FILIPINOS IN THE UNITED STATES: WHITHER? WHENCE? (tags)
The publication of four essays by Filipino activist-scholar E. SAN JUAN, Jr. on the situation of Filipinos in "the belly of the beast" marks a historic stage in the criticial self-examination of this community at a time when the USA Patriot Act and Bush's "war of terror" have stigmatized this group as somehow connected with the Abu Sayyaf terrorism in the Philippines. It is time for Filipinos in the U.S. to stand up and fight continuing racial stigmatization and inferiorization of the Filipino national identity. Makibaka, huwag matakot!
Review of E. SAN JUAN's ON THE PRESENCE OF FILIPINOS IN THE UNITED STATES (tags)
Filipinos in the U.S. today comprise the largest community of Asians in the U.S. But knowledge about Filipinos is scarce; instead, trivialities, cliches, and stereotypes are disseminated by Filipino historical associations. This review calls attention to one serious effort to approach Filipinos from a historical-materialist point of view.
APPROACHING THE FILIPINO EXODUS & DIASPORA (tags)
Two new books by noted Filipino author E. SAN JUAN, Jr. explore the predicament of millions of Filipinos leaving the Philippines and working or settling in other countries around the world--an unprecedented 9-10 milllion of 85 million Filipinos are scattered around the planet. Their huge remittance props up a sharply divided class society where a tiny oligarchy (supported by Washington/Pentagon) exploits and oppresses the majority. Over 830 victims of extrajudicial killings occured from 2001 up to the present under Arroyo's corrupt, illegitimate regime. Why is this happening?