Two Women

Two women making and writing history are the subjects of our two profiles this week.

From Honolulu, Dr. Belinda "Lindy" Aquino, founder of the University of Hawaii's Philippine Studies Program and author/esteemed professor/historian/activist, is profiled by Pepi Nieva in "Stranded in Paradise: How Lindy Aquino Became Hawaii’s Foremost Authority on the Philippines."

From London, Candy Gourlay, the critically acclaimed author of Bone Talk and the children's book, Is It A Mermaid?, is interviewed by UK-based writer Joy Watford in a piece titled "In Her Own Write."

And this being Women's Month, let's honor two women who had captured the nation's hearts through their music, their acting and their presence in the public eye. 

Read Again: 

Film critic Mauro Feria Tumbucon Jr.'s affectionate tribute to the one and only superstar, "The Timeless Nora Aunor." 

And a granddaughter shows her love for her beloved grandmother, Armida Siguion-Reyna of "Aawitan Kita" fame,  who recently passed away.

Our Happy Home Cook recipe is a sure favorite -- Paksiw na Bangus.

Here are our In The Know links this week: 

How ISIS Is Rising in the Philippines as It Dwindles in the Middle East
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/09/world/asia/isis-philippines-jolo.html

'They fooled us': the men who left ISIS in the Philippines
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/mar/09/they-fooled-us-the-men-who-left-isis-in-the-philippines?fbclid=IwAR0S1JOGP0McJhkAiu6ftGVUkIjwLxO7N6x_M06VfVU3aogvnTvfIFGypfU

Get to know the women National Artists and Scientists
https://www.rappler.com/newsbreak/iq/87875-women-national-artists-scientists?utm_medium=Social&utm_campaign=Echobox&utm_source=Facebook&fbclid=IwAR0fnYYPYcAsKjHKcqzeW1U6HXvKCQRISezxxWca0t2svyW2KxKaeTDsTSA#Echobox=1552007205

40 poorest provinces in the Philippines 
http://onemediaph.com/40-poorest-provinces-in-the-philippines/?fbclid=IwAR1TqpzJPJKnS5tWvTbooleE6h70L7gPZmTDhxuNubwbmyGHBsLIvTj00Fc

Job Very Well Done: Philippine Airlines (A350-900) in Business Class From Manila to JFK
https://thepointsguy.com/reviews/philippine-airlines-a350-business-class/?fbclid=IwAR3K4zgRPjv00Ai1eIA61oFF76yF7ySVPci34ASPJJiKmJ1_5qo3ObV3Z20

For our Video of the Week, we feature the cultural preservation project called “Documenting and Preserving Mangyan Scripts in the 21st Century”

A Visayan Surprise International Hit

Some Filipino songs have been recognized internationally and one of them is the Visayan (Cebuano) song "Rosas Pandan," currently a staple among choirs in various countries, thanks to the intricate vocal arrangements of San Francisco-based musical arranger George Gemora Hernandez. PF Correspondent Myles A. Garcia gives us the story behind this popular song's unexpected success and lists 22 different renditions in "The Late, Surprising 21st Century Success of Rosas Pandan." 

Ambassador (Ret.) Virgilio A. Reyes Jr. chronicles the story of the Tempongko family, originally of Pulong Mayaman, Malate, whose evolution spans over a century in "Portrait of History as a Filipino Family."

February may be the month of love but Philippine history also marks it as a month of bloodshed. On February 4, 1899, the bloody Philippine-American War began which resulted in over 20,000 Filipinos and over 4,000 Americans dead. Forty six years later, on February 3, 1945, the battle to liberate Manila from the Japanese began. Read Again our stories on these two monumental events in our motherland's history:

"A Valiant People's Army" by John L. Silva

"The Battle of Manila, WWII" by James M. Scott 

Here are our links to stories you may have missed:

The Philippine War - A Conflict of Conscience for African Americans
https://www.nps.gov/prsf/learn/historyculture/the-philippine-insurrectiothe-philippine-war-a-conflict-of-consciencen-a-war-of-controversy.htm?fbclid=IwAR0DgXk4c2t2I4FvTp_dKFtQVQvCV0le4IYezQsn7Ei-JTwo-eZuLPMugs0

