Enter the National Hero

As if we still need convincing that our national hero Jose Rizal was one talented dude, contributor Rene J. Navarro, a long-time practitioner and teacher of  martial and spiritual arts, regales us with a feature story on a lesser known side of Rizal: his practice of and discipline as a martial artist in "Jose Rizal: Martial Arts Warrior." It's our hero's 154th birthday on June 19.

It's also Immigrant Heritage Month and we present to you a graphic overview of "Two Hundred Years of Filipino Immigration to the US." Bloggers Ray and Kira Del Rosario contributed this piece that illustrates how there are millions of us here now.

The positive contributions of immigrants in the US are well-documented and almost universally acknowledged. Rey Faustino, who was brought to this country as a young kid, is one fine example of someone who successfully beat the odds and is now giving back to the society that nurtured him. By founding One Degree, a nonprofit that harnesses technology to enable social service agencies to reach the needy more efficiently, Faustino has been rewarded with the support of some of the biggest names in the technology sector as well as government agencies and other nonprofits. Harvey I. Barkin profiles this innovative thinker in "He Founded the Yelp! of Social Services."

For those planning a visit to our Inang Bayan, a must-see destination is Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar in Bagac, Bataan, where you can step back a century prior and lose yourself in the grace and the elegance of Philippine ancestral homes. Omar Paz brings us there in "Time Travel at Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar."

For our Video of the Week, we feature venture capitalist and technology titan Dado Banatao and how his nonprofit PhilDev is helping the Philippines rise. 

And The Happy Home Cook this week is Celia Ruiz-Tomlinson sharing with us her own version of the classic pulutan favorite, "Kinilaw."

Happy Father's Day and A Meaningful Summer Solstice to everyone.

Gemma Nemenzo

Editor, Positively Filipino