Blanking Out

This is going to be short because I've willed my mind to go blank today, the 3rd of November, the day Americans are deciding which future path the country will take. 

It has been an exhausting, emotionally draining year and I don't expect it to be much better in the following months, with the pandemic getting worse and all.

I think back to the Philippines in February 1986, when the political situation came to a head after years of protesting, exposing, organizing. The result was beyond our wildest dreams. Will it happen here, in this day and age, in this bastion of what has been exposed as a fragile democracy?

By the time you read this, I hope there is already some clarity, if not finality, to the answer.

Our Stories This Week

Lest The Old Feuds & Scandals Die Away By Myles A. Garcia 

Catching Up With John Lesaca By Bella Bonner 

‘Let’s Cook With Nora’ Returns For Next-Gen Home Cooks By Elizabeth Ann Quirino

The Happy Home Cook: Shrimp Toast By Nora V. Daza and Nina Daza Puyat

Video of the Week: Balitang America reports on the Filipina who traced her roots to the Filipino settlement in St. Malo.

In the Know

Celebrating three generations of Filipino labor leaders
https://www.thestand.org/2020/10/celebrating-three-generations-of-filipino-labor-leaders/?fbclid=IwAR1SRCHNWggT4aG0Ib5HoemYt2ZJLToohEgc-0sWzAM5jtwu1sYLmoIJHm0

MyCebu.ph: Re/Discover Cebu
https://mycebu.ph/article/lapulapu-resil-mojares/?fbclid=IwAR0l9xCeqEtUr0fmW6dx889JJDGjbuVdEvZHfMcwKvLE8N5M_2VDRfyDHfI

Intergenerational activism drives decades-long fight for Pilipino studies at UCLA
https://dailybruin.com/2020/10/23/intergenerational-activism-drives-decades-long-fight-for-pilipino-studies-at-ucla?fbclid=IwAR0PDtBnEMywAfFJSVBgKWgOKpyL9TubCeanP1kz2spIXmXLnjfybDj7-7k

Interview with Mark Dacascos
https://kungfukingdom.com/interview-with-mark-dacascos/?fbclid=IwAR33zI5E3FrOQJrfpunC8Pel_P7RPtUAwimoDRQkKI8hyv7lqb_P-SDhdPY

Why I Voted
https://www.facebook.com/groups/261018364108556/permalink/1479048568972190/

How California’s history was shaped by Larry Itliong and other Filipino Americans
https://www.sacbee.com/news/california/article246677347.html?fbclid=IwAR0wN1sJJb-szBTk7LFQRuVRlX43qOjhNM9hKRBrV4qBpi2ftLkt0I5NJDo

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Mothers All

How would you feel if your mother is labeled a "mail order bride? First-time contributor Carolyn Prasad explores the issue as she pays tribute to the grit and courage of her mother in "The Making of a Matriarch."

Poet/author Marra PL. Lanot waxes poetic as she remembers her dynamic mother, a classical pianist and an activist who was also a fantastic cook. "My Mother, Myself" is both a tribute and an aspiration for the writer.

Another first-time contributor Amy Schlanger writes about the parallels of her approach to motherhood with her friend, Min Bernardo, who nurtured and supported the career of her daughter, Kathryn, now one of the Philippines' top movie stars. 

Aside from celebrating mothers and Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, May is also Military Appreciation Month. Here are some historical stories you may want to Read Again:

The Boogie Woogie Boys written by ex-Marine, Alex S. Fabros, Jr.

The General At Ease, my exclusive interview with Major General Antonio M. Taguba, one of the highest ranking Filipino American in the US military. 

In case you missed them, our links to important stories from other publications:

Duterte’s Unrelenting Attacks on Philippine Media 
https://philippines.fnst.org/content/dutertes-unrelenting-attacks-philippine-media?fbclid=IwAR0oXGem9nACvaKBueOpqGeW0nK5Bn9LCKmtzWu85Vk0Z8c3eWlsOMkiVFs

What My Father Edjop Taught Me About Heroism 
https://thelittleagegrouper.blogspot.com/2019/05/what-my-father-edjop-taught-me-about.html?m=1&fbclid=IwAR0m4Tfd0LrtgqoYm2_FEXLMWilVm605dyyXP3m95tNGrE7jzojTDL1xF3c

The most expensive resort in the world costs $100,000 a night — here's what you get
https://ph.news.yahoo.com/most-expensive-resort-world-costs-181128004.html?soc_src=social-sh&soc_trk=fb&fbclid=IwAR1JiChPiiY6m9wAV16SqaT7kh_0ieXYaJPPwBsxZUTL_aheYf6oT-jJd6E

Cafe in the Philippines Now Uses Straws Made Out of Coconut Leaves to Cut Plastic Waste
https://nextshark.com/philippines-biodegradable-straws/?fbclid=IwAR2QPTqOtaG8v9waJdkWeEY2cl1au-Sbk9Ul5NC70H2UfUT_fB04RTgotp8

For the Happy Home Cook, another recipe contribution from SF-based foodie, Voltaire Gungab: Risotto with Shiitake, Chinese Sausage and Chicken Livers.

And for Video of the Week, we feature another Andre De La Varre Screen Traveler. This travelogue film shows Cebu in the 1930s.

Requiem for a Good Man

The community of journalists in Manila is mourning one of its own. Michael Marasigan, formerly of BusinessWorld and an esteemed colleague, was gunned down along with his brother in San Juan a week ago. No known motive.

Michael and I were in Business Day at the same time in the early '80s. We reconnected on Facebook about a year ago and he gave PF permission to post some of his acclaimed road trip (around the Philippines) videos, and we did. We're posting another one in this issue as our Video of the Week, in memory of a good man, as everyone who knew Michael can attest.

The world-renowned Philippine Madrigal Singers (also known as the UP Madrigal Singers) is the subject of Manzel Delacruz's feature this week, as the choir embarks on another world tour. San Francisco gets to hear them on August 12. Check the story for details.

We have another Hometown feature, this time on Cebu. Isabel Taylor Escoda, formerly of Hong Kong, offers a spirited argument for "Overstaying in Cebu."

From the south, we go northas first-time contributor Merlita Usita Campañano writes about a popular restaurant in her hometown in Cagayan. "Hapag-Kainan sa Ballesteros" lures with small-town flair and shares its recipe for "Dinakdakan," that famous dish favored by Ilocanos worldwide. 

And our In The Know links for this week:

The Night Asian America Took One Last Stand. Remembering 40 Years After the Fall of the I-Hotel
https://asamnews.com/2017/08/02/the-night-asian-america-took-one-last-stand-remembering-40-years-after-the-fall-of-the-i-hotel/

Are Priests Duterte’s Fiercest Foes?
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/04/opinion/are-priests-dutertes-fiercest-foes.html?action=click&pgtype=Homepage&clickSource=story-heading&module=opinion-c-col-left-region&region=opinion-c-col-left-region&WT.nav=opinion-c-col-left-region&_r=0

Wiki warriors: activists fighting to keep truth of brutal Marcos regime in Philippines alive
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/aug/02/wiki-warriors-activists-fighting-to-keep-truth-of-brutal-marcos-regime-in-philippines-alive?CMP=share_btn_fb

How to Get Ahead in Politics in the Philippines
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/08/opinion/the-philippines-contemptuous-politics.html?rref=collection%2Fcolumn%2Fmiguel-syjuco&action=click&contentCollection=opinion&region=stream&module=stream_unit&version=latest&contentPlacement=1&pgtype=collection&_r=0

My Trip To The Philippines, Part 2: The Power of Colorism And Colonial Mentality
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/597a9f76e4b06b305561cf62