From Cuba to Tagaytay

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As the US and Cuba prepare to restore diplomatic relations, Latin America specialist Chibu Lagman's photo essay gives us a peek into the mysterious island nation before the deluge of American businesses alters its landscape. Cuba is the Philippines' historical kin as both countries were ceded by Spain to the US in 1898 under the Treaty of Paris that ended the Spanish-American War.  "Eternamente Cuba" illustrates the endurance of this kinship despite the two countries following divergent paths in the past five decades.

In Makati, the sordid tale of the Binay political dynasty is given a new twist in Rene Ciria Cruz's satirical piece, "The Grabfather (Excerpt)." Originally published in Inquirer.net, it is some sort of “remake” of Mario Puzo’s hit novel — a part of it, at least — Makati-style.

Speaking of altered landscapes, when visiting Tagaytay, make sure you visit Museo Orlina, a new and beautiful structure built by internationally acclaimed glass sculptor Manuel Orlina over his ancestral house. Regular contributor Omar Paz visited the place -- Tagaytay's answer to Baguio's famous landmark, the BenCab Museum -- and shows us yet another reason to enjoy Tagaytay.

In Chicago, when craving for homemade Filipino food, hie over to Merla's Kitchen where fresh is always the operative word. In "It's Always Fresh at Merla's Kitchen," Rey de la Cruz introduces us to Merla Birondo, the owner, from whose skillful hands come such delicious dishes as her version of pork menudo, the recipe for which she shares in The Happy Home Cook this week. 

Also, we feature another recipe of a Filipino favorite: Mamon from Goldilocks.

We have a Partner post this week from the Asian Journal: Teach For The Philippines: Committed To Nation-Building Through Education

In our Video of the Week, the Department of Tourism's Postcards from Paradise campaign aimed at former Beatles drummer Ringo Starr, picks up steam as more Filipinos join in to invite him back to the Philippines after the band's disastrous exit after their 1966 tour in Manila.