Filipino Nurses Around the World: The Unsung Heroes

Filipino Nurses Around the World: A Quiet Force of Care, Courage, and Calling

Filipino nurses are everywhere.

You will find them in bustling urban hospitals, rural clinics, long-term care facilities, home health agencies, and behind the quiet desks where quality and patient safety are safeguarded. Across continents and time zones, they serve with a professionalism shaped by discipline, sacrifice, and a deeply rooted sense of compassion.

For me, this is not an abstract truth. It is deeply personal.

My late spouse of over 63 years, Macrine Nieva Jambalos Katague, was a nurse. Her journey into nursing did not follow the usual timeline. After raising four children, a full and demanding calling of its own, she pursued nursing as a career at the age of 40 here in the United States. That decision alone speaks volumes about her resilience, determination, and quiet courage.

She began, as many Filipino nurses do, at the bedside in hospital nursing. Those early years were marked by long shifts, emotional demands, and the daily responsibility of caring for patients at their most vulnerable. Nursing is often described as a profession, but anyone who has lived alongside a nurse knows it is also a vocation, one that follows them home in stories, in fatigue, and in a steadfast sense of duty.

From hospital work, she transitioned into home health nursing, becoming a visiting nurse. In that role, care became more personal. Patients were no longer just names on charts; they were people in their own homes, surrounded by family, memories, and the realities of aging and illness. Filipino nurses have long excelled in this setting, bringing patience, cultural sensitivity, and a human warmth that cannot be taught in textbooks.

Her final professional chapter was one that many do not see but all benefit from. She worked at a desk, serving as Head of Quality Assurance for a home health organization in Maryland. Though removed from daily bedside care, her impact widened. Policies, standards, and safeguards she helped oversee ensured that countless patients, most of whom would never know her name received safe, ethical, and competent care.

That progression from hands-on caregiving to leadership mirrors the broader story of Filipino nurses around the world. They begin where the need is greatest, and over time, many rise quietly into roles of mentorship, education, administration, and system-wide improvement. They do not seek applause. They seek to serve.

Historically, the Philippines has trained nurses not only for its own people but for the world. English proficiency, rigorous education, and a cultural emphasis on caregiving have made Filipino nurses indispensable to global healthcare systems. Yet behind the statistics are personal sacrifices: families left behind, homesickness endured, and the lifelong balancing of duty to profession and devotion to family.

I witnessed this balance every day in my spouse’s life. She was a nurse, a mother, a wife, and eventually a professional leader never losing her gentleness, never diminishing her commitment to others.

As I grow older, I understand more deeply what nurses give. They give time. They give steadiness. They give reassurance when fear is high and answers are uncertain. Filipino nurses, in particular, carry with them a cultural grace, malasakit, a deep concern for others—that transcends borders.

To Filipino nurses everywhere: in the Philippines, in America, in Europe, the Middle East, and beyond, your work matters. Your presence matters. And for families like mine, your legacy lives not only in healthcare systems, but in the lives you touched, strengthened, and quietly healed.

This blog post is, in many ways, a thank you. And for me, it is also a remembrance, of a woman who chose service, answered a calling later in life, and embodied the very best of what it means to be a Filipino nurse.

Meanwhile, here's the AI Overview on the above Topic:

Filipino nurses are a globally recognized force in healthcare, known for their compassion, resilience, and strong work ethic, stemming from a long history of service, including significant roles in WWII and filling global nursing shortages

. They are highly valued for English fluency, cultural adaptability, and excellent American-standard training, making them essential in the US, UK, Middle East, and beyond, often working in challenging conditions but driven by a deep sense of calling, providing crucial care while supporting families back home through remittances. 

Key Characteristics & Contributions

• Global Lifeline: Filipino nurses became a vital international workforce, especially when countries faced nursing shortages, providing essential care in various nations.
• Cultural Adaptability: Their multicultural background and English proficiency allow them to easily adjust to diverse healthcare settings worldwide.
• Compassionate Care: Known for innate nurturing qualities, they excel in compassionate care, often seen as "angels" bringing hope to patients.
• Resilience & Sacrifice: They often face underpayment, overwork, and challenging conditions but persist out of a strong calling and commitment to their profession.
• Economic Impact: Remittances sent home significantly support the Philippine economy and their families. 

