Remember Bataan!
/On April 9, 1942, from the depths of Corregidor island, this beautifully crafted but heartbreaking message written by then-Captain Salvador P. Lopez (much later ambassador and UP president) was read over "The Voice of Freedom" by Lieutenant Norman Reyes:
Bataan has fallen. The Philippine-American troops on this war-ravaged and blood-stained peninsula have laid down their arms. With heads bloody but unbowed, they have yielded to the superior force and numbers of the enemy.
The world will long remember the epic struggle that the Filipino and American soldiers put up in the jungle fastness and along the rugged coasts of Bataan. They have stood up uncomplaining under the constant and grueling fire of the enemy for more than three months. Besieged on land, and blockaded by sea, cut off from all sources of help in the Philippines and America, these intrepid fighters have done all that human endurance should bear.
For what sustained them through these months of incessant battle was a force more than physical. It was the force of unconquerable faith -- something in the heart and soul that physical adversity and hardship could not destroy. It was the thought of native land and all that it holds most dear, the thought of freedom and dignity and pride in those most priceless of all our human prerogatives.
Our men fought a brave and bitterly contested struggle. All the world will testify to the almost superhuman endurance with which they stood up until the last, in the face of overwhelming odds.
The decision had to come. Men fighting under the banner of an unshakable faith are made of something more than flesh, but they are not impervious to steel. The flesh must yield at last, endurance melts away, and the end of the battle must come.
BATAAN HAS FALLEN! But the spirit that made it stand -- a beacon to all the liberty-loving people of the world -- cannot fall!
Today, 76 years hence, we continue to pay tribute to the veterans of World War II. Read Again:
http://www.positivelyfilipino. com/magazine/remember-bataan? rq=bataan
Our new stories this week:
Anting-anting (amulet) as artwork is the focus of Dr. Michael Gonzalez's review of Michael Arcega's ongoing exhibit at the University of San Francisco's Thacher Gallery.
PF Correspondent Rene M. Astudillo got the surprise of his life when his tongue-in-cheek piece on "selfitis" in his satirical blog, The Adobo Chronicles, was picked up by an academic journal and actually became the subject of an academic paper. Indeed, life can imitate satire.
From Chicagoland, PF Correspondent Rey de la Cruz writes about the upscale E + O Food and Drink Restaurant, highly rated by Zagat, that offers Filipino dishes. No surprise because it's owned by a Filipino. The restaurant shares with us its own recipe of Pork Belly Adobo, our Happy Home Cook feature of the week.
We hope our links to a variety of stories will keep you In The Know:
6 Filipino female scientists who are improving the way we live
http://cnnphilippines.com/life/culture/2018/04/02/filipino-female-scientists.html#.WsMZL1v5nFE.facebook
How to Transfer a Land Title from a Deceased Parent in Philippines?http://www.affordablecebu.com/load/real_estate/how_to_transfer_a_land_title_from_a_deceased_parents_in_philippines/43-1-0-30273
'America Is Not the Heart': Elaine Castillo's debut novel offers a tender portrait of Filipino-American culture
http://www.chicagotribune.com/lifestyles/books/sc-books-america-is-not-the-heart-elaine-castillo-0404-story.html
Reflecting on the Legacy of Doreen Gamboa Fernandez
http://fnbreport.ph/features/reflecting-on-the-legacy-of-doreen-gamboa-fernandez-mickyf-20170401/
For Video of the Week, Rappler's correspondents share the dangers they face while on the job.