'Tis the Season to Be Peaceful

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When the Hamas-Israel war broke out in October, the Philippine Embassy in Israel immediately went into crisis management mode, a familiar switch among diplomatic posts in unstable regions. With Filipino OFWs in almost 200 countries in the world, crisis-induced aid forms a major part of diplomatic work, as journalist Jeremaiah Opiniano writes in "PH Runs a Cycle of Crisis-Induced OFW Aid." In Israel today, the Philippine Embassy acts as guardian and succor to the almost 30,000 Filipinos in the country (about 130 in Gaza), most of whom have chosen to remain in their jobs (less than 300 have chosen repatriation) despite the threats they face as bystanders in the current war.

'Tis the season to be jolly nonetheless and what better way to celebrate than the traditional Simbang Gabi. Despite (or maybe because of) being away from the Motherland, overseas Filipinos nurture the holiday spirit, as first-time contributing writer Ronald Salazar reports from Wellington, New Zealand. Read "Simbang Gabi Abroad -- Our Faith and Our Music" because indeed, there's no taking the Filipino away from our Christmas traditions.

And what is Christmas without food? Our friend Micky Fenix, one of the leading lights in the Philippine culinary scene, takes us on a virtual tour of Iloilo City's gastronomic delights, a fitting tour d'horizon of the recently proclaimed UNESCO Creative City for Gastronomy.

Another food story to tickle your palates, "The Comforting Squidginess of Slow-Cooked Veggies" by Jeanne Jakob-Ashkenazi, a Filipino food researcher based in Valencia, Spain. This essay won the second prize in the 2022 Doreen Gamboa Fernandez Food Writing Award.

Finally, if you're lucky enough to have this Fil-Am movie showing in your area, here's a preview of "Asian Persuasion" starring KC Concepcion, Dante Basco and Paolo Montalban, among others, as directed by Jhett Tolentino. 

And for our Video of the Week, it's always a treat to watch Lea Salonga. This one is particularly poignant as she sings "Payapang Daigdig" with the Tabernacle Choir. The song composed by Felipe de Leon in 1946 is a paean to peace, something the world needs badly right now. 

Partner: “Remember Pearl Harbor… And The Philippines!”

Anti-Asian Hate Watch

Brutal Attack on Elderly Asian Man Is Not a Hate Crime, Says LA County Sheriff’s Department
https://ethnicmediaservices.org/stop-the-hate/brutal-attack-on-elderly-asian-man-is-not-a-hate-crime-says-la-county-sheriffs-department/

Trial to be set for killing of Vicha Ratanapakdee, who’s death sparked ‘Stop Asian Hate’
https://asamnews.com/2023/12/09/trial-to-be-set-for-killing-of-vicha-ratanapakdee-whos-death-sparked-stop-asian-hate/

Lifting the lamp for AAPI New Jerseyans, 80 years after the Chinese Exclusion Act
https://newjerseymonitor.com/2023/12/06/lifting-the-lamp-for-aapi-new-jerseyans-80-years-after-the-chinese-exclusion-act/

Hate crime surge raises alarms, adds safety concerns for minorities
https://www.losangelesblade.com/2023/12/10/hate-crime-surge-raises-alarms-adds-safety-concerns-for-minorities/

Funding provided by the State of California.

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Staff

Audacious Women

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A woman baker who's making it in New York with her silvanas and chocolate cake. A woman academic who authored a memoir in poetry. A group of  women journalists who didn't let dictatorship or harassment faze them. Stories about women by women marks our Women's Month celebration this week:

Agatha Verdadero profiles Ann Casimiro of New York, whose sweet delights has put a restaurant called Tsismis on the city's very competitive culinary map. ["Ann Casimiro's Sweet Success"] 

PF Correspondent Lisa Suguitan-Melnick focuses on recently retired academic Leny Mendoza Strobel who has come out with a poetic memoir entitled "Glimpses." ["The Scholar Unplugged”]

And from our Manila-based correspondent Criselda Yabes, her tribute to the Women Writers in Media Now (WOMEN), the group of journalists who never stopped fighting authoritarianism. Full disclosure: this is a self-serving feature. ["WOMEN, on the Verge of Another Breakdown"]

From a well-known woman foodie and PF Correspondent Elizabeth Ann Quirino, our Happy Home Cook recipe for Tuna Pasta.