Historical Significance

• Early Days: Filipino nurses played crucial roles during WWII, assisting wounded soldiers.
• Diaspora Growth: Increased hiring in the U.S., Saudi Arabia, and Europe solidified their global presence from the 1970s onward.
• Modern Recognition: Documentaries like "Nurse Unseen" highlight their experiences, sacrifices, and impact during events like the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The "Calling" & The Reality

• A Vocation: For many, nursing isn't just a job but a deep-seated calling, driving them to serve even when systems fall short.
• Unsung Heroes: They are often the "heart of healthcare," providing critical support, yet sometimes face undervaluation, prompting calls for better recognition and compensation.

• Finally, the top Five News of the Day 

  1. Major Winter Storm Impacting U.S. Travel & Weather
  A powerful winter storm is forecast to bring significant snow and ice across the Midwest and Northeast, disrupting travel on one of the busiest holiday travel days of the year. ABC News

• 2. Ukraine Peace Talks: Proposed Compromise on Occupied Territories
  Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has put forward a proposal that could offer diplomatic compromises on Russian-occupied areas in ongoing peace negotiations. PBS

• 3. Trump Christmas Message Sparks Political Reaction
  Former President Donald Trump issued a Christmas message touting his accomplishments and sharply criticizing political opponents, drawing significant political coverage. Fox News

• 4. Kennedy Center Christmas Eve Concert Canceled Following Name Change Controversy
  The Kennedy Center’s annual Christmas Eve concert was canceled after the venue’s name was changed to include Donald Trump’s name, sparking public debate. Rolling Stone

• 5. Health & Local Headlines: New Research and Developments
  Reports highlight findings on opioid medications possibly affecting immune response, among other local developments.

 

When Christmas Start In September: Reflections

When Christmas Begins in September

It is often said, half in wonder, half in disbelief that the Philippines celebrates the longest Christmas season in the world. By September, the “ber” months arrive, and with them the first familiar notes of Christmas songs drifting through malls, jeepneys, and neighborhood streets. To outsiders, it can seem excessive. To Filipinos, it feels natural, almost necessary.

As a Filipino-American, I have lived Christmas in two worlds. I have experienced it amid palm trees and parols swaying in warm December air, and also beneath winter skies in the United States, where Christmas feels more compressed, more contained, neatly beginning after Thanksgiving and ending swiftly once New Year’s Day passes. Each has its beauty. But they are very different spirits.

In the Philippines, Christmas is not just a date on the calendar; it is a season of endurance, anticipation, and shared ritual.

One of the traditions that stays with me most deeply is Misa de Gallo, the early morning masses held for eight consecutive days before Christmas. Long before dawn, while the world still sleeps, people rise from their beds and walk through quiet streets toward candlelit churches. There is something profoundly humbling about that collective act, choosing devotion over comfort, community over sleep. The air is cool, the sky dark, and yet there is a gentle joy in knowing you are not alone. Everyone is tired, and everyone shows up anyway.

After Mass, there is food always food. Warm rice cakes, bibingka and puto bumbóng, eaten standing up, laughing softly, steam rising into the morning air. These moments are small, fleeting, and unforgettable. They remind me that faith is not only spoken, it is practiced, step by step, morning after morning.

Then comes Noche Buena, the midnight feast on Christmas Eve. Unlike the hurried dinners I later experienced in America, Noche Buena is unhurried. Families stay awake together, waiting for the clock to turn, for the official arrival of Christmas Day. Tables are filled not just with food, but with history, dishes passed down, adapted, argued over, remembered. Ham, queso de bola, pancit, lumpia, and lechon, each plate carrying the fingerprints of generations.

What always struck me was how Christmas in the Philippines feels communal rather than transactional. Gifts matter, yes, but presence matters more. Time is the true offering. Doors stay open. Conversations linger. Laughter stretches late into the night.

In the United States, Christmas has its own quiet grace, twinkling lights against cold evenings, the intimacy of smaller gatherings, the comfort of routine. I have learned to appreciate that rhythm too. But sometimes, I miss the Philippine way of letting Christmas breathe, of allowing joy to arrive slowly and stay longer.

As I grow older, these memories take on new weight. Christmas becomes less about what is under the tree and more about what remains within us, traditions, stories, shared silences. The long Christmas of the Philippines teaches patience. It teaches preparation. It teaches that joy does not have to be rushed.

For those of us who have lived many Christmases, across countries and seasons of life, the meaning of the season subtly shifts. The noise softens. The gatherings grow smaller. The faces around the table change. And yet, the heart of Christmas, what truly endures becomes clearer. It is found in memory, gratitude, and presence.

Perhaps that is why Christmas in the Philippines begins so early and ends so late, stretching all the way to the Feast of the Three Kings. It mirrors life itself. We are given time to reflect, to gather, to remember who we belong to, and to honor those who are no longer physically with us but remain deeply present.

