Polls Expectations

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Elections in the Philippines is blood sport, as many who have lived through several of them can attest. In hotly contested positions where money flows and the threat of violence from goons and guns is a real possibility, the common street belief is that the one who wins in the voting may not be the one who wins in the counting. 

As the May 2022 nationwide elections loom large in the consciousness of Filipinos even at this early stage, we asked former Commission on Elections (COMELEC) chair Andy Bautista to give us the skinny on the electoral process and what citizens can do (if anything) to ensure a clean and fair election. The first of his series of articles begins this week with "Substituting Democracy."

The last of our Living Legends series drops this week with part 3 featuring some pretty impressive Fil-Ams as community leaders, military officials, media practitioners and medical doctors. 

The highest ranking Fil-Am in the Los Angeles Police Department, Commander Donald Graham tells PF Correspondent Anthony Maddela that his policing style and principles draw from his Filipino upbringing by his mother, Amelia.

In the Philippines, you'll know that Christmas is coming soon when you start hearing Jose Mari Chan crooning his Christmas hits on the airwaves, in malls and other public places -- as early as September. The popular singer/songwriter has been associated with the spirit of the season for more than three decades. Read Again Manila-based writer Paulynn Sicam's story on "Jose Mari Chan's Enduring Heart Songs." 

And during this season of giving, please consider donating to Philippine International Aid (PIA), which has been sending thousands of poor children to school for almost four decades now.

Here's one way of cooking a traditional favorite, Pasta Vongole, made easy by Chef Sandy Daza, from his series of cooking demos called Casa Daza. 

If you've ever had any doubt about the plunder charges against the Marcoses, watch this riveting special report circa 1986 by ABS-CBN News hosted by the late broadcaster Angelo Castro Jr. With never-before-seen footages and extensive documentation, this historic video is both illuminating and alarming, in the context of the coming elections.

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Gemma Nemenzo

Editor, Positively Filipino

Quo Vadis, Philippine Democracy?

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The election circus came early in our Motherland and the main event (aka the freak show) this week was the family feud of the Duterte father and daughter, with a sideshow starring Bongbong Marcos and ex-President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. It's not easy to go above the fray in this sordid power gluttony drama, but PF contributor Ernesto M. Hilario did just that. See his sober take on what Filipino voters in the Philippines and overseas should not lose sight of in  the next six months of guaranteed political chaos.

We begin this week our series on Living Legends, a compilation by our publisher Mona Lisa Yuchengco that honors pioneers and barrier breakers who were the first Fil-Ams to be distinguished in their respective fields. This initial list covers Legislators, Politicians and Government Officials; Authors; and Sports (including one who has been making waves in the NBA for years). 

Our Stories This Week:

Vote For Change Or Live With Tragedy By Ernesto M. Hilario

Living Legends, Part 1 By Mona Lisa Yuchengco

Hi, Boys And Girls, Have Some Banana Catsup By Anthony Maddela

Recipe of Week: The Happy Home Cook: Chicken Asado

Video of the Week: Alaala

In the Know (Philippine Election Edition)

Pages, stans and likes for sale: How K-pop and social media are figuring in Halalan 2022
https://news.abs-cbn.com/business/11/08/21/fb-pages-stans-and-likes-for-sale-ahead-of-halalan-2022?fbclid=IwAR3dTHJbu6fkkX30E_p_AhBZaa8s0g1PwEy0-qd_H27VQE17tc62CtdWG-U

Networked propaganda: How the Marcoses are using social media to reclaim Malacañang
https://www.rappler.com/newsbreak/investigative/marcos-networked-propaganda-social-media?fbclid=IwAR0Uex85Uu9RVjNt6BQoSHWLTFvZtI29ihNaHTSCECcF-04D2RjlA4r8Fvo

Staying Relevant
https://verafiles.org/articles/staying-relevant

In The Know (Standard Edition)

Filipino American health workers reflect on trauma and healing on COVID's frontlines
https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2021/11/09/1052062334/covid-filipino-american-health-workers-burnout?fbclid=IwAR2iislga8-U5INfvQ0g-FTDp1k5r1KymBlDkCkaObh8sjlgh_Rj-l2pyAc

A Dose of History: The Glory Days of Philippine Society Before World War II
https://www.tatlerasia.com/culture/arts/the-glory-days-of-philippine-society-before-world-war-ii?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook&fbclid=IwAR20sy4BEyoz6vLzbe95lFAvTCSKh0yOt5IrswVUFjX9rNdOBjYqfzaZu38#Echobox=1635502646

Filipino martial arts isn’t as widely known, but that could be changing
https://news.yahoo.com/filipino-martial-arts-isn-t-083013795.html

