Enjoy June 12!

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Enjoy a momentous Philippine Independence Day tomorrow. If you want to experience a celebration vicariously, read all about the Kalayaan 2025 festival in North Texas. Jocelyn Alvarez Allgood was there and shares the story with us.

Here's a bit of Philippine theater history: in 1975, an organization called Samaskom at the University of the Philippines Institute of Mass Communication staged a risky (the country was then under martial law) stage production called Programang Putol-Putol, a stinging critique on the state of television at the time. Written and directed by a broadcast communication student, Rey de la Cruz (now one of our PF Correspondents), the play was a big hit and was given glowing reviews in mainstream media. Programang Putol-Putol has since been recognized as the first LGBTQ+ play in the Philippines. PF contributing writer Ivan Kevin Castro brings us 50 years back and also tells us about the recent restaging of this monumental theater experience.

Another cookbook, but not just another cookbook. Chef Jam Melchor's Kayumanggi: A Kaleidoscope of Filipino Flavors and Food Traditions is not the usual compilation of the chef-author's food creations. It's actually a treasury of  at least 150 classic and timeless recipes of the dishes Filipinos grew up with. PF Correspondent Elizabeth Ann Quirino, herself an author of cookbooks and biography, describes Kayumanggi: "This is a workhorse type of cookbook, the kind you’d bring with you into the kitchen, bookmark, set sticky notes on, write on the margins, and plop on the counter, as you follow directions while cooking from its glossy, thick, spiral-bound pages."

The tragic fires in Lahaina, HI of 2023 continues to bring heartbreak to its survivors. How did it affect the lives of the Filipino women in Maui? What did it take for them to survive the aftermath? A study by a nonprofit in Maiu-Oahu paints a disturbing picture. We are reposting with permission the report by Yiming Fu of AsAm News.

Tell us about your hometown. In 1,000 words or less,  share your story about the place your mind returns to when it needs to retreat from the noise and din of the present. We define "hometown" broadly. It can be right smack in the grit of the city, an idyllic rural area, a middle-class subdivision or even a university campus. It can evoke memories of peace or traumas of violence. What they have in common is the feeling of home, however one defines home. We'd appreciate accompanying pictures (ideally both old and current). You can email the Word doc at submissions@positivelyfilipino.com.

A Happy Father's Day to all the dads and those who function as dads (especially moms) to children of all ages. Read some of our published stories below. 

Read Again:

Why June 12 Is Different from Other Days by John L. Silva

Untold Lessons from My Father by Ed Diokno

How I Knew My Father’s Love by Mona Lisa Yuchengco

[Video of the Week] Brown, Like Me  - June and Jean Millington

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Staff

May Is for Dancing and Feasting

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There's something about the month of May that feels like the psychological cobwebs and lethargy of winter have lifted and sunshine and celebrations have taken over. For Filipinos, particularly, May is fiesta time when many towns celebrate the feast day of San Isidro de Labrador, for instance, on May 15. San Isidro is the patron saint of farmers, and it's understandable that a still largely agrarian Catholic country pays homage to his patronage. Other towns have their own saints whose feast days fall on different months, but the May-born ones have the advantage of summer, when town folks are in the mood for celebrating.

In the US, there's a big list of commemorations in May, but the significant ones (for us) are the Asian American-Pacific Islander Heritage Month, Older Americans Month, Mental Health Awareness Month and of course, Mother's Day. 

Always in the spirit of celebration, we have new stories for you this week:

"Dancing with the Kalinga: Homage to a Brave Past" is Dr. Michael Gonzalez's riveting account of his visit to Kalinga province where he immersed in the musical traditions of the indigenous people and paid silent tribute to the late warrior/activist Macli-ing Dulag, who inspired and led the resistance to the massive dam project that would have drowned the lands and history of his people.

In "Incarcerated 6x9 Gets You on the Cell-ular Level",  PF Correspondent Lisa Suguitan-Melnick provides a sneak preview of the forthcoming dance theater creation of Alleluia Panis, whose name is synonymous with passion and artistry.

PF's resident food expert Elizabeth Ann Quirino introduces Chef Jam Melchor, an advocate of the Slow Food Movement, whose advocacy focuses on bringing back the traditional methods and dishes of Filipino culinary history. From the Chef, who is a Kapampangan, comes his recipe of Sisig Babi, our Happy Home Cook feature for the week. 

Here's our In The Know lineup:

The Philippines Genocide 3 million Filipinos Killed
https://britsinthephilippines.top/philippines-genocide-3-million-filipinos-killed/

Boracay: From pristine island to fragile paradise
https://www.rappler.com/newsbreak/iq/201094-boracay-history-island-paradise-fragile-closure

Patis Tesoro
http://artinsite.org/2018/04/patis/

Sisig with egg and mayo? Thanks, but Kapampangans aren't having any of that
http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/lifestyle/food/651699/sisig-with-egg-and-mayo-thanks-but-kapampangans-aren-t-having-any-of-that/story/?utm_source=GMANews&utm_medium=Facebook&utm_campaign=lifestyle

White Rabbit, China’s beloved homemade candy, tries to modernise whilst maintaining tradition
https://www.scmp.com/video/china/2142468/white-rabbit-chinas-beloved-homemade-candy-tries-modernise-whilst-maintaining

For Video of the Week, we feature the trailer of director Alexandra Cuerdo's documentary “ULAM: The Main Dish,” which will be shown on May 11, 2018 at the San Francisco CAAMFest.