Justin Jones, One of Us

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Tennessee State Rep. Justin Jones (D) has inadvertently become the symbol and voice of the nascent civil rights movement in the US, which has expanded from being predominantly Black in the '60s to now include all peoples of color and gender.

Jones, together with another Black colleague Rep. Justin Pearson, were expelled by the Republican-dominated Tennessee House of Representatives for disruptive behavior during a session discussing gun laws following the mass shooting in a Tennessee school that killed six, including three 9-year-old kids. Another colleague, Rep. Gloria Johnson, a white woman, was not expelled, bringing race to the forefront of the legislative action.

Jones identifies unequivocally with his Filipino roots [Read Leny Mendoza Strobel's story on him: Justin Jones – Black, Filipino, Civil Rights Activist — Positively Filipino | Online Magazine for Filipinos in the Diaspora]. Many of PF's Fil-Am readers strongly support him. "This blatant racism is personal since Justin is one of us, " lawyer Ben Olivas wrote. " I explain to my American friends that I will not be silent in the face of the right’s embrace of authoritarian rule, given our own fight against autocracy back in the day.  There is nothing Christian about showing kindness only to those of your tribe."

Last Monday afternoon, following a worldwide outrage, the Nashville Metropolitan Council unanimously reinstated Jones as its duly appointed representative, bringing him back to the House that expelled him. [See our In The Know links section below for the Associated Press report.] Is this the end of this story on race and an assault on democracy? Not a chance. We think this is only the beginning.

Our new stories this week brings us to two places in northern Philippines that seldom get airtime in mainstream media: Batanes, the northernmost province, where ace food writer Micky Fenix was introduced to uvi, a non-purple root crop native to the area; and Benguet, where the Northern Blossom Flower Farm caught the attention of PF contributing writer, Ian Layugan. 

To commemorate the 81st anniversary of the Fall of Bataan on April 8, 1942, here's a story for the ages: 

Death of an Army — Positively Filipino | Online Magazine for Filipinos in the Diaspora

Before recently becoming the cover girl for a Philippine fashion magazine, Whang Od, the oldest living traditional mambabatok (tattoo artist), was the focus of Maia Almendral Esteves' first-person account on how it was to have a centuries-old tradition imprinted on her skin: 

http://www.positivelyfilipino.com/magazine/from-brooklyn-to-buscalan-a-journey-to-whang-od

For Filipino boomers in Manila in the early '70s, Holy Week inevitably trigger memories of "Jesus Christ Superstar," the musicale whose Manila production made the lead performer, Boy Camara, still a remembered name. Where is he now? PF contributing writer Bella Bonner brought us up-to-date: Boy Camara Superstar — Positively Filipino | Online Magazine for Filipinos in the Diaspora

Our Stories This Week

Rooted In Tradition by Micky Fenix

A Matriarch’s Legacy Flowers In The Mountains by Ian Layugan

Read Agains

Justin Jones – Black, Filipino, Civil Rights Activist by Leny Mendoza Strobel

Death Of An Army by Antonio A. Nieva

From Brooklyn To Buscalan: A Journey To Whang Od
by Maia Almendral Esteves

Boy Camara Superstar by Bella Bonner

[Cook It Again] The Happy Home Cook: Thai Beef Lettuce Wrap by Judy Ann Santos-Agoncillo

[Video of the Week] The Reliever (Full Movie)

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Staff

Barnstorming

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In the national elections of 1987, the first under the Cory Aquino administration, I had the privilege of being part of a campaign for a congressional seat in Laguna. I say it was a privilege because the three-month campaign turned out to be one of the most exhilarating and inspiring experiences in my life, even though we lost to the candidate with the most money.

While low on funds, we were high on enthusiasm and grassroots support. We did the whole shebang: distributing posters and leaflets (on cheap newsprint) in churches and marketplaces, organizing barrio-to-barrio meetings, shaking thousands of hands, holding a lively miting de avance in the town plaza (well-attended because we had a popular movie star as guest). Most importantly, our troupe went house-to-house to talk to people face-to-face. 

It was literally back-breaking 18-hour/day work that parched our throats, browned our skin and dropped our weight as we walked to remote sitios and huddled with fishermen after hauling in their catch for the day. The demanding, all-volunteer labor was a humbling education of a lifetime. From the campaign, we took away valuable lessons on how people in the grassroots thought and lived. 

In this year's election, we are witnessing something unprecedented: a widespread nationwide house-to-house campaign powered by youth volunteers for a presidential ticket. H2H is a common practice in local elections but not for national positions where it's more cost-effective and practical to rely on mass media to convey the candidates' messages.

But, as contributing writer Andres D. Bautista emphasizes in his article this week, times have changed, misinformation has become the name of the game and only direct outreach to voters can counter the lethal brew of lies and fake news.

So from across the seas, we wish the campaign volunteers continued strength and fervor as we pray (and do our bit to help in whatever way) for a better tomorrow for our Motherland. 

This Week’s Stories

House To House, Heart To Heart by Andres D. Bautista

Bienvenido N. Santos, You Were A Friend Of Mine by Cecilia Manguerra-Brainard

A Filipino Voice From Down Under by Harvey I. Barkin

[Partner] Statement Against Red-Tagging And Disinformation

Read Agains:

Eighty years ago this year, on April 9, 1942, the Fall of Bataan, "the biggest single surrender in U.S. military history,'' happened. It was a tragedy that should not be forgotten.