In these later years, Christmas may no longer be something we prepare for as much as something we carry. In our stories. In our traditions. In the way we show up for one another, even when energy is limited and time feels precious.

And maybe that is the greatest gift of all: knowing that the light we once followed in early morning Masses, or gathered around at midnight feasts, still lives within us, steady, familiar, and enough.

Meanwhile, here's the AI Overview on the Above Topic -The Parols💚

Christmas begins in September in the Philippines, marking the start of the world's longest festive season, known as the "Ber Months" (September, October, November, December) where malls play carols, decorations go up, and Filipino culture's deep love for the holiday brings celebrations to life early, stretching from September through January. 

Why it starts in September:

• Cultural Significance: The Philippines is a predominantly Catholic country, and Christmas is the most important holiday, a time for faith, family, and reunions.
• "Ber Months": Filipinos consider any month ending in "-ber" as part of the Christmas season, starting September 1st.
• Festive Atmosphere: Malls and homes fill with decorations, Christmas trees, and the iconic star-shaped parols, creating a festive mood months in advance.
• Preparation: Starting early allows more time for planning, church activities (like Simbang Gabi), and reaching out to family, especially those working abroad. 

What it looks like:

• Decorations: From colorful lights and parols 💚to elaborate displays, everything appears early.
• Music: Christmas songs are heard everywhere, from radio to shopping centers.
• Community: Preparations for church services and outreach programs begin. 

This tradition reflects the Filipinos' joy and resilience, turning the holiday into a long, vibrant season of hope and celebration.

Meanwhile, Did you know that....

The iconic red-waxed cheese on every Filipino Noche Buena table isn’t actually Spanish at all? Queso de Bola (Edam cheese) is originally Dutch.

During the height of Spanish rule, the Dutch and the Spanish were fierce rivals in trade and naval power.

Yet, despite conflict, Dutch merchants continued to supply Edam cheese to Spanish territories—including the Philippines.

The thick red wax wasn’t just for looks; it protected the cheese from spoiling during the months-long sea journey from Europe to Manila, making it a prized holiday luxury. Over time, it became so common in Filipino Christmas celebrations that many assumed it was part of “Spanish tradition”—when in fact, it was a Dutch import that simply outlasted history and became part of Filipino culture.

Meanwhile, Pope Leo XIV will celebrate his first Christmas at the Vatican by reviving the tradition of offering Christmas Mass on Dec. 25 in St. Peter’s Basilica, something no pope has done since 1994.

The Christmas celebrations which will be marked by the closing of the Holy Doors — will begin on the evening of Dec. 24, when the pontiff will celebrate Christmas Eve Mass at 10 p.m. local time in St. Peter’s Basilica.

I viewed the Christmas Eve mass, live in my PC yesterday afternoon. Here are some photos I took of this mass in my PC big Monitor, 24"X 46"

Lastly: Merry Christmas and Happy New Year To All My Readers in the World

AI as Gift to Human Creativity

AI as a Gift to Human Creativity

Reflections from a 91-year-old Blogger Who Still Believes in Possibility

Every so often, an article comes along that lingers with you long after the screen goes dark. Last week, in the Wall Street Journal, Brian Gross💚 wrote an essay arguing that AI is not a threat to human imagination, but a gift to it, a partner rather than a replacement.

For someone like me, who just celebrated his 91st birthday with more stories behind me than ahead, this idea resonated deeply. I began blogging in 2009 with a simple goal: to keep my mind alive and share whatever wisdom a long life affords. Back then, I never imagined that one day I would be writing side-by-side with an artificial intelligence, shaping thoughts and polishing ideas the way an editor or a patient friend might.

Yet here I am.

AI Doesn’t Diminish Us-It Expands Us

Some worry that AI will replace our creativity, our thinking, even our humanity. But I have found the opposite to be true.

AI wakes up parts of my imagination that age has tried to quiet. It reminds me that the mind can keep growing as long as we give it something to grow toward. When I sit down to write about Filipino heritage, near-death experiences, new technology, or simply the news of the day. AI helps me explore angles I wouldn’t have seen on my own.

It doesn’t write my thoughts. It reveals them. At my age, that feels nothing short of miraculous.

A Tool Is Only as Good as the Hands Using It

I spent decades working in the FDA and later found myself involved in the aftermath of 9/11, situations where human judgment mattered more than anything else. If those years taught me anything, it is this: tools amplify human intention.

