What does it mean to be Filipino? Join host Jim Agapito's cultural quest in Recovering Filipino

Filipino-Canadian Jim Agapito is on a mission.

It all started when his 97-year-old lola (grandmother in Tagalog) called him out for his lack of connection to his heritage.

"'What are you going to do when you can't speak the language and know nothing about our culture?'" said Agapito, quoting his grandmother, Epifania Bulaong.

"I love you but you are a bad Filipino," she told the Winnipeg filmmaker and writer.

That was in December 2019 before Bulaong left for the Philippines. Now Agapito is on a quest to learn more about his Filipino identity and culture.

Born in Canada, Agapito admits his cultural roots don't run very deep: he has visited the Philippines only once; he doesn't speak Tagalog fluently; he isn't the biggest fan of Filipino food (spoiler alert: he was a vegetarian for about a decade — "dark, dark days" for lola and the rest of the family); and he's also baffled by some of the things Filipinos do and believe.

"I want to understand why we do the things we do," said Agapito. 

"For example, why do Filipinos love the three Bs: basketball, boxing and beauty pageants? What's up with our sweet spaghetti? What's behind our elaborate superstitions and crazy nicknames? So many questions." 

He's one of an estimated 10.2 million Filipinos living outside the Philippines. If you're not Filipino yourself, then "you're likely Filipino-adjacent," said Agapito.

Join Agapito in his cultural quest to understand and embrace his heritage as he hosts the new CBC podcast and radio series Recovering Filipino.

"I'm on a recovery mission — a mission to recover my Filipino identity, one question at a time."

His goal: "Make my lola proud." 

Available episodes:

Recovering Filipino27:26Why are my titas fighting over basketball?

Jim grew up playing basketball. He grew out of that passion, but his Filipino friends and family haven't. Why does the sport get his aunts (titas) yelling and flashing fists? Jim discovers the surprising origin of this love affair with basketball.

Recovering Filipino27:26Fried chicken and spaghetti. How is this a Filipino love story?

Jim isn’t a big fan of Filipino food, especially sweet spaghetti. Jim digs into the yuck and yum of Filipino cuisine with the help of expert Patricio Abinales; delves into his relationship with a popular bee; and gives a hated dish one more try.

Recovering Filipino27:26Where are all the vegetarian Filipinos?

For one decade, Jim was a very bad Filipino, aka a vegetarian. His lola wasn’t proud. Jim discovers the Hobbit connection and makes a meat revelation. He navigates modern Filipino cuisine with Jeremy Senaris, of Master Chef Canada fame.

Recovering Filipino27:27Do we really need to finish the bottle?

Jim dips into his own family lore to understand the Tagay ritual - taking shots until the bottle is empty. Meet a mixologist infusing Filipino flair into cocktail culture. And Jim has an overdue conversation with his mom about his struggles with alcohol.

Recovering Filipino27:27Why do they always give me leftovers?

Filipino feasts are legendary. No special occasion necessary. The spreads are epic and no one goes home empty-handed. But as Jim finds out there’s more to it than just hospitality. He also recounts his own saga with near starvation.

Recovering Filipino27:26Why does mom keep giving me packets of rice and salt?

Filipinos take their superstitions seriously. But why? Jim taps his fellow pinoys for their superstition stories. He discovers how Catholicism and folklore intersect. And Jim’s mom lives up to her title as the family’s reigning superstition queen.

Recovering Filipino28:07Ouch… Why couldn't I have a debut?

Jim gets real about Filipino rites of passage. It’s tuli (male circumcision) vs debut (a mega-party for girls). Jim's dad shares his "old school" tuli experience; Jim discovers a toxic masculinity connection; and relives his cousin Jerilyn's epic debut.

Recovering Filipino27:26Isn’t karaoke supposed to be fun?

Karaoke is often considered the Philippines' national pastime, but, as Jim learns, it’s not always a recipe for good times. What one karaoke song has brought singers to fisticuffs, and worse? Meet a singer whose karaoke performances led her to Broadway.

Recovering Filipino27:26How is Filipino life like a boxing match?

Manny Pacquiao is the pride of the Philippines. He rose from poverty to become, arguably, the greatest boxer of all time. How did an ‘underdog’ mentality fuel the nation’s boxing supremacy? Jim gets into the ring to reveal how boxing changed his life.

Recovering Filipino27:26Am I still a bad Filipino, Lola?

Jim’s family history is the quintessential immigration story of hard work, sacrifice, and some heartache. Jim’s mission to recover his Filipino identity comes full circle in a call with his lola in the Philippines. Did he finally make his grandma proud?