TYPHOON HAIYAN, or Typhoon Yolanda, was the strongest recorded storm in history. One year ago, it swept over the central Philippines from the Pacific bringing with it torrential, hurricane level winds and sea surges that flooded cities and towns displacing 16 million and killing at least 6,300. The Nov. 8 anniversary was marked with prayers, pledges and protests. No longer in the world's front pages, the typhoon stricken region is still recovering. Scenes of the devastation are still evident, displaced people are still living in tents and critics say government action is slow in coming. Protests were launched at what they perceive as a lack of urgency from the President Aquino administration.
Protestors covered themselves in mud to protest the lack of government action.
A year ago, the strongest storm ever recorded swept a path of destruction across the Philippines.
FOOD is part of one's culture. It helps define us as we were, who we are and what we will become. Asian cuisine in America has grown leaps and bounds beyond the ever-present and much abused and much beloved family-owned Chinese restaurants all of America has grown up with - with varying degrees of quality. Everyone is familiar with the TV personality chefs like Martin Yan, David Chang, Masaharu Morimoto and Ming Tsai, but there is a whole phalanx of excellent Asian chefs better known in their regions than on the tube. Among these is Corey Lee, chef/owner of Benu, one of San Francisco's top restaurants. He recently was awarded three Michelin stars. That's equivalent to being named the Madison Bumgarner of the kitchen. Read about Corey Lee here. His menu is influenced by Lee's Korean roots. Asian-American chefs are not just sticking to their own cuisines like Nicole Fonseca of New York's Maharlika or Charles Phan of San Francisco's Slanted Door, they are also combining their family recipes with western cooking techniques, fusing with other cuisines and taking advantage of local ingredients, creating whole new dishes. Who would have thought of wrapping Filipino favorite sigsig in a tortilla, like the wildly popular San Francisco Bay Area food truck Captain Sigsig? Lee got the coveted Michelin stars, but he's just the crest of a wave of young Asian-American chefs eager to introduce the food they grew up with - and their culture - to American palates.
I'VE BEEN followed by a store clerk. I've seen women clutch their purses as I approach them. I simmer when a hostess seats me at the worst table in the restaurant and I shrug my shoulders when empty cabs pass me by. Every time I go through airport security, I am always singled out for a pat down. The security guard apologizes and explains that I was randomly chosen. But I know that's a lie. Always. Singled. Out!
I know I'm not alone in these experiences that accumulate like a thousand cuts that shape our world views, mold our self-image, our dreams and expectations. In a sense, I'm lucky. I'm not Trayvon Martin or Michael Brown. I can't even compare my life to theirs. And though my experiences can't match theirs, I can understand their anger and frustration by magnifying my feelings 100-fold. What we share, though, is that we're men of color. Meet Fong Tran. A graduate of UC Berkeley, he's found a home in nearby Davis where he's a program advisor at the Cross Cultural Center at UC Davis. He stumbled on poetry, or spoken word, accidentally. Looking for an easy grade, he enrolled in a poetry class at Cal. What he discovered was that he had things to say and say them in a powerful way. He was able to move people to tears. Tran is now sought as a performer across California and his reputation is spreading nationally. "Dear Young Man of Color" is dedicated to the Sacramento Boys and Men of Color Coalition.
By Fong Tran
Dear Young Man of Color,
I want to begin this letter by saying that I’m sorry
I’m sorry because statistically speaking….
you will become a statistic
that numbers about you and your kind
will run off
like the dates, names, numbers and descriptions
of newspaper Obituaries
Latino males ages Ten to Twenty Four
Nineteen times more likely to be murdered than White counterparts
Two point one million inmates in the prison
Forty point one percent% of them are made up of African Americans
Thirty Nine point six percent% of Southeast Asian Males drop out of high school
You will be America’s most wanted
because you will be America’s most hated stereotype
Thug, Thief, Delinquent, terrorist
murderer, criminal, felon, hoodlum, Gangbanger, Ex-con, Etc.
