HP Weekly Link-Up: "My Family's Slave" Goes Viral, Whang-Od in the NYT, & Hella New Music from the PH

While we might be constantly plugged in via smartphones/tablets/laptops, the tons of information we're bombarded with can sometimes be overwhelming - that's why we've rounded up some of the top Pilipinx/API-related stories from around the internets to help filter out the noise. From culture news and Pinxys who made headlines to personal essays, politics, etc, here's what we were reading last week.

"My Family's Slave" by Alex Tizon

We're pretty sure you've already either read it or heard about it, but the internet exploded last week over The Atlantic's cover story "My Family's Slave" about Eudocia Tomas Pulido and written by the late, Pulitzer-prize winning journalist Alex Tizon. The piece has sparked fierce reactions and debate both within and outside of the Pilipinx community, and people have been harshly criticizing, defending, and also calling attention to the fact that this is a complex issue which needs to be understood in the context of centuries of history, colonialism, imperialism, and deeply ingrained values of service and utang na loob. It's an extremely thought-provoking piece about an issue that touches all of us and that I think all Pilipinx felt strongly toward in one way or another. As Ninotchka Rosca writes, "Few have childhood memories without the presence of the caretaker, the yaya, the utusan (the one commanded), katulong (helpmate), kasambahay (home companion) - and now, the industrialized domestic worker." It's definitely a difficult and emotional read that's inspired tons of responses, here are some by Pinxy writers that we particularly felt: "Processing Through Alex Tizon's Story About 'Lola' Eudocia Tomas Pulido" by Barbara Jane Reyes, "Women's Servitude Blights Philippine Society" by Ninotchka Rosca, and "Don't Pretend to Understand Lola Pulido's Situation" by Mike Ricca.

Photo courtesy of Alex Tizon via The Atlantic — Photo courtesy of Alex Tizon via *The Atlantic*

"At 100 or So, She Keeps a Philippine Tattoo Tradition Alive" by Aurora Almendral

Profile on Whang-Od in The New York Times which talks about the mixed blessings of her fame, the effects of tattoo tourists on Buscalan, and her influence on the next generation.

Photo by Jes Aznar for The New York Times — Photo by Jes Aznar for *The New York Times*

"Basically Nobody Knows Who Counts As An Asian Person" by Carla Herreria

Results from the 2016 Post-Election National Asian American Survey shows that many people are confused about which ethnic groups fall under the category of Asian, and even some Asians aren’t sure who is technically Asian - which is detrimental to America’s understanding of the Asian experience, and means people see and hear only selective narratives. "The perception of Filipinos as Asian fell somewhat in the middle of the data collected in the study - with a higher percentage of all ethnic groups except for Asian-Americans reporting that Filipinos are less likely to be Asian, when compared to the results from Chinese, Korean and Japanese people."

Courtesy of The Huffington Post — Courtesy of *The Huffington Post*

"Man of the People" by Sabina Murray

This actually came out the week before last but VICE News did a big piece on the Duterte presidency that analyzes his popularity amongst mostly poor Pilipinx despite extra-judicial killings that disproportionately affect the barangay communities.