If you had watched a play or two at Fort Santiago's Rajah Sulayman Theater, consider yourself privileged. The open-air venue located in the former barracks of Spanish forces was the perfect setting for original stage productions of PETA, the Philippine Educational Theater Association, which is the first national theater group in the Philippines. PETA was the brainchild of Cecile Guidote-Alvarez. So was Rajah Sulayman. For these achievements, Alvarez is tagged by PF Correspondent Rey de la Cruz the "Mother of Philippine Theater."

A young Fil-Am accountant who used to be a DJ was decisively elected to the post of Controller of the city of Los Angeles in last November's election. Kenneth Mejia's feat broke barriers and deserves to be saluted, as PF Correspondent Anthony Maddela writes.

How was it to grow up a colegiala in the late '60s? It was way before the wave of permissiveness permeated Manila society and makes for a funny, poignant story now. Veteran writer Neni Sta. Romana Cruz who went to St. Scholastica discloses the skeletons in their closets.

To cap off International Women's Month, let's revisit the stories of two Filipino women of different generations who made their mark in Broadway and Hollywood.

Enya Gonzalez played Cio-cio San in the 1938 production of Madame Butterfly and landed in the cover of Newsweek.
http://www.positivelyfilipino.com/magazine/the-bold-soprano

Marya Coburn was a bit player in Hollywood in the late '60s and had some interesting tales to tell.

http://www.positivelyfilipino.com/magazine/she-kissed-elvis-and-lived-to-tell-the-tale

To prepare for Holy Week, Watch Again movie star Judy Ann Santos-Agoncillo cooking her favorite Semana Santa dishes.

http://www.positivelyfilipino.com/magazine/the-happy-home-cook-holy-week-dishes

Our Video of the Week: 20 Must-Try Street Foods in the Philippines

In The Know

Today in Philippine history, March 23, 1895, Encarnacion Alzona, the first Filipina to complete her doctoral studies, a pioneering suffragette was born in Biñan, Laguna

https://kahimyang.com/kauswagan/articles/2741/today-in-philippine-history-march-23-1895-encarnacion-alzona-the-first-filipina-to-complete-her-doctoral-studies-a-pioneering-suffragette-was-born-in-bi-an-laguna

These Were the Badass Senators We Should Look Up To

https://www.esquiremag.ph/politics/opinion/filpino-senators-statesmen-a00293-20190517-lfrm?utm_source=izooto&utm_medium=messenger_notifications&utm_campaign=20230319-filpino-senators-statesmen-a00-izold&utm_content=

Budji Layug’s Next Big Vision: Community Design

https://vogue.ph/lifestyle/art/budji-layugs-next-vision-community-design/

This Woman Crawled Out of Poverty and Bought Her Parents a House at 26

https://www.esquiremag.ph/long-reads/features/winnie-talosig-rebancos-coca-cola-interview-a00293-20210329-lfrm2?utm_source=Facebook-Esquire&utm_medium=Ownshare&utm_campaign=20230313-fbnp-long-reads-winnie-talosig-rebancos-coca-cola-interview-a00293-20210329-lfrm2-fbold&fbclid=IwAR3obZTxtll0WASD958duEXqVJ_UQuooMPDNu04Ot9H0hF-1TpPcLLhp7hc

Ana Lorenzana De Ocampo on becoming a food industry success

https://mb.com.ph/2023/3/18/ana-lorenzana-de-ocampo-shares-her-recipe-to-become-a-food-industry-success?fbclid=IwAR3IC__EhikqfbOwt9N0OzleVTJAA5_3gi0nB3j0x6KMPc_6wp4dUqbpNk8

Hapag: A genuine love for Filipino food and the people you work with can make a big difference

https://fnbreport.ph/hapag-a-genuine-love-for-filipino-food-and-the-people-you-work-with-can-make-a-big-difference/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook&fbclid=IwAR3w6izsVa9Tb2vu049QDqyw41nGFwH9I5uVUJjnK9-crDNrYROrzQcxtwg#Echobox=1679361107

Filipinos are known for finding places in many corners of the globe to make their home. Necessity often spurs them to do so. In “Landscapes of Diaspora,” we feature the works of Janine Barrera, a young artist who paints as a “global citizen with a Filipino aesthetic” and one who is grateful for the new home she has found for herself.

Meanwhile, former career diplomat Virgilio A Reyes revisits one of his temporary homes in search of footprints of a French ancestor. “A ‘French Leave’ in Paris on a Eurailpass” is Part 2 of his series on returning to Europe 50 years after he was an exchange student on the continent in 1972.

Some compatriots are able to find success in the old sod and generously try to better our common home. One such Filipino was the late business leader-philanthropist Ambassador Alfonso T. Yuchengco. Positively Filipino Publisher Mona Lisa Yuchengco tells of her family’s loving commemoration of her late father’s 100th February birthday. His loved ones recalled his “A Legacy of Compassion,” which was rooted in his conviction that an enterprise should aim for a “social return on investment,” or use private investment for the public good. Fittingly, The AY Foundation continues to render assistance to employees of the Yuchengco Group of Companies and their children, as well as to the most vulnerable in Philippine society, through scholarships and health care and skills development programs. Ambassador Yuchengco’s philosophy in action makes sure that his legacy of compassion will last well beyond the 100 years he spent in this world.

And more of the noteworthy Fil-Ams in our 43rd edition of the remarkable and famous.

Read Agains:

Romances In History by Ambeth R. Ocampo

Second Springs by Cathy S. Babao

A Year Of God’s Sweet Time by Corito Fiel

Cook It Again: The Happy Home Cook: Scampi And Crab Pasta by Bernie Cervantes

[Video of the Week] Can Filipinos be Superstitious and Scientific?

Breaking the Tabo’s Sapphire Sandalo talks about the background oof some of our superstitions and their acceptance into the mainstream.