you will be every policemen’s profile description
They use everything about you, against you
first it was eugenics and they said it was in your genes
then they blamed your hip-hop culture and not the crack dope fiends
but the music was to liberate us
then told control of it
now all it does is break our trust
man, we used to believe in it
then Miley Cyrus appropriated everything
and starting twerking on it
And you’re probably thinking
how’s this Asian kid hood enough
you’re confused
why this model minority
is telling you about oppression
but trust me when I say
there is nothing model about my life
section 8 housing, welfare checks and food stamps
becomes my families helicopter dropped foreign aid
and trust me when I say
that there nothing more gangsta
than have parents that hustle loaves of bread
in destitute Pilipino refugee camps for 8 months
But you see they try to pit us against each other
They force us to play oppression Olympics
but this shit is more like the hunger games
and people are looking to assassinate you
that even though you bear historical scars of slavery
and fucked up immigrant policy
you will be hunted down
they will be coming in packs
and you struggle with minimum wage rags
to hold back the bleeding
they will be coming like the angry villagers
and you will be their needle in their haystacks
and prison industrial complex is the testament
how they will burn the whole house just to get to you
But you will be resilient
you will overcome
that even though everything
will be against you
you are exactly what this world needs
they put you behind bars
just so you wouldn’t raise it
let me make it clear
that even though you start from the bottom
you change society beyond here
you must be the unexpected
the underdog
the unforeseen
the unruly
you will break the molds
Shake status quo,
deconstruct the powers that be
that even though we’ve had innocent fallen
soldiers like Trayon Martin, Fong Le, Jose Montoya
you follow the blood lines and legacy of
Che Cavara, Malcolm X and Richard Aoki
you are destined beyond the statistics that binds you down
it is all a facade, a mirage in the distance
made to hide your greatness
but you will be a champion
you will not let this world change you
IT'S OFFICIAL. The Dodgers announced this morning (Nov. 7) that Farhan Zaidi, one of the A's two assistant managers, will be the new general manager of the Los Angeles baseball team, making him the first Asian American GM of any of U.S. professional sports team. Zaidi is a Canadian with Pakistani parentage but get this - he was raised in the Philippines. So, not only is the the first Asian American GM, he is the first Muslim GM in the United States. The Dodgers, who won the National League West two years in a row, were ousted two years in a row despite having one of the highest payrolls in Major League Baseball. What may irk the Dodgers ownership even more, despite all the money they put out and which - on paper - is the most talented team in the National League, they had to watch from the sidelines as their arch rivals, the San Francisco Giants, went on to win the World Series. With almost an entirely new front office, the Dodgers are showing that they are serious about shoring up the administrative side of the organization to match what they put on the field. But they may also be saying, playing talent is not enough to win the whole shebam. They started by hiring Andrew Friedman, former GM of the Tampa Bay Rays. Friedman's first action was to hire to young baseball administrators who will probably bring a whole new way of operating to the organization, owned by the Guggenheim Baseball Management, that's Guggenheim - as in bankrolls of money. Besides Zaidi, Friedman brought in Josh Byrnes, former GM of the San Diego Padres, as senior vice president of baseball operations. The two hires will bring a new outlook and operations the Dodgers. Zaidi's primary focus will be on the major league team and player acquisitions, while Byrnes will overs scouting and player development, said Friedman.
Zaidi, has been with the A's for 10 years, most recently as assistant general manager/director of baseball operations, after five years as director of baseball operations. Zaidi, 37, earned his bachelor of science degree in economics from Massachusetts Instittue of Technology and a Ph.D in economics from UC, Berkeley. Although totally versed in sabremetrics, that the A's used to combine winning teams with the lowest payrolls, Zaidi is reported to advocate blending old-school scouting methods with the the advanced analytics to combine the best of both diametrically opposed worlds. "He's absolutely brilliant," A's GM Billy Beane told a Chronicle reporter. "He has a great qualitative mind, but also a creative mind. The ability to look at things both micro and macro is unique and Farhan could do whatever he wants to do, not just in this game, but in any sport or business. I'm more worried about losing him to Apple or Google than I am to another team." Dodger fans, to get an idea what you're getting and what direction your team might head, here's a link to an interview.
Jordan Clarkson was drafted by the Los Angeles Lakers.
CAN YOU name the NBA team that could possibly make history by featuring an All-American Asian-American guard tandem?
Can you name the first Filipino American to be drafted by an team in the National Basketball Association?
That's a trick pair of questions. The answer to question one is: The 2014-15 Los Angeles Lakers.
The answer to question two is Raymond Townsend, who was drafted by the Golden State Warior in 1978.