Party place no more: Makati’s Poblacion is all grown up
https://www.rappler.com/life-and-style/arts-culture/makati-poblacion-party-place-no-more-all-grown-up?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook&fbclid=IwAR16eDPgKzDXV4_i9ZJ3HDYMC455AroJz_CIpe4-JuMI6EEjmLt9Vz6g8Hw#Echobox=1635644176-1

NEW: 15 Enchanting Garden Restaurants You'll Love In Metro Manila
https://metro.style/food/restaurants/al-fresco-dining-garden-restaurants/31455?gid=71c2c275-bff1-4afc-a0b7-df84ba5b7fb2&pid=14

Pandemic anxiety could be permanent: Psychologist gives tips for prevention

https://www.philstar.com/lifestyle/health-and-family/2021/11/08/2139881/pandemic-anxiety-could-bepermanent-psychologist-gives-tips-prevention?fbclid=IwAR1a8U0TxAwq-GQn5x1YcyC5pm52v1ovgOfD2T3QWGM3yyCvDxNMu1gCLkI

Our Season of Grief

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When the Covid pandemic started last year and some people I knew were dying (not necessarily of Covid), I started making a list of those who passed in 2020. There were 27 of them, filling up an entire page of my notebook, most of them I knew personally, and a few I just knew from afar but who I mourned nonetheless (RBG and John Lewis, for example).

I should have anticipated that 2021 will yield a longer list, already filling up three pages, and it's just November. Seventy one people I knew said goodbye this year, one of them my only sister, whose death in late September still twists my heart out of shape.

And of course I'm not alone in grieving. Former Ambassador Virgilio A. Reyes Jr., one of Positively Filipino's most prolific contributors pays tribute below to three "Ateneo immortals" who helped shape him.

What about you, did you lose a significant person this year to the pandemic or some other reason?

Though the remaining days of 2021 may be shrouded with a patina of gray for grief, there are always rays of sunshine and inspiration. Our other new story this week on a humanitarian worker who has chosen to live his life among the displaced in Southeast Asia is one such inspiration. 

Last night's Positively Filipino webinar titled Cook with Books and featuring four wonderful cookbook authors, one of whom was PF Correspondent Elizabeth Ann Quirino who moderated the forum, was another.

Most of all, to commemorate a life well lived, we are posting as our Video of the Week CNN Philippines' 2016 tribute to one of the most inspiring women to walk this earth, Jessie Lichauco, who passed away a few days ago at 109 years old. Mrs. Lichauco was the subject of her granddaughter Sunshine Lichauco de Leon's documentary "Curiosity, Adventure and Love."

Read Again:

Possessed and Repossessed in T’Boli Country

Passing The Torch to Generation Y

Cook It Again:

The Happy Home Cook: Vegan Longganisa

In The Know (Standard Edition)

A group of teachers in the Philippines has launched an internet archive of “subversive” books.
https://lithub.com/a-group-of-teachers-in-the-philippines-have-launched-an-internet-archive-of-subversive-books/?fbclid=IwAR3Vj40K4W5HxXvglKeMJVo0hDwKsHAncJuvX3r9gatjj_Qh3xzjwXb1YIE

A New Generation of Filipino Hip-Hop Builds On a Deep Bay Area Legacy
https://www.kqed.org/arts/13905208/a-new-generation-of-filipino-hip-hop-builds-on-a-deep-bay-area-legacy?fbclid=IwAR24Lv5KpaEn0oRjrdc-bGAKh0yv-ZtulRcsTkSieYHuOOKJNtE4WwuwEj8 

Filipino martial art Balintawak Eskrima featured in Hollywood sci-fi film ‘Dune’
https://www.goodnewspilipinas.com/filipino-martial-art-balintawak-eskrima-featured-in-hollywood-sci-fi-film-dune/?fbclid=IwAR1g9Geqphf9lVZ0gK_SeGesW80HOHxhvLHAbh_1pxQwDq7-vWmo1Yj1ruk 

‘Squid Game’ Filipino actor says racist cabbage-throwing incident in South Korea left him ‘crying inside’
https://nextshark.com/squid-game-christian-lagahit-racism-south-korea/ 

How Bulakeño values built one of the country’s most enduring lechon manok brands
https://news.abs-cbn.com/ancx/food-drink/features/10/25/21/bulakeo-values-built-this-enduring-lechon-manok-brand?fbclid=IwAR0_a-yQIRDodbK97LIdYwbH_KrXqCVslyDbE-GJP3rAiZ07dYcd10gc4As 

LOOK! An improved Bacolod City Public Plaza is inspiring pride among locals
https://news.abs-cbn.com/ancx/travel/destination/04/18/21/look-an-improved-bacolod-city-public-plaza-is-inspiring-pride-among-locals?fbclid=IwAR0x_C5vRmpEjKQ_pPThh06teJxwWISi1oWw_BxG4DUK5ce-rpKu7spfQiE

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Gemma Nemenzo

Editor, Positively Filipino