We're 5 Years Old!

Our first issue for 2017 also marks the fifth year of publication of Positively Filipino.To all of you who are still reading us and helping to spread the word about this site, our heartfelt thanks. It has been an exhilarating ride putting together writers and readers under a banner that is credible and deeply informative of things Filipino. We have learned as much as we have shared, and for this we thank our contributing writers. To those who are curious about who we are, please click on About Us. We'd like to hear more from you, and one way to do that is to just click on Reply to this email posting and we'll see your message. We hope to have your continued support in the years to come.

We have just gone through a very interesting year and here's our compilation of 2016's most popular stories:

10. A Home For Filipino Food In the Capital By Elizabeth Ann Quirino
9. And You Thought You Knew Everything About Beauty Pageants By Myles Garcia
8. An Open Letter to Mayor Duterte By Monique Wilson
7. Limeuil By Ofeila Gelvezon Tequi
6. She Keeps The Defense Agency Shipshape By Anthony Maddela
5. Opinion: What Happens If Bongbong Marcos Becomes Vice President By Myles Garcia
4. The Stunning Isabel Preysler By Mona Lisa Yuchengco
3. Jordan Norwood: Carrying the Ball for Filipinos at the Super Bowl By Lloyd LaCuesta and Ken Guanga
2. The Political Outsider By Randy S. David
1. How Filipinos Got Their Surnames By Penelope V. Flores

The recent award by the U.S. Congress of the Congressional Medal of Honor for Filipino veterans of WWII prompted Washington, D.C.-based community leader Jon Melegrito to write "Honoring My Dad, a War Veteran." The piece brings home the very personal story behind the long fight for veterans' recognition and equity, a cause that Melegrito himself tirelessly worked for.

Positively Filipino Contributing Writer Rey de la Cruz sent in a nostalgic story about his hometown -- Ballesteros, Cagayan, of which he has fondly written a children's book. If you grew up in a small town in the Philippines, "Ballesteros On My Mind," will trigger fond memories of childhood joys. 

After a holiday season that, of course, involved food binges, how about stepping back and making some vegan longganisa. Our vegan maven Richgail Enriquez tells us how.

For our Video of the Week, we feature a wonderful blend of spoken word, cultural beats and ethnic dance from Filipino Canadian artists Han Han, Datu and Hataw.

How Did Your 2016 Go?

To look back at what I personally consider an emotionally challenging year (to say the least), we asked veteran journalist/editor (and community activist) Cherie Querol-Moreno to sum up what happened to our community, our homeland and our world the past 12 months. Her report, "The Year That Shocked," is supplemented by a personal year-ender from our publisher Mona Lisa Yuchengco titled "The Year of Living Anxiously." And with these two pieces, I say 'nuff said.

We also end this year with a list of 15 Filipinos we can be proud of, each of them noteworthy for their achievements, their talents and their being good human beings. 

And for those who missed it the first time, Read Again poet/essayist/martial arts expert Rene J. Navarro's interesting take on Jose Rizal as a martial arts warrior. It was more than just genius or resignation that enabled our National Hero to face the last few days and hours of his life calm, composed and productive -- he wrote farewell letters to his loved ones and an immortal poem, among others. Navarro contends that it was thanks to "feral nerve" or what the Japanese call mushin no shin -- a mastery of self that can only come from the discipline of martial arts.

And with the New Year about to descend upon us, our resident foodie Elizabeth Ann Quirino shares with us her recipe for ginataang bilo-bilo, a traditional merienda that meets the requirement of eating round things for good luck in the coming year.

For our last Video of the Week of 2016, we feature Coca Cola Philippines' latest Christmas commercial which honors the store employees who work during the holidays so that we can enjoy ours.

Food and Memes

Merry Christmas! And to our non-Christian friends, Happy Holidays.

Nothing marks the holiday season better than food, glorious food. And for Filipinos, it's always a good time to return to the flavors that we grew up with. This week, St. Louis, Missouri-based chef, food blogger and well-followed YouTube and TV culinary personality Malou Perez Nievera, as profiled by Contributing Writer and fellow foodie, Elizabeth Ann Quirino, shares with us two recipes from her childhood in Tuguegarao, Cagayan. Papa Diddi's Stuffed Chicken is Nievera's take on the popular Christmas dish chicken relleno, this one inspired by her father. The second dish is Batil Patung, a traditional Tuguegarao noodle soup dish perfect for cold Christmas days. 

For those who are craving for Filipino desserts for the holidays, Elizabeth Ann Quirino just came out with her compilation, How to Cook Philippine Desserts: Cakes and Snacks, now available in print or on Kindle at https://www.amazon.com/How-Cook-Philippine-Desserts-Filipino/dp/1541090799/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8

And here's a collection of funny Pinoy memes to lighten your load.

Our Video of the Week is a very touching one about that little boy who did his homework at night outside a McDonald's in Cebu, and the young lady who helped him. This is tear-inducing, so be forewarned.