Remember Bataan by Cecilia I. Gaerlan http://www.positivelyfilipino.com/magazine/remember-bataan

Re-enacting the Bataan Death March: A Personal Journey by Jon Melegrito http://www.positivelyfilipino.com/magazine/re-enacting-the-bataan-death-march-a-personal-journey

The Happy Home Cook: Grilled Salmon and Shrimps in Banana Leaves by Elizabeth Ann Quirino

http://www.positivelyfilipino.com/magazine/the-happy-home-cook-grilled-salmon-and-shrimps-in-banana-leaves

Video of the Week: Kubing the Philippine bamboo jaw harp

In The Know

Grammys 2022: from Olivia Rodrigo to Bruno Mars, Filipino-American singers are having a moment
https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3172674/grammys-2022-olivia-rodrigo-bruno-mars-filipino-american?fbclid=IwAR2IgUWHXpJxgKf0S7rPaq1pZMp-3QDlKQt1b1Q_pnQRZ2RVi70f6M1hnzU

Fil-Am artists Olivia Rodrigo, Bruno Mars, and H.E.R. win big at 64th Grammy Awards
https://push.abs-cbn.com/2022/4/4/fresh-scoops/fil-am-artists-win-big-at-64th-grammy-awards-199408

The architectural wonders of Pampanga
https://business.inquirer.net/343804/the-architectural-wonders-of-pampanga?fbclid=IwAR07qisaiS1ozUcCLz4T3bSdb1jkHV2kGTE9NbIDpeWgqgQnRUMji-LnKb0

‘A striking work of nature’: the search for a rare flower in the Philippines jungle
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/mar/27/jungle-flower-rafflesia-banaoana-luzon-philippines?fbclid=IwAR357ZgkizJEwuAiLur-FSBD_uqE68E5fHuLgAq_Ym2d4-MkzEzuO116HWg

Cult, Colony or Commune: The Strange Case of the Moncadistas of Cebu
https://www.esquiremag.ph/long-reads/features/moncado-hotel-cebu-a2056-20220324-lfrm2?utm_source=facebook-esquire&utm_medium=ownshare&utm_campaign=20220324-fbnp-long-reads%2Ffeatures%2Fmoncado-hotel-cebu-fbfirst&fbclid=IwAR1h2l5E0CKz8G0r3yiLPnNiPim6_Fer_mqgTpTzdt5fBBd76JOyiFX2nPw

An untranslatable word for pure joy
https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20170714-an-untranslatable-word-for-pure-joy

The Tragedy of Lake Lanao, Southeast Asia's Only Ancient Lake
https://www.esquiremag.ph/long-reads/features/lake-lanao-ancient-lake-tragedy-a00293-20210831?ref=feed_23%3Futm_source%3DFacebook-Esquire&utm_medium=Ownshare&utm_campaign=20220331-fbnp-long-reads-lake-lanao-ancient-lake-tragedy-a00293-20210831%3Fref%3Dfeed_23-fbold&fbclid=IwAR1-xCZKHA56YmbeXvowJaYqD9zjFARlyqbmQ5RLTdYuXyBjGxanviDLMMw

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Gemma Nemenzo

Editor, Positively Filipino

Remembering, Celebrating

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Of the cluster of celebrations and commemorations this month, often neglected is the Fall of Corregidor in 1942, a sad milestone of World War II in the Philippines. A key figure in the Voice of Freedom broadcast that emanated from the island was Norman Reyes, who voiced the heartbreaking announcement a year earlier of the fall of Bataan. Reyes, a Filipino American mestizo, became a Japanese prisoner of war and was eventually made to broadcast wartime propaganda from Tokyo. In this compelling story by Australia-based contributor Larry Ng, Reyes' high school classmate, Reyes' proper place in history is brought to light -- a fitting commemoration of a war that defined a a generation. Read "The Sad Saga of Norman Reyes" in this issue.

Once upon a time, San Francisco Bay Area Filipinos were hard put looking for a restaurant where they could bring their non-Filipino friends and brag about our cuisine. While there were several operating then, their location, the ambiance (read: cleanliness) and their food wouldn't pass muster. Patio Filipino changed all that. Not only is the restaurant pretty, professionally run and accessible, its Filipino and Spanish dishes are something to return to. Blogger Lorenzo Paran III writes "A Cozy Patio and Its Delights," a fitting celebration of Patio Filipino's 10th anniversary this month. In the Bay Area's fickle and exacting culinary world, 10 years is no mean feat.

Pinoyspotting takes us to a cruise in the Panama Canal, to Athens and to Vienna, with contributions from Albert Romero and Bella Bonner.

In The Happy Home Cook this week, we take a page from the late Filipina culinary superstar Nora Daza's cookbook, Let's Cook with Nora, for Meat Loaf Deluxe with Gravy.

For our Video of the Week, we borrow a CNN report on Filipinos working abroad.

Enjoy the full blooming of spring!

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Gemma Nemenzo

Editor, Positively Filipino