Honoring our Teachers

I consider teaching the noblest of professions, and teachers -- especially those in Philippine public schools who have to trek miles, endure low wages and overcome a serious lack of supplies -- as real heroes. This week we are featuring the recipients of the first "Guro to Pangulo" awardees of the President Elpidio Quirino Foundation. These ten teachers have been recognized for their dedication and commitment to their profession. They were chosen from public schools named after the second president of the Philippine republic, who was himself a public school teacher before he became a politician and statesman. Positively Filipino Correspondent Elizabeth Ann Quirino, whose husband is a presidential nephew, reports.

From Cotabato City, fashion designer Pepe Quitco talks about his passion for inaul, the handwoven fabric native to Maguindanao, and showcases his creations that display its beauty and versatility. Serina Aidasani focuses on this talented couturier who has chosen to remain in his home city while creating fabulous clothes.

In President Obama's last State of the Union address last night, he underscored American leadership in the international fight against the ebola epidemic in Africa. Dr. Jorge Emmanuel, a Filipino American environmental scientist, was at the forefront of developing a process of eliminating contaminated Ebola-treatment waste, a necessary step in stopping the spread of the deadly virus. Read Again this exclusive and compelling report of Dr. Emmanuel, "My Battle with Ebola."

Our Video of the Week: popular musician Apl.de.Ap pitches for the Philippines as great travel destination in this new video from the Department of Tourism.

And our Happy Home Cook recipe is Binacol na Manok, chicken stewed in coconut water, a popular Ilonggo dish. 

Political Postures

As November brings in the cold, the political circus in the Philippines heats up. Positively Filipino editor Rene Ciria Cruz takes a first jab at the behind-the-scenes posturings with a satirical piece on the mother-son team of Imelda and Bongbong, The imagined conversation would be hysterically funny if it doesn't have a ring of truth in it. And then it becomes....well, read it and see for yourself.

Another funny story that our resident cybersleuth Myles A. Garcia dug up: the tiff between former Russian prime minister Nikita Khrushchev and a Filipino statesman at the United Nations General Assembly. Who was that Filipino? No one would have remembered except for a question in the TV show Jeopardy that led to Myles' scouring the web for the true story. Enjoy "The Filipino Who Ticked Off the Big, Bad Russian Bear."

This month is the 125th birth anniversary of the Philippines' sixth president, Elpidio Quirino, and his great grandnephew Constante G. Quirino introduces him to readers who may not have known of the man's accomplishments. "Quirino at 125: A Statesman and A Survivor" is a necessary read for history buffs and Filipinos everywhere.

Meanwhile, regular contributor Cherie Querol-Moreno visited Greece as it was undergoing its economic pains, and witnessed the Greeks' resiliency as well as the endurance of Filipino expats there. "Greece Endures as It Sustains Filipino Expatriates" is an inspiring eye-opener.

For our Happy Home Cook feature this week: Jojo Sabalvaro-Tan shares her aunt's personal recipe for Estofadong Pata.

For our Video of the Week, Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg shares a video about how a Filipina used Internet.org to start a business.

And finally, I blog about an unexpected milestone in our family.