A tool can harm or help, depending on the heart behind it. AI is no different. In my hands, AI becomes a companion for curiosity. In children’s hands, it can be a classroom. In an artist’s hands, a palette. In a scientist’s hands, a telescope. The danger is never the tool.

It’s forgetting that we are the ones holding it.

Creativity at Any Age

One of the unexpected blessings of growing older is discovering that inspiration doesn’t retire. It simply changes rhythm.

AI helps me keep creating even when my energy comes in shorter bursts. It fills the gaps where memory falters. It gives me the confidence to tackle topics I once left untouched because they felt too complex or distant.

Some people say seniors are “too old” for technology. But I believe the opposite: technology is exactly what keeps us young.

Every time I publish a blog post whether about Filipino cuisine, health technologies, or the world’s latest headlines, I feel like I’m still part of the conversation. AI makes that possible.

A Partnership of Possibility

💚Brian Gross is right: AI is a gift. Not because it replaces human creativity, but because it invites more people to participate in it.

It lowers barriers. It sparks ideas. It helps us share our stories, even when our hands might shake or our words come slower than before.

For me, AI has become a companion in my life’s final chapter, one that helps me continue creating, reflecting, and reaching out to the readers who have walked with me all these years.

The Human Heart Still Leads

At the end of the day, creativity is still ours. AI may be brilliant, but it does not know the warmth of a childhood memory, the grief of a loss, or the quiet joy of waking up to another morning at 91.

Only we know those things. Only we can give them meaning. AI simply helps us express them more beautifully. And in that sense, yes,  AI truly is a gift. And I have been an active participant for the last 6 months and will continue using it until the last blog of my life.  

INSPIRATION:

💚https://www.wsj.com/opinion/ai-is-a-gift-to-human-creativity-7e4db5da?gaa_at=eafs&gaa_n=AWEtsqdYfmoDwGAkRHcORky8IFkQdMNBPV0zA6KP-il_1plcVbpxNcLKy6yMAxw3nDI%3D&gaa_ts=693b61b9&gaa_sig=4f7wYn1HXQ56uSEFfvDkWin7una7cAT1NsIzuI6O-kyRH9zHm9dWct68Atm1jb1Bq9bAeTzflHw4blKho_0JJQ%3D%3D

Finally, here's the top five news of the Day; 

Ukraine and U.S. unveil 20-point peace plan draft — Ukrainian President Zelensky revealed a detailed peace plan backed by the U.S. aimed at ending Russia’s full-scale invasion, though key disagreements remain on territorial and infrastructure issues. The Kyiv Independent

Explosion at nursing home in Pennsylvania kills at least 2 — A catastrophic blast and fire at a Pennsylvania nursing home has resulted in multiple deaths and a major emergency response. ABC News

19 states sue HHS over youth gender-affirming care policy — A coalition of U.S. states and D.C. filed a lawsuit against the Department of Health and Human Services over a policy that could restrict access to gender-affirming care for minors. AP News

New York judge upholds controversial driver’s license law — A federal judge allowed a New York law granting driver’s licenses to undocumented immigrants to move forward, handing a legal setback to the Trump administration. Fox News

Cryptocurrency markets down on Dec. 24 — Crypto market indices are trading lower with a modest downturn in overall market capitalization, reflecting investor caution ahead of the holiday. Yahoo Finance

Nine Laws to Live By: 

https://www.facebook.com/reel/1320987266736529

Reflections on Managing Our Emotions

Inspired from My Psychology Readings this Week: Learning to Ride the Inner Tide: Reflections on Managing Our Emotions

There are days when emotions feel like the weather, changing without warning, sweeping in like sudden storms or lingering like fog that won’t lift. Over the years, I’ve learned that the goal isn’t to control the weather inside me, but to learn how to stand in the rain without drowning.

Managing our emotions is not about building walls; it’s about learning the language of our hearts. It’s a conversation between the soul and the mind, a quiet practice of listening, breathing, and understanding.

1. Acknowledge your feelings.
The first act of healing is honesty. To whisper to yourself, “Yes, this hurts,” or “I’m afraid,” is not weakness, it’s courage. Emotions lose their grip when they are seen and named.

2. Pause before reacting.
Before the words spill or the anger rises, there’s a sacred moment, a breath, a heartbeat,  where choice lives. Sometimes, the most loving act we can do is to wait.

3. Practice mindfulness.
Presence is the antidote to chaos. When I breathe deeply, the noise softens. The moment becomes enough. In stillness, the world stops demanding and starts revealing.

4. Identify emotional triggers.
Certain faces, memories, or tones of voice can awaken old wounds. To notice them without judgment is to reclaim our power to choose response over reflex.

