"Promised Land" by Simeon G. Silverio, Jr. PROMISED LAND, the inspiring story of two cousins who married Filipino American U.S. Navy personnel to be able to migrate to the United States and help their relatives back home only to find out that the adventure was not as easy as they hoped it to be. As a piece of Filipino American experience, this story applies to the lives of all people. Excerpts from the book: "You must join the U.S. Navy so we can live abroad," Isabel often told her boyfriend Lando as they walked in the park, weaving dreams for their future together. He would just shrug his shoulders in response. - from Chapter 1 - Her U.S. Navy Dreamboat The clash of two cultures, Filipino and Mexican, had taken its toll. He grew weary of the enchiladas, tacos, burritos and other Mexican dishes she prepared repeatedly. He longed for the Filipino dishes from his native land that he would always eat as a child. Teresa would not let him cook his favorite adobo and tuyo (dried fish) due to their stinking up the house. When he brought her to the Philippines, Teresa refused to stay and sleep in their house in the barrio. "It is hot and there are lizards on the ceiling," she complained. - from Chapter 3, Trophy Wife "Let me make this clear with you again," Ditas once told Romy when he accosted her while tipsy from drinking with friends nearby. "I will never marry you even if you are the last man on earth." The friends laughed hard and Romy retreated in shame. The next day he left town and she didn't hear from him until she received a letter from the United States Naval Base in San Diego from her jilted suitor, now a member of the U.S. Navy. - from Chapter 5 - The Last man on Earth One evening, when Romy and his friends were drinking in the house, Ditas showed Andy the photo of Isabel. "Check her out, Andy," she told him. "She's looking for a boyfriend here in America." "No way," Andy replied. "I know what she's up to. She will just marry and leave me once she gets her green card." "But she's very pretty," Romy told his friend. "With your looks, you can never have a wife as beautiful as her." - from Chapter 8 - Pretty Girl's Photo "Is this your first time riding an airplane?" her seatmate, a woman in her fifties, asked Isabel. "How did you know?" "Because you're holding your bag tightly and you look scared. And also, that huge envelope in plastic bag contains the x-ray film carried by first time immigrants." Isabel sheepishly smiled. - from Chapter 12 - Land of Milk and Honey
Simeon G. Silverio, Jr. was born and raised in Manila, Philippines, and educated at the Juan Sumulong Elementary School and Arellano High School, in Manila. He obtained his AB degree in Journalism at the University of the Philippines and took graduate courses for a Master in Communications and a Master in Business Administration at the Ateneo de Manila University. He was a managing editor of Sunburst Publications, publisher of international magazines. He also edited Business Ventures in the Philippines & Asia. He was reluctant to leave his thriving career in the Philippines when he had an opportunity to migrate to the United States in 1982. However, the assassination of Marcos critic Benigno Aquino a few months later, which resulted in the collapse of the Philippine economy, gave him the obvious choice. He knew he would be competing against U.S. educated American journalists with English as mother tongue in mainstream newspapers. Even if he were hired, he would just be given minor assignments that would not give him much professional fulfillment. Aware that his advantage was his knowledge of the Asian and Filipino community, he published the Asian Journal, the first Filipino weekly newspaper in San Diego County. It had been a successful business and fulfilled him professionally. Like others, he first wrote and commented about the conditions in the Philippines. Writers had done it before; sadly, their suggestions often fell on deaf ears. He realized such articles would only be relevant for a few days and would soon be overtaken by events and forgotten. He remembered his parents telling them stories of their childhood during dinners. He lamented the fact his Filipino American daughters, born and raised in America, did not have any idea of their Filipino parents' backgrounds. From then on, he started writing about his memories while growing up in the Philippines so his daughters and grandchildren will eventually know and appreciate them. He hopes his readers will also pass on such information, as contained in his writings, to their progeny so the next generation of Filipino Americans, at least in San Diego, will not be totally in the dark about their Filipino heritage. This is one of the reasons why he continues to write, and why his writings are published into books - so they can be preserved for posterity. In 1999, he co-founded the Los Angeles Asian Journal and later moved on to focus on his business interests in San Diego, California, where he lives.
