This occurred to me as I was trying to play the game 6 Degrees of Separation, with the object of finding the six degrees between Filipinos and various other celebrities or historical phenomena.

First to come to mind by sheer virtue of infamy of course was Gianni Versace's half-Pinoy killer, Andrew Cunanan (with a name like that, how could he be anything but Pinoy?). I remember a friend of mine wringing his hands at the time over how shamelessly Cunanan's father gave an interview to CNN while wearing nothing more than a kamiseta and slippers. Andrew's face was splashed across all major news magazines and newspapers, and he's now the subject of a book by one of the chief reporters on the case.

Next in line on a more benign level was Princess Diana's long-time nanny, a Cebuana, if I remember correctly, who had many kind words to say about the Princess's generosity and warmth. She has fortunately evaded the clutches of biographers hoping to make a quick buck, and though everyone and his brother who had enjoyed any contact with the late Princess has since written about it, the nanny's lips remain sealed.

Likewise, some years ago I met the former valet of Mohammed Al-Fayed's brother (Mohammed being the father of Princes Di's alleged beau) over high tea in Harrod's coffee shop. The good man was Ilonggo and had struck up an acquaintance with my mother, who visited him regularly while she lived in London. Slyly passing us additional plates of smoked salmon, clotted cream, and fruit tarts gratis, the man explained that he had eventually tired of the constant traveling and elected to become Maitre d' at the chi-chi eatery.

It's rumored in the UCLA hospital (whose emergency room has treated the likes of Nicole Kidman) that Elizabeth Taylor refuses to be attended specifically by Filipina nurses, presumably because they are such huge gossips. On the other hand, President Clinton himself has no qualms about seeking medical advice from his personal physician, a Filipina doctor by the name of Eleanor “Connie” Concepcion Mariano, the youngest captain in the U.S. Navy.

On the lower rungs of the political pecking order, we've had a couple of Filipinos: Virginia Representative Robert Cortez-Scott, a Harvard alumnus; and Rep. Velma Veloria, who once worked with the U.S.-based opposition group, KDP.

Carlos P. Romulo must have begun the trend, having been the first Asian Secretary General of the United Nations. The Pinoy presence now extends from sea to shining sea: in the largely Filipino Daly City where the leading contenders for Mayor in the last election were both Filipino-Americans. And according to American Demographics Magazine, Filipino-Americans are the largest Asian minority group in the US today, surpassing the Chinese in their ability to procreate.

In the private sector, a Filipina by the name of Loida Nicolas Lewis was named one of the 200 most influential women in America in last year's Vanity Fair, for having turned around an immense food and consumer goods conglomerate after her husband's death. As CEO Ms. Lewis fired all her freeloading in-laws, streamlined operations, and raised the company's stock value by 500%.

Returning to the realm of Hollywood, it might surprise people to learn that long before Don Johnson donned designer suits and T-shirts on “Miami Vice,” he was unsuccessfully wooing Nora Aunor in the 70s flick “Lollipops and Roses.” While that movie never went beyond Manila screens, Techie Agbayani gained a small bit of Hollywood exposure by appearing in “The Money Pit.” She later gained much more exposure by lounging around naked by a pool for a German Playboy photo layout. By then of course, she was known as the more exotic “Techa,” and had tanned to a deeper brown, all the better to entice her pasty-faced readers.

Of course, her success has been superseded by such part-Pinoy actors as Phoebe Cates, Lou Diamond Phillips (who actually produced a documentary on his Filipino heritage), and Rob Schneider, erstwhile male gigolo. Schneider first made his mark as a comedian in “Saturday Night Live” and has in various articles noted his pride in having a Pinay mother.

Years before him, a Pinoy comedic duo racked in the yuks by performing as the Reycards. The duet appeared in Las Vegas for several years, creating humorous routines for gamblers to laugh over as they shelled out ever-larger amounts on losing bets.

Years before Lea Salonga began chortling, a Filipino act called the Rocky Fellers of Manila landed a hit on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart in the 1960s. They were followed by The Artist Formerly Known as Prince (who has some Filipino blood), Jaya, Foxy Brown, and Josephine Roberto aka Banig. Banig actually beat Latina-American pop star Christina Aguilera during an International Star Search talent competition years before Aguilera hit the big time. In an MTV interview last year, Aguilera griped that competing against someone of Banig's age was “…not fair.”

Directly related to an international entertainer across the Atlantic is Isabel Preysler, formerly married to Julio Iglesias and mother to the latest Latin sensation, Enrique Iglesias. A bank colleague of my father's in Madrid told us over some tapas that he was married to Isabel's first cousin and that during one concert in Manila, Julio had invited the entire family backstage for a visit and given them the best seats in the house. As for Isabel, the man grimaced: “Malandi lang.” He also claimed his own wife was far prettier. Preysler, who appears regularly on the pages of Hola magazine and increases her social stock with each marriage, was at last count a Marchioness, and rising.

In the realm of mass media, Filipino journalists followed Carlos P. Romulo's Pulitzer with their own awards 56 years after the first one. Both Alex Tizon and Byron Acohido (who is part Korean) were working for the Seattle Timeswhen they won their Pulitzers.

Pinoys making waves in the field of technology and science include a Filipino who invented the all-important (to park enthusiasts and construction workers) Porta-john. Presumably this arose from his need to avoid urinating against the walls or in the bushes.

Just as crucial to modern civilization as we know it is the invention of the karaoke. A Filipino (whose name now escapes me) recently won a multi-million dollar suit against Sony Corporation, by proving that the company had stolen his patent for the karaoke machine. And where would tourists be without the one-chip video camera? Sightseers worldwide owe their home videos to Marc Loinaz, a Filipino inventor in New Jersey.

This native intelligence is clear even in younger Pinoys. Some years ago, a Filipino-American dancer from California scored a perfect 1600 on the Standard Achievement Test (SAT). Moreover, Kiwi Danao, a son of two Pinoy doctors scored over 700 in the verbal portion of the same test before the tender age of 13.

Perhaps these youngsters will go on to developing more useful gadgets or aids to modern life, such as the drug erythromycin (whose brand name is Ilosone, after Iloilo), which is effective in neutralizing a wide variety of bacteria. Or maybe they will illuminate our lives, as did Agapito Flores of Bantayan Island, who invented the fluorescent lamp. The lamp's name is derived from his surname, in case people forget.

Lest you think Pinoys are simply academic nerds, note that the first international chess grandmaster from Asia was Filipino – Eugene Torres. And the reigning billiards champ is also Pinoy.

Moving on to American history, Filipinos who founded Manilatown in New Orleans several centuries ago also established its dried shrimp industry. Additionally, there are still unconfirmed rumors that they created the music genre of Jazz since like the residents of New Orleans, Filipinos have long had the habit of partying and playing music during wakes and funerals.

For those interested in more superlatives, the Philippines is the third-largest English-speaking population in the world, after the United States and the United Kingdom. It is also, after Canada, the largest importer of American books. In the area of ecology, the Philippines surpasses even the Amazon in its vast range of native plant and animal life, containing 35% of the world's biodiversity in a fraction of the Amazon's space.

Such facts should console Pinoys who, when reading about victims of hate crimes like mailman Ileto -- gunned down by a white extremist who had earlier attacked a Jewish day care center -- wonder if there is any point to living in the United States. We've brightened their lives, enabled them to record it on video, made them laugh, cry, and groove to our tunes -- why we've even helped them go to the potty.

	About the Author Marivi Soliven Blanco has written numerous books for children, some of which won the Palanca. She is currently based in the U.S.

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