One of the Los Angeles Lakers picks in the 2014 draft was Filipino American Jordan Clarkson, a 6'5" guard who played at University of Missouri. He was initially drafted 46th by the Washington Wizards but was subsequently acquired by the Lakers.
While Clarkson is not the first Filipino American in the NBA, he is the first in 35 years. Bay Area product Townsend played for the Warriors and ended up his career with the Indiana Pacers in 1982. For a few more years, he played for a couple of European professional teams. Ricky Brown was drafted in 1979 by the Houston Rockets. After a short NBA career, he went on to have an illustrious career in the PBA and played for the Philippines in international competition. Ever since Brown and Townsend, there has been a dearth of Filipino American basketball players until last Spring. (CORRECTION: My fault, but in an earlier version of this, spellcheck changed the spelling of "dirth" to something disparaging of Filipino American players. My apologies)
Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak describes Clarkson as "a ball-handling guard that we're excited about drafting." "He's got great size," Kupchak continued. "Good athlete. Really good size. Good defender. Excels probably at attacking the rim. Maybe not as good of a shooter, probably, as he will be when he works on it. He left school a year early. He transferred. So, I'm sure he was thinking that maybe he would get drafted higher and maybe he has a chip on his shoulder -- an expression you've heard today -- to come out and prove something. But we liked his size and we liked his skill at that position."
During the off-season, the Lakers also acquired Jeremy Lin, a San Francisco Bay Area-raised Lin played for Warriors, Houston Rockets, New York Knicks before coming to the Lakers. It was during his New York stint when he generated so much excitement with his scoring and playing style that the New York media dubbed it "Linsanity."
If the Lakers put both Lin and Clarkson on the floor at the same time, they could make history by becoming the first Asian-American backcourt in the NBA.
While playing for Mizzou, he was being scouted by some Philippine Basketball Association teams. He could have played for the PBA if no NBA teams showed any interest. Filipinos are basketball-maniacs and love ball handling skills over height. No doubt, he'll be embraced by Filipino American communities, despite playing for the Lakers.
The sound you hear is another blow to the Asian American male stereotype, reinforced by the performances of Asian American baseball players in the post-season that belie the traits of weakness, unaggressiveness and nerdiness attributed to Asian men.
Clarkson's mother is Annette Davis, who was born in Angeles City in the Philippines.
Clarkson joins a Lakers team that has fallen on hard times. Even then, he may have a hard time finding some playing time playing behind the baseball legends Kobe Bryant and Steve Nash and backed by Lin, who has years of experience on the 22-year-old Clarkson.
"I'm a rookie coming in here," Clarkson admits. "I;m just trying to prove myself. I'm going to do what I do best and try my hardest."
Here's an assessment of Clarkson's abilities by Nbadraft.net
Quick guard with good size who has displayed point guard ability … Ran point the majority of the time during his lone season at Missouri ... Has a strong handle and displays solid vision … Has the ability to post up smaller players and still has quickness to create off of the dribble … Athleticism also allows him to take advantage of bigger defenders, can shoot over them off of the bounce or take them to the basket … Can score from all three levels and is able to create his own offense … Gets low on both ends of the court, moves quite fluidly … His lateral quickness and size gives him potential as a defender, could be versatile guarding the perimeter … Excels at pulling up off of the dribble, giving him the potential to develop a floater as well as spot up ability … Got to the foul line fairly often, shooting 83.1% from the stripe, which would lead many to believe he has a lot of potential from midrange … Has displayed some outside shooting ability. He can be streaky in a good way at times … Used to playing big minutes, and is in excellent condition … Really good body control, use it to create space for opportunities and finishes well around the basket… Decent rebounder given his position, aggressive around the ball … Provides versatility at the guard spot, size and length to defend multiple positions ...
THE PEW RESEARCH CENTER predicts the voter turnout this Nov. 4 will be be below 20 percent. That means the future of your community is being determined by only one out of five voters. The other four-fifths have surrendered their voice - if nothing else, they have surrendered their right to complain.
The pessimism among voters has grown since 2012, thanks to the GOP tactic of trying to stop every initiative of President Obama. From Obama care to his judicial appointments, the Republican-dominated House has done everything it could to stall, bury bills in committees, rejected qualified appointments and outright lied about almost every issue brought forth by the President.
The negative views most people have of government - any government, from city hall to the White House - has found fertile ground in the fear voters have of the economy and the fear that believe the status quo is on shaky ground.
