Calamities, Natural and Man-Inflicted

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.

Born That Way

There’s proof that American-born or raised Filipinos inherit the humor genes of their immigrant parents. Our correspondent Anthony Maddela writes about Filipino AF, a year-old comedic ensemble that uses sketch humor, dance, film and yes, lumpia, to tickle its mostly Filipino audiences (see “Comedy That’s as Filipino As F__.”)

On a sober note, Lt. Patricia Teston, a young Filipina officer in the U.S. Navy, safely guides her ship through the dangerous waters of the Persian Gulf and feels she has fulfilled a vow she made as a child when a devastating typhoon battered her island (“My Vow for Undang.”)

Slow down with writer Criselda Yabes (“Kyoto Days”) as she serenely bikes her way around Kyoto, the former imperial capital of Japan. Meditatively feast your eyes on its temples then mercilessly chomp down its French-inspired croissants.

Cookbook author Liza Agbanlog is back with her take on Adobong Dilaw.

For this week’s in The Know links:

Desperate victims of Philippines landslide that killed 29 send texts for help from under the rubble
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/09/21/desperate-victims-philippines-landslide-killed-22-send-texts/?WT.mc_id=tmg_share_fb&fbclid=IwAR1kVylxjh0w49NCUwt4GlQSh92gMnFpwAN2LM-M9mJM19yoVTOE7JXu9Kc

An American And Her Filipina Translator Exhume A Massacre In 'Insurrecto'
https://www.npr.org/2018/11/10/666360732/an-american-and-her-filipina-translator-exhume-a-massacre-in-insurrecto?fbclid=IwAR0ojG4MVScDQXW5udZQioxYb8iM5U8B53NN-hVgIflWs9IxdD0Ecu8RPVc

Rizal and the Creatures of Dapitan
https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/specials/content/11/rizal-and-the-creatures-of-dapitan/?globalbanner&fbclid=IwAR2-I5IvknKErei0k-JclbnExMJS2weQNkz6Mt6A7j32e-_O4EZ1cG6SSnE

Google pays tribute to Dr. Fe del Mundo with a doodle
https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/11/27/18/google-pays-tribute-to-dr-fe-del-mundo-with-a-doodle?fbclid=IwAR3LEuT1651SIQr4h5MmRV80N6BOG0p2VX6LKRi5nGZME3t1TKHF6zrtXrY

For Video of the Week, CNN Philippines features Lea Salonga as celebrates her 40 years in show business.

Sea Finds and a Desert Run

Pearl is one of three birthstones for June, and PF Contributor Myles A. Garcia sends in a timely story about some of the biggest pearls in the world found mainly in Palawan, including the Lao-Tzu pearl whose provenance almost reads like a crime thriller. Read "Pearls of the Orient Seas" and be amazed.

What pushes a man to run the Badwater ultramarathon, the world's toughest footrace? Ben Gaetos, an LA-based architect and probably the first Filipino to finish this extremely rigorous race, explains why he did it in "The Stubbornness of a Long-Distance Runner."

It's considered a delicacy in northern Philippines but for journalist/food connoisseur Rene M. Astudillo, "pinikpikan" is a no-no in his book. Find out why in "Why I Won't Eat the Cordilleras' Popular Pinikpikan."

Be amused at some of the funny signs one encounters in the Philippines. 

One of the best essays about Rizal is a must-read in our In The Know list this week:

“Death Is A Night Wind”
http://www.caravanmagazine.in/reviews-essays/jose-rizal-poem-haunts-philippines-today

The wrecking-ball president
https://www.rappler.com/thought-leaders/205469-rodrigo-duterte-wrecking-ball-president

Manila City gov't is planning to destroy its last park
http://nolisoli.ph/44441/arroceros-forest-park/

Duterte signs Philippine Mental Health law
https://www.rappler.com/nation/205425-duterte-signs-mental-health-law-services-philippines?utm_source=The+Daily+wRap&utm_campaign=43223b578b-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2018_06_21_04_31&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_b3868977d4-43223b578b-95400069&mc_cid=43223b578b&mc_eid=0c0639d4af

For the Happy Home Cook, another simplified version of a Filipino favorite -- cassava cake -- from Melanie Q. Suzara.

For Video of the Week, Safeguard Philippines features Norman King, the first Filipino Aeta to graduate from the University of the Philippines.