Babies, Rice and Acting

When theater actor Bodjie Pascua joined the cast of the iconic Philippine children's TV show "Batibot," he became a household name as an entire generation of Filipinos grew up watching and singing along with their Kuya Bodjie. But "Batibot" was just one of Bodjie's sterling achievements as contributor Serina Aidasani notes in "Acting Is No Child's Play." For this dedicated thespian, acting is life itself.

Speaking of children, Positively Filipino correspondent Elizabeth Ann Quirino writes about Namee Jarolan Sunico who authored the first Filipino baby food cookbook. Certainly Namee fits the bill for Watch Out World, This Is a Filipino.

In Los Angeles, meanwhile, another Positively Filipino correspondent Anthony Maddela writes about a tiny gem of a restaurant called Ricebar, which serves quick lunches to people who work downtown. "Ricebar Raises the Bar on Rice Bowls" spotlights the entrepreneurial abilities of two young Fil-Ams, Santos Uy and Charles Olalia, who saw the potential of a vacant space and gave it life.

With police killings and brutality hitting the news, it's the right time to Read Again our exclusive feature, "Diary of a Fil-Am Cop." Raw, thrilling vignettes on days in the life of one big-city cop who happens to be a Filipino.

Our Happy Home Cook recipe for this week: Ukoy, a merienda favorite from occasional contributor Jojo Sabalvaro-Tan. 

And from Goldilocks: their classic Mocha Chiffon Cake.

It's September, and the Philippines unofficially starts the world's longest Christmas season. Our Video of the Week features comedian Jon Santos who sings "Apat na Buwang Pasko," a finalist at the recent 2015 PhilPop Festival.

Gemma Nemenzo

Editor, Positively Filipino