The mid-terms are not as sexy as the presidential elections and it is always difficult to get voters to the polls. But this year will be even more difficult. That's too bad because in many ways, the election of local officials is more impactful on the lives of Main Street Americans than the election of Washington politicians. (See video above.)
You want potholes fixed? Flu shots administered? Better quality water? Garbage picked up on time? Better schools? Ordinary people can talk directly to the local officials and have a greater influence on their own quality of life. The Asian American vote is growing and getting more critical in key states. In California and Hawaii, it is no surprise that the AA vote is influential. A whole generation of Asian American political leaders are learning what it takes in California's city councils, school boards and county boards of supervisors. A small but spirited number are in the state legislature awaiting their Asian brothers and sisters to join them. What may be surprising to most of us is the growing influence of AA voters in the South, even outpacing the Latino vote.
Regular readers here know one of my favorite phrases is: "Democracy is not a spectator sport." In order for it to work, it needs the participation of the people. Voting is your voice. It is a privilege AND it your right. Use it.
If my word doesn't have any sway in your universe, listen to George Takei as he makes a surprise appearance on the Colbert show and talks about the midterms.
The sign calls them the Samal Moros from the island of Mindinao.
ONE-HUNDRED and 10 years ago this summer (2014) Filipinos made their first impression on America at the St. Louis World's Fair of 1904. Unfortunately, it wasn't a good one. Filipino Americans today are still living with the repercussions of the myths and images of that initial meeting.
This month, Filipino-American History Month, it is fitting we take a look back at that dark chapter in American history because its legacy still haunts Filipinos in America.
One of the most popular exhibits of the fair was the entry from the Philippines which featured villages from various parts of the country. There were Muslims (Moros, Tagalogs, Visayans and Igorot tribal people.
For most of the fair visitors, this was their first glimpse of the people from America's Pacific colony with whom the U.S. fought the Philippine-American War. The U.S. media called it a insurrection, but from the Filipino point of view, it was a war for independence. The U.S. government spent $1.5 million to transport 1,300 Filipinos for the display.
The Spanish-American War had just ended and the government wanted to show the American public why it was necessary for the U.S. to civilize the "Little Brown Brothers" from the Philippines. Colonialism was still in flower among the European powers and the U.S. didn't want to be left out of the action. The Europeans and Americans carved up the world and the people living in those colonized countries had no say. The European/U.S. cabal tried to justify their imperialism best exemplified in Rudyard Kipling's notorious poem, "The White Man's Burden," which claimed that Caucasians were the protectors of the world under God and that it was their duty to lead others towards the light of democracy and Christianity and, oh, by the way, give us your gold, silver and other resources in compensation.
The St. Louis Fair, besides the Philippines, had exhibits from other countries that had been colonized. But, far and away, the Philippine exhibit was the most popular.
In advertising for the fair, the Igorots were called the "savages," the "head-hunters" and the "dog-eaters." Unfortunately, for some people, those images of Filipinos still linger in American culture today.
The St. Louis exhibit inspired Dr. Truman Hunt to start his own show the following year at Luna Park on Coney Island. He brought Bontoc Igorots for his "exhibit." When he began taking the Filpinos on tour, he stole from them and treated them badly. The conman was arrested for his crimes for stealing $9,600 in wages and using physical force to exploit the Igorots.
"The Igorrotes were miners and agricultural workers at home, renowned for their highly skilled irrigation and cultivation techniques, which enabled them to transform even the steepest mountainside into thriving rice terraces. There was no room for rice terraces or mines at Luna Park, so Truman had them erect a copper-smelting pant across from the medicine man's hut, which the Igorrotes would use to make their smoking pipes, along with jewelry and other trinkets to sell to their visitors."Excerpted from "The Lost Tribe of Coney Island: Headhunterss, Luna Park, and the Man Who Pulled Off the Spectacle of the Century" (Amazon Publishing/New Harvest) by Clair Prentice.
As might be expected -- as Filipinos do today in the Middle East, in Europe and here in America -- they adapted. And, like today's far-flung Filipinos, not all of them returned to the Philippines. Their descendants are still with us. They, reportedly, still suffer shame and guilt from the abuse their ancestors' had to endure.
