On Stage, Underwater, and at a Certain Age

This week, we take you to the theater for a play on Filipino immigration, to the ocean with an underwater videographer and to a writer's personal journey towards becoming a septuagenarian.

Elaine Elinson, who did the exclusive interview for PF with novelist/playwright Jessica Hagedorn, now does a review of Gangster of Love, the play, showing at San Francisco's Magic Theater until May 11. She describes it as funny and heart-wrenching, which makes it a good one to catch -- and with a 20% discount for PF readers, why not?

PF Correspondent Rey de la Cruz profiles Robert Suntay, marine conservationist and underwater videographer, who talks about what it takes to film some awe-inspiring sights under the sea.

How does it feel to reach 70? PF Correspondent Myles A. Garcia feels it's time to do the things you didn't do in your youth.

Learn more about the US-Philippines Society from former Ambassador John F. Maisto, our Partner post this week.

We have some precious links in our In The Know collection this week:

US Military Bases Disguised as Philippine Bases are Here Again
http://www.preda.org/fr-shays-articles/us-military-bases-disguised-as-philippine-bases-are-here-again/

Meet the journalism student who found out she won a Pulitzer in class
https://www.cjr.org/the_profile/mariel-padilla-pulizter-cincinnnati.php

Documentary | Fake news in the Philippines: Dissecting the propaganda machine
https://www.rappler.com/newsbreak/rich-media/199895-fake-news-documentary-philippines-propaganda-machine?utm_source=The+Daily+wRap&utm_campaign=0cd94f25bc-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2018_04_22&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_b3868977d4-0cd94f25bc-95400069&mc_cid=0cd94f25bc&mc_eid=0c0639d4af

Accident that amputated swimmer’s leg led to his Palaro 2018 journey
https://www.rappler.com/sports/specials/palarong-pambansa/200613-ortho-amputee-swimming-mark-salazar-palaro-2018?utm_source=The%20Daily%20wRap&utm_campaign=0cd94f25bc-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2018_04_22&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_b3868977d4-0cd94f25bc-95400069&mc_cid=0cd94f25bc&mc_eid=0c0639d4af

We go vegan again for our Happy Home Cook recipe with Richgail Enriquez's Kaldereta Stew. 

For our Video of the Week, we feature the Philippines' Gourmet Gypsy Art Café, a restaurant which that specializes in ketogenic dishes and trains adults with special needs.

Marriage Migrants and the Price They Pay

This week, we situate our stories in two of our Asian neighbors, the first as a source of financial succor at the cost of marital practicalities, the second as a place for discovering new sites and experiences.

Manila-based journalist and community activist Rochit I. Tañedo covers the fate of Filipinas who choose to marry South Korean husbands in their quest for a better life for their families. In "Pinay Migrants Gasp for Air in South Korea's Closed Society," the realities of mixed marriages in a society that both embraces and looks down on the concept are poignantly described.

In "Taking It Easy in Japan Islands," PF Correspondent Criselda Yabes takes us with her on her meanderings in the land of Mount Fuji, goddesses and public baths.

From another PF Correspondent, Serina Aidasani, comes a profile of noted pianist Charisse Baldoria, who also sees herself as a writer, photographer, composer and cultural worker whose compositions salute her cultural roots as a Filipino.

Some compelling stories are in our In The Know lineup this week:

Reuters journalists win Pulitzer for reporting on Philippine 'drug war'
https://www.rappler.com/nation/200391-reuters-journalists-win-pulitzer-2018-report-war-on-drugs-philippines

How a secretive police squad racked up kills in Duterte's drug war
https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/philippines-drugs-squad/

The Filipino tribe that hangs its dead from cliffs
http://www.bbc.com/travel/gallery/20180405-the-filipino-tribe-that-hangs-its-dead-from-cliffs

Meet Davao's Willy Wonka who put PH chocolate on the world map
http://news.abs-cbn.com/life/04/17/18/meet-davaos-willy-wonka-who-put-ph-chocolate-on-the-world-map

12 Longtime Pampanga Businesses That Are Still In Existence Today
https://kaplistorian.blogspot.com/2018/04/78-12-longtime-pampanga-businesses-that.html

Our Happy Home Cook recipe this week comes from Chef Barb Batiste, whose Big Boi restaurant in LA we featured last week. Here's her own recipe for Chicken Adobo.

For our Video of the Week, we feature Houston-based Filipino Food Truck, “Flip n' Patties.”

The Writer, the Teacher, and the Chef

Acclaimed Filipino American author/playwright Jessica Hagedorn scores another literary accomplishment with the staging of her 1990 novel, The Gangster of Love, at Magic Theatre in San Francisco starting today. PF contributor Elaine Elinson did an exclusive interview with the author about her creative process and wrote "Jessica Hagedorn Brings The Gangster of Love from the Page to the Stage." The play, 20 years in the making, runs through May 6. Positively Filipino readers get a 20% discount so read the story to find out how to get tickets. 

Special education teacher Joey Cumagun was among 18 exceptional teachers chosen from hundreds nationwide to participate in a program sponsored by the American Battle Monuments Commission. He chose to research on the life of Sgt. Teofilo Yldefonzo, a Bataan Death March veteran who was the first Filipino to win an Olympic medal. Yldefonzo's life story and Cumagun's own converge in PF contributor Manzel Delacruz's  account entitled "Understanding Sacrifice," a fitting continuing tribute this month to Filipinos called to valor. 

If you're craving Filipino food in LA, there are many restaurants to choose from. A new one seems to be holding its own in West LA -- Big Boi Restaurant, run by Chef Barbara Batiste who eschews trendy fusion and sticks to traditional flavors. PF Correspondent Anthony Maddela reports.

Last week we featured Chicagoland's E + O Food and Drink Restaurant and Chef Angelo Lubiano's Pork Belly Adobo recipe for our Happy Home Cook. This week, we feature another of his creations, Chicken Sisig.

For Video of the Week, online comedian Jeppy Paraiso is back with “Tita's Rant on Daylight Savings Time.”

And here's our In The Know compilation this week for your reading pleasure:

Why We Need To Remember Stockton, California’s Filipino American Legacy
https://www.buzzfeed.com/paolamardo/stockton-california-little-manila-center-vandalism-history?utm_term=.wnV3b2D9Z#.yvO0ay56D

Cambridge Analytica boss Alexander Nix dined with two of Rodrigo Duterte’s campaign advisers in 2015
http://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/2140782/cambridge-analytica-boss-alexander-nix-dined-two-rodrigo

FALEO: Home on a mission of love
http://www.manilatimes.net/home-mission-love/380915/

36 of the Most Beautiful Words in The Philippine Language
https://www.buzzfeed.com/isabellelaureta/kilig-sa-harana?utm_term=.tgYW0VwrB#.ucmY0v4VX

Colonialism in a Can
https://www.tastecooking.com/colonialism-in-a-can/