“The Philippines isn't the president, it isn't the government. The Philippines is the people. Our role as Filipino Americans living in the diaspora is to stand with them. Tama na. Enough.”
Politics is divided, institutions are fragile, and truth feels up for sale. Sounds familiar? Here’s the twist — we’re not talking about America, we’re talking about the Philippines. With over 110 million people, it’s one of the largest democracies on Earth — a nation with deep ties to the U.S. that most of us are not taught in school. If recent decades have taught us anything - it mirrors the challenges we face at home in the U.S. today: corruption, disinformation, and the erosion of trust in power. One might say it’s a canary in the coal mine, which many Filipinos, and Filipino-Americans have been calling attention to those who will listen.
And since October is Filipino American History Month, FrieMMd of the Pod Lisa Angulo Reid, co-founder of Dear Flor stopped by for a chat. Lisa recently penned a Substack post “Fighting for a Home That Isn’t Mine” - we continued a longer conversation we’ve been having - ranging from her essay, corruption, diaspora identity, her calling, the economic potential on both sides of the ocean. and what it means to fight for a home you no longer live in but still carry inside...
ABOUT LISA: dearflor.com // dearflor.substack.com
MENTIONS
Maria Ressa (Nobel Prize winning journalist): wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_Ressa
Maria Ressa on the Daily Show (9/18/2025) : youtube.com/watch?v=Tsb1I7hqaJ4
HISTORY
First landing of Filipinos in the USA (1587): wikipedia.org/wiki/First_landing_of_Filipinos_in_the_United_States
Philippine-American War - wikipedia.org/wiki/Philippine%E2%80%93American_War
Independence Seaport Museum (Philadelphia) / USS Olympia exhibit
newyorkpcg.org/pcgny/2024/10/11/philippine-american-war-1899-1902-complex-symbols-conflicting-relationships-exhibit-unveiled-aboard-olympia/
India: British business / colonial rule (~1600 - 1757 - 1947): wikipedia.org/wiki/Colonial_India
British East India Company - wikipedia.org/wiki/East_India_Company
Duterte drug killings (WARNING - graphic) - nytimes.com/interactive/2016/12/07/world/asia/rodrigo-duterte-philippines-drugs-killings.html
BOOK: Patron Saints of Nothing (Randy Ribay): goodreads.com/book/show/41941681-patron-saints-of-nothing
BOOK (Poems): Antiemetic for Homesickness (Romalyn Ante): goodreads.com/book/show/53095607-antiemetic-for-homesickness
FOOD: Ginataang Tilapia panlasangpinoy.com/ginataang-tilapia/
PLACES
Visayas: Southern island region, rich in beaches and culture.
Ilocos: Northern coastal region known for heritage towns.
Baguio: Mountain city with cool climate and tribal roots.
Batangas: Cultural heart of the Tagalog people.
Taal: Volcano within a lake within a crater.
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