Our In The Know links this week:

How Has the Philippines Managed to Contain the COVID-19 Outbreak?https://www.esquiremag.ph/life/health-and-fitness/how-has-the-philippines-managed-to-contain-the-covid-19-outbreak-a2099-20200306-lfrm?fbclid=IwAR2qp_2Im3A_biihwFUl4TYxjmxrvaDJjy2Fcyw9DtLy10-oToxzCCxo4dQ

11 Empowering Female Scientists Who Paved the Way for Filipino Women in Science
https://www.esquiremag.ph/long-reads/features/women-scientists-in-the-philippines-a00304-20200308-lfrm?utm_source=Facebook-Esquire&utm_medium=Ownshare&utm_campaign=20200308-fbnp-long-reads-women-scientists-in-the-philippines-a00304-20200308-lfrm-fbfirst&fbclid=IwAR21zvzVKzePOgjqiplQwL3OFN1koK3u48CIZHqmVhcFQkB2xIPgcDJQgT0

No matter the weather: Life as a solo mother
https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1238287/no-matter-the-weather-life-as-a-solo-mother?fbclid=IwAR2TwLb2Tb1Xm-6YgBAhIZEtWknWdVsLuza5WbxBzL0z9VjHvELCuFwhwTM#/

Why Doreen Fernandez’s Tikim is still THE book on Filipino food, 20 years after it was first published
https://news.abs-cbn.com/ancx/culture/books/03/03/20/why-doreen-fernandezs-tikim-is-still-the-book-on-filipino-food-20-years-after-its-publishing?fbclid=IwAR1SAP1uspssUPLu3TwTvhiAVmwG_3m_UUbOTQp8W7Ldht_Mn8e6pWKDMlc

Fried Chicken King of Asia Loses $2.9 Billion on U.S. Gamble
https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/fried-chicken-king-asia-loses-210000270.html

This 'Tagalog Scrabble' May Help Improve Your Child's Filipino Vocabulary
https://www.smartparenting.com.ph/life/family-fun/salitaan-tagalog-scrabble-a00061-20200305?fbclid=IwAR1tL2HQi2I80zsYGBIViJexn1bNHVyR19iVUqiwBkdZDgG6DcRCJfZsrsw

For our Video of the Week, Youtube personality Mikey Bustos presents his latest cover “Stupid Cough,” a COVID-19 parody and safety reminder video set to Lady Gaga’s new song “Stupid Love.”

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Gemma Nemenzo

Editor, Positively Filipino

Calamities, Natural and Man-Inflicted

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So much sadness and anger this week as the US grapples with three mass shootings that resulted in 29 deaths in different parts of the country. The Philippines, where killing is officially sanctioned, is not spared the agony of violence. Currently however, natural disasters are taking center stage there. 

The big one is the series of earthquakes in Batanes, which destroyed the solid, typhoon-resistant structures of Itbayat, one of the islands in the Batanes chain. To get a feel of what it was like and the aftermath, we called on Dorian Merina, a Fil-Am journalist who has chosen to settle in Batanes, to give us a report. Read "A Deadly Quake Tests Batanes' Tradition of Resiliency," also to find out how to help.

Back to the US, the Trump administration has started the process of revoking the Filipino World War II Veterans Parole program which allows the families of Filipino veterans to join them in the US. Immigration lawyer Lourdes Santos Tancinco explains how the early termination will work and what to do if you're affected by it. (Partner Post: What the Impending Rescission of the Filipino World War II Veterans Parole Program Means to the Veterans Families)

In the city of Markham, Ontario, a larger than life statue of Philippine National Hero Jose Rizal is unveiled, to celebrate Canada's first Filipino Heritage Month last June. The statue was created by Filipino Canadian scuptor Ignacio "Mogi" Mogado Jr., who's passionate about letting the world know about Rizal. Toronto-based writer Marisa Roque tells us the story in "Rizal Honored in Ontario."

PF Correspondent Myles A. Garcia educates us on the fascinating evolution of the carnival (aka karnabal or perya) in the Philippines, tracing its colonial roots and noting its new iterations. "Did I Stay Too Long at the Fair?" is a fascinating read that you'll surely enjoy. 

It's Buwan ng Wika (National Language Month) in our homeland. Read Again poet/author Marne Kilates' "Why the 'F' in Filipino and How Did It Get There" to be updated on the new realities of the Filipino national language. 

For the Happy Home Cook this week, we borrowed a recipe from the famous chef Nora V. Daza from her book (co-authored by Michaela Fenix) A Culinary Life: Personal Recipe Collection: Ampalaya with Braised Beef. 

And our In The Know links, ICYMI:

Dark Web connects PH to mass shootings in US, Filipino pols’ vanities
https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1151006/dark-web-connects-ph-to-mass-shootings-in-us-filipino-pols-vanities?fbclid=IwAR2T-QaA8ZGwP8isI2wfvyrO23pkIm4zpQaqvVyZUThIrr5rk4YL68osw3A

Care.com Founder to Step Down as CEO Months After WSJ Report
https://www.wsj.com/articles/care-com-founder-to-step-down-as-ceo-months-after-wsj-report-11565089901

Pogo workers in their midst: Notes from an ‘invasion’
https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1147812/pogo-workers-in-their-midst-notes-from-an-invasion

She Was Filipino Food’s Greatest Champion. Now Her Work Is Finding New Fans.
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/30/dining/filipino-food-doreen-fernandez.html?action=click&module=Editors%20Picks&pgtype=Homepage

For video of the week, South China Morning Post featured Jollibee and how it became one of the world’s biggest companies from Asia.

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Gemma Nemenzo

Editor, Positively Filipino