I first met Noli Aurillo and his partner, Bessy, at Tago Jazz Café, where he performed frequently. I became an instant fan of his quieter solo guitar music. Sometimes Bessy and I would watch together. On March 25, 2022, I made my first venture out into night life since the beginning of the pandemic and discovered Tago was doing an evening tribute to him. I hadn’t
known that he’d died. I sat with Bessy, who was upset about an article that had appeared in a local paper, and told her she could tell her story here however she wanted to. … Read More
At the end of August of 2021, I was very saddened to hear from Sarita Chiu, daughter of Susan Quimpo (pronounced Kimpo), that Susan had died last summer of systemic scleroderma, a rare autoimmune disease that affected her heart and lung. The Cultural Center of the Philippines is now preparing to honor her as one of the departed individuals who were part of their community. Susan is an author of Subversive Lives: a Family Memoir of the Marcos Year and a popular speaker on that topic, bringing history to people who are too young to 