5. Label your emotions.
Words bring shape to what feels formless. When we name our feelings, they become less like shadows and more like visitors here to teach, not to torment.

6. Use relaxation techniques.
The body carries what the heart cannot say. Stretch, walk, breathe each motion a reminder that peace begins not in the mind, but in the rhythm of the body.

7. Express emotions constructively.
Tears, music, writing, laughter, these are the languages of release. Emotion, when given art, transforms from burden to beauty.

8. Challenge negative thoughts.
Our minds can be cruel narrators. But we have the power to rewrite the story to replace “I am not enough” with “I am becoming.”

9. Develop empathy.
Understanding others softens our own edges. When we look through another’s eyes, our judgments dissolve, and compassion quietly enters.

10. Maintain healthy habits.
Sleep, food, movement, the simple rituals of care. The soul resides in the body, and the body must be tended like a garden.

11. Set emotional boundaries.
Saying no is not rejection, it’s self-respect. Every boundary is a line drawn in the sand that says, “This is where my peace lives.”

12. Seek perspective.
The heart magnifies pain; time restores proportion. What feels endless today may fade into wisdom tomorrow.

13. Surround yourself with supportive people.
We are not meant to heal alone. A kind word, a listening ear, a shared silence, these are the quiet medicines of life.

14. Focus on solutions.
When emotion softens into clarity, the next step reveals itself. The path forward is often found not in resistance, but in acceptance.

15. Seek professional help when needed.
There is no shame in seeking a guide when the road feels dark. Therapy is not a sign of weakness, but of hope, a hand reaching toward the light.

Emotions remind us that we are beautifully, painfully, profoundly human. They color our days, test our patience, and shape our growth. To manage them is not to silence them, but to make peace with their presence to let them pass through us like wind through open windows.

And in that gentle allowing, we find something rare: not control, but calm.

A Personal Note

In my later years, I’ve come to see emotions not as storms to endure, but as teachers that still visit me with lessons to offer. Writing has been my way of listening to them of turning confusion into clarity, and pain into understanding. Each blog I write is, in a sense, a quiet dialogue with my own heart.

Managing emotions is a lifelong art, one that deepens with age. And though I am still learning, I’ve found comfort in knowing that peace doesn’t come from avoiding the waves, but from learning how to float.

Lastly, 

Quantum physics has long revealed that reality is not as fixed as it seems. At the smallest scales of existence, the act of observation itself can alter how particles behave a concept known as the observer effect. Some thinkers extend this idea into daily life, suggesting that what you focus on, believe, and expect may subtly shape the version of reality you align with. It’s as if your mind tunes into a specific frequency, creating experiences that mirror your mindset and energy.

In this light, your thoughts are not just mental chatter they’re a form of energy interacting with the universe around you. When you choose to focus on possibility rather than fear, or growth instead of limitation, you may be shifting toward outcomes that resonate with that frequency. Your brain becomes a quantum interpreter, continuously filtering and constructing reality based on belief, attention, and emotion.

Therapeutic methods like Matrix Reimprinting explore this mind–matter connection on a personal level. By revisiting past emotional memories and reprogramming the beliefs attached to them, individuals can release trapped energy and form healthier, more empowering perspectives. It’s not about magic it’s where science, psychology, and energy awareness meet, revealing just how powerfully perception may shape experience.

Sources: American Psychological Association, Institute of Noetic Sciences, National Geographic, Scientific American, CERN

Here's the top five news of the Day:

New batch of Jeffrey Epstein files released — with Trump mentions
A fresh set of Epstein-related documents was made public, drawing significant attention for repeated references to former President Donald Trump — though the Justice Department says some claims are “untrue and sensationalist.” The Washington Post

Israeli strike in Lebanon kills at least three
Israeli forces struck near Sidon in southern Lebanon, killing three people in what the U.N. peacekeeping mission says is another violation of the ceasefire with Hezbollah. Havana Times

Japan approves restart of world’s largest nuclear plant
Local authorities granted final consent for the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear plant — one of the biggest nuclear facilities globally — to resume operations after years of regulatory and public debate. ABC News

Global central banks deliver major policy easing in 2025
Central banks around the world — including the U.S. Federal Reserve and the European Central Bank — enacted the largest monetary policy easing package in over a decade, cutting interest rates substantially. Reuters

Plane crash near Galveston Bay kills five
A small plane crashed near the Galveston Bay causeway in Texas, resulting in the deaths of five people, according to local authorities

My Food For Thought For Today:

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