UPDATED (OCT. 18, 2015):
One researcher, Robert Galloway, in his article "Rediscovering the 1904 Worlds Fair: Human Bites Human," debunked the stories of exploitation but as he explained some of the actions of the fairgoers, he also falls into the trap of seeing the tribes people as objects instead of real live human beings.
One Ohio man, who has Igorot roots, wants to exorcise those demons by constructing an Ifugao Igorot house in St. Louis. He raised money for his project on the Internet and even though he fell short of the $20,000 he needed, he is beginning his project anyway.
The next time you see the old classic movie "Meet In St. Louis" and Judy Garland sings the title song, when she sings "We'll dance the hootchy kootchy," think about what might have inspired those lyrics.
The transplanted Igorots performed a dance for onlookers.
Curiously, the article doesn't have a byline, but it reads like someone who is writing from outside of the U.S. One of the artists on the list is young rapper Ruby Ibarra, a Fililpino/American based in San Francisco. You won't see her singing "Dahil Sa Iyo" or dancing the tinkling, but you're more likely to find her in the alleys and avenues of San Francisco's SoMa or Daly City. What I like about her work is that she places her heritage front and center in her work. She doesn't pussyfoot around. Her work shouts out: "I am Filipino and it is part of what makes ME." Listen closely to her work. Her lyrics of "The Movement," could have come out of the 1960s Asian/American movement on college campuses or from the People Power movement that toppled the Marcos regime. Yeah! I have to admit, I don't closely follow rap, an art form born out of the pent-up anger bubbling in the African/American urban ghettoes of Watts, Oakland, Atlanta, Detroit, Chicago and New York. I strongly disagree with a lot of the mysognist lyrics, but I appreciate the source of their anger and a lot of what they express about American society and race relations. Ruby has taken the art form and added a Filipino twist, often switching to Tagalog, then back to English. She has quite a following in the Bay Area clubs but she may be on the verge of breaking through to the big time. Listen and watch more of her performances here or on Youtube. Can she be the voice of young Filipino Americans? She may be too edgy for the kids who are more worried about their grades or social life than making the world a better place. Let's just say she is "one" of the voices representing our youth, but what a voice -- talking about injustice, revolution and being brown -- with lots of attitude!
OH MY GOSH! This looks exciting, sexy, intriguing. Netflix will be airing a new series "Marco Polo" starting this December 12. This gives us something to do on those cold, wet winter months when we're cooped up with no desire to expose ourselves to the elements. In my earlier post about fall TV series featuring Asian characters, this one skipped by me. What an oversight, but that's what happens when blogging is only a hobby, not a job. My apologies!
San Francisco's own Joan Chen.
The fictionalized account of the real-life explorer Marco Polo will also place Asia (China specifically, but who knows where it will go?) in America's living rooms. It will also give a lot of work for Asian actors, most of whom are unknown to American' viewers.
The great thing about a series like this is that it gives time to develop the characters beyond the one-dimensional characterizations given to most Asian characters. What it means is that American audiences will actually have a chance to "care" for or understand the motivations of people who might not look like them.
Billed as another "Game of Thrones," it stars Lorenzo Richelmy in the title role. Expect it to be heavy on the swordplay, drugs and sex.
Marco Polo is played by Lorenzo Richelmy in a scene from the Netflix swashbuckler.
"Marco, the blood of an adventurer courses through your veins," Marco is told in one scene. Speaking of blood, plenty of it appears to be getting spilled in the series," writes the Hollywood Reporter. In a world replete with greed, betrayal, sexual intrigue and rivalry, "Marco Polo" is based on the famed explorer's adventures in Kublai Khan's court in 13th century China. Created by John Fusco, Marco Polo also features Benedict Wong (Prometheus), Joan Chen (Twin Peaks) and Chin Han (Arrow). The show is produced by Netflix and The Weinstein Company. At a cost of $90 million for the first ten episodes this is a BIG production. It is being filmed in Italy, Kazakhstan and Malaysia.
If the teaser trailer and if producer Fusco's resume of "Homeland" and "Game of Thrones," is any indication of what to expect, I can't wait!
Zelda and Cody Williams watch their brother Zak throw out the first pitch of Game 5 of the 2014 World Series in San Francisco at AT&T Park.
THE CHILDREN of the late Robin Williams threw out the first pitch of Game 5 of the 2014 World Series between the Kansas City Royals and the San Francisco Giants.
