PETER’S PATTER — JULY 2015
Pinakbet — News Across the Country
Tony Robles and his recently published book Cool Doesn’t Live Here Anymore: A Letter to San Francisco, got a well deserved round of applause in a June 16 article in the San Francisco Examiner. Written mostly in heart wrenching yet nostalgic poetry, the book begins by describing the historical eviction practices by greedy landlords and developers. Such practices often counted Filipinos as its innocent victims. Back in the 1970s Filipino American activists fought a good but unsuccessful fight against the razing of the International Hotel in Manilatown that eventually displaced aging manongs. Sadly, landlord/developer greed lives on today. So it is not surprising that Tony’s fight against SF’s eviction practices didn’t stop with his book. He also walks the talk and talks the language of the City’s streets. This past June 15 Tony, bull horn in hand, was pictured by the Examiner exhorting the crowd to protest the heartless eviction of longtime residents in the South of Market, many of them Filipino families. Last year, he was successful in helping rescind the eviction of an elderly Filipino from his Duboce Avenue home. Tony is intimately familiar with the plight of residents of SF’s working class neighborhoods as well, having lived among them. The book goes on to describe the daily lives of these residents – their dreams, frustrations, and challenges. Tony’s poetry is inspired by one of the 1970 I-Hotel activists – his late uncle, the beloved Bridge Generation poet Al Robles. The book bemoans the ever changing soul of San Francisco. Tony says, “In a lot of ways San Francisco isn’t a city anymore. It’s an app, more than a city.” For an account of the mean spirited history of SF’s eviction practices and an intimate view of its most vulnerable residents, I strongly recommend reading Cool Doesn’t Live Here Anymore: A Letter to San Francisco………….. I also recommend Alex Tizon’s book Big Little Man: In Search of my Asian Self. It is a personal and poignant semi-biographical story that examines cultural myths related to race and gender. I particularly related to his discussions on American stereotypes of Asian men…………. Kobe Paras, the SoCal high school basketball phenom representing the Philippines, won the gold medal at the Under 18 World Championship Slam Dunk Contest in Hungary, beating out the USA representative. A senior, Paras has signed a letter of intent to attend perennial college basketball power UCLA in the fall………… Two years after it was approved in 2013, the renaming of Alvarado Middle School (CA) to Itliong-Vera Cruz Middle School has yet to become a reality. Why? Reportedly because of “funding confusion by the school board”. The “confusion” continues despite impassioned testimony by Joe Angeles of the Itliong-Vera Cruz Naming Coalition that private funding exists and is already committed………….. In the wake of the senseless mass murder of nine African Americans during bible study in Charleston, South Carolina on June 17 by a self-professed white supremacist, let us not forget that Filipinos are also victims of America’s legacy of hate crimes and inadequate gun controls. Sixteen years ago on August 10, 1999 Joseph Ileto, a Filipino American postal worker just doing his job, was gunned down by another self-professed white supremacist. Ileto’s murder, near a Grenada Hills (CA) Jewish Center where five others were wounded, was because he looked “Latino or Asian”. As President Obama has said on too many other occasions, hate crimes and inadequate gun controls are solvable issues. It seems, however, America has lacked the will to do so …………. Answers to June Trivia Questions: (1) New Orleans in 1763 — the first permanent Filipino settlement in the U.S. (2) Bobby Balcena — first Filipino to play major league baseball (for the Cincinnati Redlegs in 1956). (3) Arianny Celeste nee Penelope Lopez — first pinay to pose in the all together for Playboy (in the November 2010 issue).
Bridge Generation News
Ernie Reyes Sr. of San Jose — member of the Black Belt Hall of Fame, Co-Founder of the West Coast World Martial Arts Association, and who appeared in the 1993 film Surf Ninjas — is asking for your prayers for his son, Ernie Reyes Jr. — in critical need of a kidney transplant. (Ernie Jr. is also a well-known figure in martial arts movies and on TV.) The elder Reyes was born and raised in Salinas CA, home to one of the first Filipino American Youth Clubs in the mid 20th century — the only boy among seven sisters. Ernie spent much of his youth working for his farm labor contractor father in the lettuce fields surrounding his hometown ………… Up in Seattle Jeannette (Castillano) Tiffany reports that she and her husband Dale enjoyed dinner and breakfast during the opening week of the Stone House Cafe. Featuring a beautiful view of Lake Washington with Mercer Island in the background, the restaurant’s opening was delayed for several years due to a series of unforeseen construction issues. The Cafe’s owner is Lee Ann Subelbia, entrepreneur of several other area restaurants. Seems like it was only yesterday that Lee Ann, as a teenager, marched with my children with the award winning Filipino Youth Activities Drill Team. My how time flies!………… Nice to see Bobby and Irene (Plaza) Edralin of Sacramento enjoying themselves on vacation at the posh Disney Aulani Resort in Hawaii…………. Franklin Carido is still coaching football. After serving as head coach at several Stockton high schools, he is now coaching at Vista Murietta High School in Southern California. He was seen at an Oceanside football clinic schmoozing with Brandon Manumaleuna, former pro football tight end for several NFL teams…………. Sad to report the May 30 death of John Coronas of Merced CA of complications following a brain aneurysm……… Happy June/July Birthdays to: Manuel Viernes of Sacramento, Joe Cabrillas of Parumpf NV, Rosita aka Daday (Adlao) Amen of Stockton, Judy (Contorno) Tafoya of Elk Grove, and Gilda Lum of San Jose …………… The recent ugly pool incident in McKinney, TX reminds me that it wasn’t too long ago that Filipino Americans were denied access to public pools. Remember how 1948 Olympic diving champion Vickie Manalo was barred from swimming in a San Francisco pool? And as a teenager, I wasn’t permitted to swim in the Atwater CA Plunge………. The fifth generation Sabado family of Seattle was featured in an article entitled “Our Path Out Of Poverty” in the 10th anniversary issue of Diversity, a University of Washington magazine. All nine Sabado children attended college. Their nephew is J.R. Celski of Federal Way WA — the Olympic speed skating champion………… Central Valley (CA) denizens Nina (Dublin) Gonzalez and Connie (Dacuyan) Gin-Alcordo enjoyed the beauty of Costa Rica on an extended June vacation. They were guests of Nina’s daughter, University of Arizona Professor Celeste de Bustamonte, who was in the capital city of San Jose for an international conference. A few days later, Celeste was invited to a gala state dinner where she met Costa Rican President Luis Guillermo Solis……….. It’s hard to catch up with the peripatetic Terry (Cataag) Bautista of Oakland. After an unforgettable trip to the Philippines where she focused on the cultural life of the country’s indigenous people, Terry lost no time in immersing herself into her busy activist life in the East Bay, then immediately flew to Seattle to participate in the kickoff reception for the annual Pandariwang celebration at the Seattle Center……….. Oops: Sorry for omitting Sammy Santos of Seattle and Eddie Cleveland of San Jose in last month’s boxing story (thanks to Bob Santos and Kevin Acebo, respectively). Also Frank Irigon resides in Newcastle WA, not CA (thanks to Sonny Tangalin).