An Officer and a Gentleman
/Philippine history never lacks for interesting personalities and many of them remain unheralded because they are only known in select circles. One of them is Major General Basilio J. Valdes who holds the distinction of being the only medical doctor who became Chief of Staff of the Philippine armed forces and Secretary of Defense. Here we pay fitting tribute to this important historical figure who was President Manuel Luis Quezon's personal physician and trusted adviser. His niece, Jessie Thompson Huberty, shares with us family stories about her esteemed uncle who was with General Douglas MacArthur at the famous landing in Leyte beach.
Mactan, Cebu is not exactly author Cecilia Manguerra Brainard'shometown but being a native Cebuana, she has enough lovely memories of this once-sleepy town, now a bustling metropolis. In "Mactan, 50 Years Ago and Now," she recalls the island of her youth and its role in providing R&R to American troops fighting the Vietnam War.
San Francisco was treated to the colorful sight of representatives of Mindanao indigenous people in their intricately woven attire. They are in the city for The Hinabi Project's exhibition of Mindanao textile arts and culture. Read our Partner post about this one-of-a-kind exhibit that you shouldn't let pass, if you're in the area.
Aside from Filipino American History Month, October is also Domestic Violence Awareness Month and we can always count on our friends from ALLICE Alliance for Community Empowerment to mark the month with a resource fair. It's 13th annual Free from Violence event will be on October 3. More details in our Partner post.
A variety of interesting stories comprise our In The Know links this week:
Philippine peso flashes warning signs for Dutertenomics
https://asia.nikkei.com/Viewpoints/William-Pesek/Philippine-peso-flashes-warning-signs-for-Dutertenomics
For Isolated Philippine Town, a Planned Road Is a Lifeline and a Worry
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/24/world/asia/philippines-remote-road.html?smprod=nytcore-iphone&smid=nytcore-iphone-share
An online museum that immortalizes years of martial rule
http://cnnphilippines.com/life/culture/2017/09/19/martial-law-museum-launch.html
Before Ayala Center, there was Quad
https://www.spot.ph/newsfeatures/the-latest-news-features/71404/14-nostalgic-images-of-old-makati-a1806-20170912-lfrm4
Soup weather is coming up and our Happy Home Cook recipe this week is a comfort food: Lentil Longganisa soup from Rene Astudillo who has a food blog called My Bay Kitchen.
For our Video of the Week: in a documentary directed by Ed Ou and Aurora Almendral, NBC Left Field features "The Kill List," a look into the current drug war in the Philippines (Warning: Graphic Content).