Good-Bye to All That, Hello Again

This is our first issue for 2021 and it marks the beginning of the 8th year of Positively Filipino.

It is also the start of the third decade of the 21st century so we send you our fervent wishes for auspicious years ahead.

Before we write 30 (an old journalism term to denote the end of a submitted manuscript) to 2020, here are our Most Read stories for the year. Whether you're re-reading them or reading for the first time, we hope you'll enjoy them as much as thousands of readers have.

Stop and Smell the Power of Filipino Cooking By Elizabeth Ann Quirino
http://www.positivelyfilipino.com/magazine/stop-and-smell-the-power-of-filipino-cooking

Colonization’s Impact on Manila By Nathaniel “Dinky” von Einsiedel
http://www.positivelyfilipino.com/magazine/colonizations-impact-on-manila

The Colonial Legacy of Racism Among Filipinos By Michael Gonzalez
http://www.positivelyfilipino.com/magazine/the-colonial-legacy-of-racism-among-filipinos

Connecting the Pots, Food from the Philippines to America By Elizabeth Ann Quirino
http://www.positivelyfilipino.com/magazine/connecting-the-pots-food-from-the-philippines-to-america

A Compassionate Healer and Fierce Fighter for Fellow RNs By Cherie Querol Moreno
http://www.positivelyfilipino.com/magazine/a-compassionate-healer-and-fierce-fighter-for-fellow-rns

Imelda’s Debt, Which Keeps On Going By Myles Garcia
http://www.positivelyfilipino.com/magazine/imeldas-debt-which-keeps-on-going

Filipinescas – La Orosa’s Heroic Spirit By Virgilio Reyes, Jr.
http://www.positivelyfilipino.com/magazine/filipinescas-la-orosas-heroic-spirit

Lest the Old Feuds & Scandals Die Away By Myles Garcia
http://www.positivelyfilipino.com/magazine/lest-the-old-feuds-amp-scandals-die-away

Why We Must Have Uncomfortable Conversations By Constante G. Quirino
http://www.positivelyfilipino.com/magazine/why-we-must-have-uncomfortable-conversations

On Filipino Culture, In the Wake of Barkadagate By Kat Velayo Greenberg
http://www.positivelyfilipino.com/magazine/on-filipino-culture-in-the-wake-of-barkadagate

Stories of the Week 

A 2020 Year-Ender Of Sorts 

Unmasking Trump’s Election Loss By Andres D. Bautista 

Up Close With The Stars By Gemma Nemenzo 

The Ninja Warrior With A Rare Nemesis By Anthony Maddela

The Happy Home Cook: Crab In Coconut Sauce (Ginataang Alimango) By Chef Roline Casper

Video of the Week: Balik Pilipinas

In The Know

Women journalists in the Philippines: 'We transcend fear every day'
https://www.rappler.com/nation/women-journalists-in-the-philippines-we-transcend-fear-everyday?mc_cid=ce14b916ac&mc_eid=5b1f08a2af

Former toothpaste model in PH now a leading man in US
https://news.abs-cbn.com/entertainment/12/29/20/former-toothpaste-model-in-ph-now-a-leading-man-in-us

David Medalla, Inventive Artist at Center of London’s Scene, Has Died at 78
https://www.artnews.com/art-news/news/david-medalla-dead-1234580360/

Number Fever: The Pepsi Contest That Became a Deadly Fiasco
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2020-08-04/the-inside-story-of-pepsi-s-philippines-bottle-contest-fiasco?utm_campaign=news&utm_medium=bd&utm_source=applenews

The Cruise Ship Suicides
https://www.bloomberg.com/features/2020-cruise-ship-suicides/?utm_source=twitter&cmpid=socialflow-twitter-businessweek&utm_content=businessweek&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=socialflow-organic&fbclid=IwAR2iAl3rKJPgr6peuikvYZZLxYEL_REGbQ-xXK2fyAF5YDmHVKaeWzMcQF8

To reprise her 'Karate Kid' role in 'Cobra Kai,' Tamlyn Tomita had some ground rules
https://news.yahoo.com/reprise-her-karate-kid-role-204635077.html?soc_src=social-sh&soc_trk=ma

Of Streets and Milestones

Can you go back to the street where you lived in your youth and recapture its magic? A writer returned to Teresa St. in Ermita where he spent his childhood years, and realized something profound. Read this endearing story of a time of innocence, "The Three 'Hills' of Teresa St.", that only a poet/author/teacher like Oscar Peñaranda can tell.