The comedian was a big Giants fan since he lived in the Bay Area and was often seen at the ball park with his good friend, fellow comedian Billy Crystal.
Williams second wife, Marsha Garces, was Filipino American, with whom he had two children, Zelda and Cody.
Crystal caught the ball thrown by Cody Williams while his brother and sister watched.
After Crystal caught the ball, he directed the fans' attention to the scoreboard where a video of Williams shouting out the iconic, "Pl-a-a-ay Ball!" to start the game.
The tribute ended with the final video images of Williams, chanting "Let's Go Giants!" while
twirling an orange towel then hugging mascot Lou Seal.
A file photo of the late comedian Robin Williams and his family.
###
10/26/14: The Giants honor Robin Williams as his children Zelda, Zak and Cody take part in the first pitch with Billy Crystal before Game 5
AS BASEBALL'S POPULARITY grows throughout the world, players from other countries are starting to get the attention of major league teams. We've seen the influx of players from the Caribbean and how they're impacting the game. Players from Asia, namely Taiwan, South Korea and Japan have also are making strides in the big leagues. They're easy to spot by their surnames.
However, Asian American players are a little tougher to identify. Many have Latino or European last names. Despite growing up with the sport in Little League, Babe Ruth and school teams, they're still a relative rarity.
We recently wrote about Kolten Wong of the St. Louis Cardinals and Travis Ishikawa of the Giants and their contributions to the post-season.
Let's start with another Asian American player -- Royals pitcher Jeremy Guthrie, who throttled the Giants' hitters for five innings in Game 3 and was the eventual winning pitcher.
Born and raised in Hawaii, Guthrie's mother is of Japanese descent.
After graduating from Stanford in 2002 he was drafted by the Cleveland Indians. He bounced around several teams until he was picked up by the Royals where blossomed into one of Kansas City's top hurlers.
The Freak
ALMOST forgotten in the post season is the Giant's Tim Lincecum, a Filipino American, who grew up in the Seattle area and played for the University of the Washington Huskies.
His mother is a third-generation Filipino American. Her grandparents immigrated to Hawaii as part of the sakada movement to work on the sugar plantation. Though he is reluctant to talk about his mother, who divorced Tim's father when Lincecum was in high school, he freely acknowledges his Filipino roots. The death of his mother's father, Lolo Asis, impacted him deeply. In interviews, he calls himself Filipino, not half-Filipino.
Tim Lincecum's role with the Giants may have been diminished, but he's still a fan favorite.ilipino, not half-Filipino.
Oh yeah, lest we forget, Lincecum was winner of two consecutive Cy Young Awards in the National League in 2008 and 2009. He probably should have won the award for the National League's best pitcher in 2010, too, after winning his two World Series starts against the American League's Texas Rangers including his dominating performance in Game 5 in which he struck out 10 leading to the Giant's first World Series championship in 56 years.
From 2008 to 2010, his stuff was unhittable. His reputation of having the "nastiest" pitches were well-deserved. He holds the Giant's record for having the most games with 10 strikeouts or more.
Alas, in recent year's he's fallen on hard times. His fastball has lost its velocity and his control has been unpredictable.
What is not sporadic is the love fans have for him. When Lincecum came in as a reliever in the 2nd game against the Kansas City Royals, Finnerty's, the New York bar known for its loyal Giants following, exploded in cheers and TV watchers stood up and applauded.
It was the first time "The Freak" was called into a game this post-seasson. People were wondering if Bruce Bochy, the Giants manager, had lost faith on his one-time All-Star. For an inning and two-thirds, he looked like the Lincecum of old. Then he tweaked his back and had to be taken out. By Game 3, he was deemed ready to go by the team doctors. What role he'll play the rest of the game is uncertain, but my guess is that Lincecum will pitch again before this series is over.
Giants right fielder Hunter Pence has attracted the attention of Seinfeld fans throughout the country when he first tweeted from a line from a Seinfeld episode: "These pretzels are making me thirsty." New York Mets fans brought a few signs to the next game and that started an avalanche of clever signs directed at Pence, which he enjoys reading. Baseball fans everywhere have carried the tradition right into the World Series. The sign pictured at the top of this post is one of my favorites. Hint: You have to be familiar with Filipino accents to really appreciate it. Royals' fans got into the spirit:
