From the Editor | Bayanihan Newsletter, November 2026
In this November issue of Bayanihan Newsletter, we celebrate what makes Rizal Center a home away from home: the people who gather here, the stories they carry, and the relationships they nurture. Over the past three years, engaging seniors through activities under one roof has created opportunities for natural social connections. The elderly-centered Lots of Love (LOL) program gives this work a culturally sensitive and creative expression.
Connie Triggiano’s account of the October 21 Lots of Love Variety Show brings that purpose vividly into view. Seniors familiar to us as companions at Wednesday gatherings became singers, storytellers, comedians, and actors. Their performances, welcomed with laughter and applause, revealed how a supportive community can encourage people to share talents and rediscover confidence. We are pleased to feature her story in these pages.
Behind this joyful occasion is a serious purpose. Lots of Love responds to concerns about loneliness, anxiety, and isolation, alongside the collective trauma of the pandemic and its anti-Asian aftermath. The project identifies xenophobic rhetoric surrounding COVID-19, including messages circulated by some politicians and media voices, as part of the climate that fueled fear and hostility toward Asian Americans. Its thematic focus includes anti-Asian hate and anti-immigrant actions affecting Filipino American communities, with particular concern for elders’ safety, dignity, and belonging.
From an editor’s perspective, telling these stories means making room for both hardship and agency. Our elders deserve opportunities to describe their experiences, express their hopes, and help shape our community’s response. Lots of Love seeks to strengthen their voices while building awareness and support among younger generations. This intergenerational commitment connects everyday care with the broader work of solidarity and ending anti-Asian injustice.
The program’s aspirations include more creative and therapeutic activities addressing seniors’ loneliness, anxiety, and depression. Planned opportunities such as drama therapy, music and art workshops, and other expressive outlets aim to support emotional well-being and connection. Through the Theatre for Elderly Action (TEA) and Circa Pintig partnerships, the program expanded its outreach and seeks to welcome more seniors and help rebuild confidence and self-expression disrupted by pandemic isolation and anti-Asian hate crimes.
A central aspiration is a senior-engaged production of “Garet: Pinoys (Filipinos) in Chicago,” an original work by Filipino senior Dr. Rey de la Cruz. Following four Filipino immigrants caring for an ailing friend, the play explores homesickness, isolation, grief, and strength found in community. The variety show’s excerpt offered a glimpse of its potential to invite reflection, conversation, and healing.
Connie’s article gives us encouraging evidence of participation, creativity, and shared enjoyment. It also invites us to imagine what sustained support can make possible. As you read this issue, we hope you recognize our elders as artists, neighbors, advocates, and keepers of community memory. May Rizal Center continue to be a place where they feel at home—and where every generation helps sustain that welcome.
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