipino school where we had to take classes in order to learn how to speak and understand Tagalog. I learned everything about the Philippines and what it is to be a Filipino from my mother and father who made sure their children were aware of where they came from.

Because of my parents being wonderful examples of Filipino pride, my brother and I have taken on this same attitude. I have taken part in Filipino cultural dance since I was a little girl not because my parents forced me to, but because I felt that doing so would be a great way of showing how proud I am to be a Filipina and of connecting to my Filipino heritage. My brother also joined the Lane Tech Filipino Club this past school year and recently performed at the annual International Night show. My parents and I were so proud watching him and the other Filipino Club members impress the audience with their Tinikling and Bangko skills. It was obvious in their smiles and energy how happy and proud they themselves were to be performing traditional Filipino dances.

Both my parents are fabulous cooks and, therefore, I will probably be perpetually spoiled and will never have the initiative to learn how to cook myself. As a young girl, I only knew of two categories of food: American food and Filipino food. My parents rarely prepared typical “American” family meals. By this I mean, pancakes for breakfast; sloppy joe sandwiches for lunch; and steak and potatoes for dinner. I grew up eating food like longanisa or tocino with kanin for breakfast; pancit palabok for lunch; and kare kare for dinner. I was sometimes labeled as the “Americana” in my family because I would ask for McDonald’s every now and then, but I would never turn down an offer for lumpia shanghai or biko!

I grew up listening to Mariah Carey, Boys II Men, Michael Jackson, etc. But my parents also exposed me to the music of artists they grew up listening to back home. I can name every popular hit song of APO Hiking Society. Regine Velasquez and Martin Nievera are my idols and I can only dream of collaborating in the music studio with Parokya Ni Edgar. There are amazing artists here in the United States but, in my opinion, nothing compares to “OPM” – Original Pinoy Music. Listening to Filipino artists not only inspired my own musical style, but it also helped me to learn Tagalog as well. There are still plenty of words that I have yet to learn!

Also, even with the high prices of plane tickets to the Philippines, my parents have made certain that my brother and I are no strangers to the country of our ancestors. We have vacationed in the Philippines several times to visit our family and friends. As is the case with any Filipino’s pamilya, my relatives are spread out throughout the Philippine islands, but we always make sure we are able to visit and spend time with every one of them

Now, I may have painted a picture-perfect image of my childhood in the above paragraphs. That was definitely not the case. Growing up in a predominantly white community made me vulnerable to many instances of racism from my own neighbors and schoolmates. I was constantly teased for not just how I looked, but how I spoke. Tagalog was the primary language spoken in my home. When English was spoken, of course, some words would be pronounced with an accent. I adopted this Filipino accent myself and sometimes said English words in a “fob way”. The ridicule I got from my peers because of these occasional slips was almost unbearable.

A lot of my friends weren’t so understanding of my parents’ strictness either. They didn’t get why I always had to go straight home after school, why I wasn’t allowed to go to the movies with them at night, or why I wasn’t allowed to sleepover at their homes. Most Filipinos typically are very strict when it comes to raising their children. I used to think that my parents had so many rules because they wanted to ruin my life. But I realize now that they had my best interests at heart and were only raising me the way their parents had raised them in the Philippines.

There were many occasions while I was growing up when I could have turned my back completely on my Filipino culture. I could have said that I had enough of people making fun of me for taking part in anything Filipino, but that would only mean that I’d be denying who I truly am. And I would definitely not feel good about being the kind of person who disrespects her own heritage and acts like it is not a part of her.

When I think about the future and how I will have children of my own, I can’t help but worry about how good of a job I will do teaching them about their Filipino heritage. My children will be third-generation Filipino-Americans and even more removed from the country of their ancestors. I have asked myself, Will I be able to teach them how to speak Tagalog fluently? and How can I make sure they will not reject the Filipino culture and its traditions?

I don’t think I’m alone in asking these questions. As a parent, teaching your children about where they came from and their family traditions is a big responsibility. But children learn by example, therefore, I know that if I show my children how proud I am of being Filipino by exposing them to Filipino food, music, and traditions then I’ll succeed in my job as parent and teacher.•

By Camelia Rodriguez
PINOY Associate Editor

Valentine’s Day is fast approaching and I can’t help but think about the state of courtship today. In a world where people prefer to communicate with one another through e-mail or text message, romance seems to be a thing of the past. Courting someone is more easily done through modern technology.

So I come to the question of, “Uso pa ba ang harana?” I borrow this line from the Parokya Ni Edgar song “Harana”. For those who may not be familiar with this term, harana literally means to serenade, which was a traditional form of courtship in the Philippines. A man would try to win the heart of the woman he loves by singing (and usually accompanying himself with a guitar) underneath her window. I guess my larger question is are people no longer making grand gestures expressing their love because no one expects that kind of thing anymore?

The concept of harana has always fascinated me, as it is something I rarely see here in America. My mom always tells me about how my dad would sing to her when they were younger and still living in the Philippines, and it makes me wonder why men in America can’t do that for women today. Anyone can buy flowers, chocolates, and a card with a pre-written message, but what’s more romantic than having someone sing to you?

“For me, honestly, one of the things that touches my heart is if a guy sings or even tries to sing, “ says Mary Anne Reyes, a senior at Lane Tech High School. “Songs have lyrics and lyrics usually have a meaning behind it. So if a guy went out of his way and found a song that he could dedicate to a girl, that would be the sweetest thing in the world.”

Reyes is not alone in feeling this way as many women (young and old) long for their significant other to do “random acts of sweetness”. Men might think of this as women having high expectations, but is wanting to be serenaded really too much to ask for?

Lane Tech sophomore, Jonathan Caliso, doesn’t seem to think so. He says, “If I really liked the girl and I wanted to show her how I felt I’d probably sing a song for her to express that.”

Now, don’t get me wrong. I’m not writing this article to bash on guys and accusing them all of having a lack of romantic expression. I’m simply just wondering if there is still that notion of romanticism out there. I’m sure there are plenty of men out there who go above and beyond to sweep a girl off her feet, such as Niles North High School senior, Darwin Derequito. The way in which he asked a girl to homecoming is definitely “Awww!” worthy.

“I handed out different letters to her teachers at school that spelled out ‘Homecoming’,” say Derequito. “Each letter had a little saying to go along with it. Throughout the day she got different letters and she had to spell it out at the end of the day to get the message. After school ended, I was waiting at her locker with a question mark and rose.”

What I’m trying to say here is that guys shouldn’t just settle for the cliché stuff like just buying their girl a card, candy, or stuffed bear. The same goes for girls too. To really show the person you love how much you care do something you know they won’t be expecting.

So maybe for this Valentine’s Day instead of taking her to a fancy-shmancy restaurant, cook her favorite meal at home. And instead of buying him an expensive watch, write him a list of all the reasons why he’s your one and only. Be creative and original!•