Author/publisher Cecilia Manguerra-Brainard reviews the latest collection of stories by internationally acclaimed author, Linda Ty-Casper, "A River, One-Woman Deep: Stories." Ty-Casper is considered one of the masters of Philippine literature who deftly situates her stories, novels and characters at various periods of historical ferment in the Philippines. This collection is set during the Estrada presidency, from 1998-2001. 

Anyone who browses the web for good Filipino recipes would have clicked on one from Panlasang Pinoy, the YouTube site of food blogger Vanjo Merano, which has 1.6 million subscribers and gets 4.5 million visitors a month. PF Correspondent and food expert Elizabeth Ann Quirino  drills down on Merano's recipe for success in this week's Watch Out World feature.

And Merano graciously shares his recipe for Ginataang Salmon (Salmon in Coconut) for the Happy Home Cook.

ICYMI, here are our In The Know links:

Philippines Officially Leaves the International Criminal Court
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/17/world/asia/philippines-international-criminal-court.html?fbclid=IwAR19UjlLe_ldHukreiFuOErO5tEmDwS5mKzEOQgSxDQb17CFdfPnGYS3n1Y

Trump Has Touted Debunked Story About U.S. General Killing 49 Muslims To End Terrorism
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/trump-general-pershing-shooting-49-muslims_n_5c8d9aede4b0d7f6b0f443c4?ncid=APPLENEWS00001

The Great Women Project Revives The Philippine Weaving Industry
https://www.forbes.com/sites/biancasalonga/2019/03/11/the-great-women-project-revives-the-philippine-weaving-industry/?fbclid=IwAR1v8wqBCYPT9zRcRfcMbecOJ1tC1WVMy1aXOkfeuX7bNmqkULQ23J4aGko#4dfe74aa71dd

An oral history of Cubao X: 'We were the first to believe in this place'
https://www.rappler.com/life-and-style/arts-and-culture/225675-cubao-x-oral-history?fbclid=IwAR1wejoGSqG4IxvQwz0y5VCuRPH3-qLM4kTDPe09IKGLX0ldzSHN2s2k0Rw

For Video of the Week, KTVU-Fox 2 ran a feature on the Lumpia, which is gaining popularity among the non-Filipino communities.

Fateful February

The recent arrest of journalist/Rappler CEO Maria Ressa was not just a simple case of an aggrieved person filing a libel case (a criminal offense in the Philippines, unlike other countries where it is a civil offense). Rather, it was the latest in a string of charges leveled on the publication ever since it caught the ire of President Duterte. Veteran journalist and Rappler editor-at-large Marites Danguilan Vitug takes us through  the context behind this latest case and explains why, when multiple state agencies are used to go after one media outlet, it becomes an issue of media harassment and press freedom. Read "News Media in Danger in the Time of Duterte." 

An ancient bell coated with green patina greets visitors to Robinson's mall in Padre Faura, Manila. The backstory behind "That Jesuit Bell," as author/journalist Sylvia L. Mayuga calls it, is one that involves wartime exploits and heroism (notably of Fr. John Hurley, SJ, Ateneo's Father Superior during WWII), of community spirit and human endurance. Truly a story that transcends the ages.

Across the seas, community historian/leader Mel Orpilla narrates the history of Filipinos in Mare Island off the city of Vallejo, California. Not very many realize the important role this former naval shipyard played in the Filipino-American War that started in 1898 and of the early Filipinos who worked and lived in that piece of land that juts out to the San Francisco Bay.

Here are links to stories from other publications that you may have missed:

Trump Ripped His’National Emergency’ Move Straight from the Playbook of a Dictator
https://www.latimes.com/opinion/op-ed/la-oe-rempel-trump-marcos-parallels-20190214-story.html?fbclid=IwAR24ENM4dWDH54GKA_7F7ghcuQxUF2yD4zktnstkaEIG_QNOy7KDMXMaK7Q

Law used against journalist Maria Ressa stirs fears among Filipinos: It could target ‘all of us’
https://www.latimes.com/world/asia/la-fg-philippines-maria-ressa-20190218-story.html?fbclid=IwAR3wxSpY82Nod_S2GL_2T4Hc-b3U-zH1nWqcgieI11NiDs3tgesXJdHR7Zw

Unsung Filipino Seafarers Power the Global Economy
https://www.economist.com/asia/2019/02/16/unsung-filipino-seafarers-power-the-global-economy

The Cinematography of 'A Star is Born'
https://filmschoolrejects.com/cinematography-of-a-star-is-born/

The official fast food French fry power rankings
https://www.latimes.com/food/la-fo-french-fry-rankings-20190212-story.html

Our Happy Home Cook recipe: Vegan Spaghetti Mien from Rene Astudillo. 

For our Video of the Week, Bond girl Rachel Grant features 7 traditional dances from the Philippines on Storia’s facebook page.