The Black Presence in The Philippines
https://atlantablackstar.com/2014/06/28/the-black-presence-in-the-philippines%e2%80%8f/?fbclid=IwAR3pyfW_4wTU7aGKg18fOK7PdiEYaTVI450OMS0GvgzK7qnMvwaYjkzukNY

A Son of Immigrants Contemplates What His Life Might Have Been
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/28/lens/manila-philippines-dead-to-rights.html?fbclid=IwAR116ER81c_Dx3Q5NkGLJNxBrDB41zh7FpaG7IYZorkYxNYiZf12YNV9YT4

Small Filipino restaurant in New York sees popularity skyrocket after Esquire names its among best
https://news.yahoo.com/small-filipino-restaurant-york-sees-110001290.html?soc_src=community&soc_trk=fb&fbclid=IwAR1P71G-IZt_59cJgJIgu8hrRlvpH5fQE5m6fvNDXV9CJHZfQ4wLji266xs

5 Filipino Marine Scientists Who Are Saving Our Seas
http://cnnphilippines.com/life/culture/2018/07/24/Filipino-marine-scientists.html?fbclid=IwAR0KvKqg41UkVjyIL8RhdxyuQjwNC9a_PFruebEcoQY_bysoJfE1cvAqhpQ

Our Happy Home Cook features another recipe from San Francisco-based foodie, Voltaire Gungab: Longganisa with Apples and Asian Pear.

For Video of the Week, South China Morning Post features how a family in Marawi was ripped apart by fighting between ISIS and the Philippine military. 

Violence and Hope

People with guns kill people. This, in the wake of the mass shooting by one man in Las Vegas that killed 58 victims and injured 546, should no longer be debatable. While gun control is a long time coming from Washington, a grieving Filipino American mother is already doing her part in preventing gun violence. Journalist Pati Navalta Poblete (“My Story of Hope”), who lost her son, Robby, to gunmen in Vallejo, California, nudged herself out of her grief by writing again and, most importantly, setting up a foundation in her son’s name that buys back unwanted guns in her city to be used by artists in their art work. The foundation also sponsors vocational skills programs for young adults and ex-offenders to steer them away from a life of violence.

Armed violence has also disrupted the lives of thousands of residents of Marawi in the Philippines when local adherents of ISIS took over the city, triggering an ongoing battle with government forces that has killed about 700 combatants and civilians and reduced nearly everything to smoking hulks. PF correspondent Criselda Yabes visits the ruined city, peeking through sniper holes at the destruction that has brought its inhabitants, now all refugees, to despair (“In the Rubble of Marawi”).

On a cheerier note, PF correspondent Rene Astudillo writes that Filipino senior citizens are receiving the respect that they deserve in their sunset years, in “A Haven for the Elderly – the Philippines.”

To mark both Filipino American History Month and Domestic Violence Prevention Month, we hope you will Read Again “The War Brides” and “Behind the Charmer May Hide an Abuser” 

And as a fitting countrapunto to the theme of this edition’s lead articles, our “Happy Home Cook” Richgail Enriquez offers bloodless—yes--Vegan Dinuguan.

For this week's [In The Know] links:

Thurgood Marshall's Interracial Love: I Don't Care What People Think, I'm Marrying You
https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/thurgood-marshalls-interracial-love-i-dont-care-what-people-think-im-marrying-you/2016/08/18/84f636be-54d5-11e6-bbf5-957ad17b4385_story.html?utm_term=.6e3e0231e085

The Best Island in the World Goes To...
https://www.facebook.com/CondeNastTraveler/videos/10155910653088982/?autoplay_reason=user_settings&video_container_type=0&video_creator_product_type=2&app_id=2392950137&live_video_guests=0

Confronting Anti-Blackness and White Supremacy in the Pilipin@ Community with Acts of Decolonization
https://www.hellapinay.com/blog/2017/9/10/confronting-white-supremacy

Baguio-Sagada-Banaue Itinerary: See The Cordillera Region in 6 Days
https://philihappy.com/baguio-sagada-banaue-itinerary/

For Video of the Week, AJ+ celebrates Fil-Am History Month by featuring the 3 ways Filipinos contributed to America.