May Is for Dancing and Feasting

There's something about the month of May that feels like the psychological cobwebs and lethargy of winter have lifted and sunshine and celebrations have taken over. For Filipinos, particularly, May is fiesta time when many towns celebrate the feast day of San Isidro de Labrador, for instance, on May 15. San Isidro is the patron saint of farmers, and it's understandable that a still largely agrarian Catholic country pays homage to his patronage. Other towns have their own saints whose feast days fall on different months, but the May-born ones have the advantage of summer, when town folks are in the mood for celebrating.

In the US, there's a big list of commemorations in May, but the significant ones (for us) are the Asian American-Pacific Islander Heritage Month, Older Americans Month, Mental Health Awareness Month and of course, Mother's Day. 

Always in the spirit of celebration, we have new stories for you this week:

"Dancing with the Kalinga: Homage to a Brave Past" is Dr. Michael Gonzalez's riveting account of his visit to Kalinga province where he immersed in the musical traditions of the indigenous people and paid silent tribute to the late warrior/activist Macli-ing Dulag, who inspired and led the resistance to the massive dam project that would have drowned the lands and history of his people.

In "Incarcerated 6x9 Gets You on the Cell-ular Level",  PF Correspondent Lisa Suguitan-Melnick provides a sneak preview of the forthcoming dance theater creation of Alleluia Panis, whose name is synonymous with passion and artistry.

PF's resident food expert Elizabeth Ann Quirino introduces Chef Jam Melchor, an advocate of the Slow Food Movement, whose advocacy focuses on bringing back the traditional methods and dishes of Filipino culinary history. From the Chef, who is a Kapampangan, comes his recipe of Sisig Babi, our Happy Home Cook feature for the week. 

Here's our In The Know lineup:

The Philippines Genocide 3 million Filipinos Killed
https://britsinthephilippines.top/philippines-genocide-3-million-filipinos-killed/

Boracay: From pristine island to fragile paradise
https://www.rappler.com/newsbreak/iq/201094-boracay-history-island-paradise-fragile-closure

Patis Tesoro
http://artinsite.org/2018/04/patis/

Sisig with egg and mayo? Thanks, but Kapampangans aren't having any of that
http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/lifestyle/food/651699/sisig-with-egg-and-mayo-thanks-but-kapampangans-aren-t-having-any-of-that/story/?utm_source=GMANews&utm_medium=Facebook&utm_campaign=lifestyle

White Rabbit, China’s beloved homemade candy, tries to modernise whilst maintaining tradition
https://www.scmp.com/video/china/2142468/white-rabbit-chinas-beloved-homemade-candy-tries-modernise-whilst-maintaining

For Video of the Week, we feature the trailer of director Alexandra Cuerdo's documentary “ULAM: The Main Dish,” which will be shown on May 11, 2018 at the San Francisco CAAMFest.