The Worst of Times and the Best of Times

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As an active journalist in the Philippines between 1983, the year Ninoy Aquino was assassinated, and 1986 when the Marcos regime was ousted by people power, I was right there when the almost daily protests were happening. Those were heady times, alternately exhilarating and scary, when yellow confetti rained daily from the usually staid buildings in Ayala Avenue, when intense political infighting and secret strategizing among rival factions within the administration were taking place, and anti-Marcos rallies were drawing bigger and bigger crowds. We felt the electricity in the air and the ground shifting; we knew that history was being made and we were not just witnesses but participants in its unfolding.

I realize now how different it is to watch events unfold from afar. Though I'm in constant touch with friends who are on the ground, it's not the same as being there and actually feeling, hearing, seeing the tension and the excitement. Worse, with the proliferation of online disinformation, I have to suspend reacting to news until I verify their veracity, which can be a damper to spontaneous enthusiasm.

This is why I'm so happy to have my friend and WOMEN (Women Writers in Media Now) colleague Rochit  Tañedo write about the nitty-gritty of the recent massive Leni Robredo-Kiko Pangilinan rallies in Nueva Ecija and Tarlac. Traveling by public bus from her home in Quezon City shortly after Covid restrictions were lifted, laden with donated campaign materials, Rochit embedded herself among the volunteer organizers and the masses who thronged to the rally sites, and wrote about the "Tears and Fears and Leni-Kiko's Abonados." Not quite the same as being actually there, but close. 

Other Stories This Week:

This Filipino American Life by Juanita Tamayo Lott

Conrad Ricamora: Niceville’s Nicest Actor by Anthony Maddela

Why ‘White is Beautiful’ Among Filipinos? by Rey E. de la Cruz, Penelope V. Flores and Deiia R. Barcelona

Read Again: Women Who Made and Wrote

She Broke My Heart and Made It Whole Again by Sylvia Mayuga

Marilou, 1955-2012 by Pablo A. Tariman

Gina Lopez: Rich Girl, Kind Heart, Woman Warrior by Paulynn Paredes Sicam

Dawn Bohulano Mabalon’s Short Life Burned Brightly by Mariel Toni Jimenez

Cook It Again: The Happy Home Cook: Vegan Arroz A La Cubana by Chef Richgail Enriquez

Video of the Week: Chefs Sandy Daza and Claude Tayag

In The Know

HISTORIC PUNK VENUE ‘MABUHAY GARDENS’ BECOMING UNDERGROUND COMEDY HOTSPOT

https://brokeassstuart.com/2022/03/28/historic-punk-venue-mabuhay-gardens-becoming-underground-comedy-hotspot/?fbclid=IwAR2180iCQudQZDef-U0iQIeyoT0dZc3Oudu6pDYlsb0VFh2OvXunANf_hDU

An Indigenous basket-weaving tradition keeps a Philippine forest alive

https://news.mongabay.com/2022/03/an-indigenous-basket-weaving-tradition-keeps-a-philippine-forest-alive/?fbclid=IwAR2SB4RxFl14GjAKLu78L1KZLQxxxwQKrLip7WoSQDxB745XqifDxiKHCIE

Most Beautiful Cities and Towns in the Philippines

https://www.esquiremag.ph/life/travel/most-beautiful-cities-towns-philippines-a00204-20200528-lfrm?utm_source=Facebook-Esquire&utm_medium=Ownshare&utm_campaign=20220314-fbnp-life-most-beautiful-cities-towns-philippines-a00204-20200528-lfrm-fbold&fbclid=IwAR3S3kaBokVkdhItla4tLAQuYCzB8Vg9Zz9_KGtOkl2rHff6iWpocKX0xWo

‘A total Pinoy fantasy’: This 600-million amusement park is the new pride of Negros

https://news.abs-cbn.com/ancx/travel/destination/03/14/22/this-600-m-amusement-park-is-negros-latest-pride?fbclid=IwAR2T3K5mFjhYgHjAbLGvRrE3T-E8-2vop7lo5WkuTiTAG4W_AT8LCZhQAps

This classroom-on-a-trolley on the railways of Quezon has caught the eyes of the world

https://news.abs-cbn.com/ancx/culture/spotlight/03/17/22/classroom-on-a-trolley-in-quezon-gets-world-attention?fbclid=IwAR1jLiFtzefO5hrZzfNt3AWnoDcPC1EWdwaPBSFI2DbmwTXifhJHT6cALdQ

It’s not the house that art built but it’s art that keeps it standing

https://news.abs-cbn.com/ancx/culture/art/03/19/22/avellana-artgallery-at-25-remains-a-home-for-artists

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Gemma Nemenzo

Editor, Positively Filipino

Manong Train Workers Were on the Right Track

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In 1925, as Black porters of the Pullman Company were organizing the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters (BSCP), the train company hired 400 Filipinos as scabs against the nascent labor union. It didn't take long for the Filipino porters to realize that they had more in common with the Black workers; while management praised them for their "natty appearance" and their work ethic, they were just as discriminated against as their union counterparts. Led by Cipriano Samonte, an Ilocano from Laoag, the Filipino porters switched sides in this labor conflict and became part of BSCP. First-time Positively Filipino contributor Don Villar, a civil rights lawyer and Chicago labor leader, writes this compelling and inspiring story of "How Black and Filipino Unity Was Forged in the Pullman Workers Union."

There are numerous historical accounts of Filipinos in America but so far, there is no centralized depository that can preserve them for future generations to access. This lack is what Eliza Lafferty, another first-time PF contributor, wants to solve with her Pakinggan! Archive project, which she describes in "Pakinggan! A Case for Filipino Community Archives."

In Baguio City, meanwhile, the traditional summer treat for many Filipino kids -- horseback riding in Wright Park -- is slowly becoming a thing of the past as a disease kills off most of the horses. Baguio-based PF Correspondent Rene M. Astudillo reports on "The Fallen Horses of Baguio City."

Insider stories about the revolution of the Philippine Left have been coming out and one of the most pointed in its criticism of the treatment of women is Maria Virginia Yap Morales' recently published memoir, Ascending the Fourth Mountain: A Personal Account of the Marcos Years. Dr. Patricio N. Abinales, himself a chronicler of sex and Philippine communists (he wrote a book on this topic), writes a review.

For this week's Happy Home Cook, here's another video demo by Chef Sandy Daza, for three recipes:  Authentic Italian Carbonara, Chicken Caesar Sandwich and Croque Monsieur. It's over 20 minutes long for all three but it's a fascinating watch. Sandy always makes cooking look simple and attainable for home cooks. 

Our Stories This Week

How Black And Filipino Unity Was Forged In The Pullman Workers Union by Don Villar

Pakinggan! A Case For Filipino Community Archives by Eliza Lafferty

The Fallen Horses Of Baguio City By Rene Astudillo

The Party’s Over By Patricio Abinales

The Happy Home Cook: Authentic Italian Carbonara, Chicken Caesar Sandwich And Croque Monsieur By Chef Sandy Daza 

Video of the Week: Gold by Ella Jay Basco featuring Ruby Ibarra

[PARTNER] ALLICE Kumares And Kumpares "Our 13th Our Family, Our Future" By Cherie M. Querol Moreno

In The Know

We speak about Asian Americans as a single block. Here's how incredibly complex they are
https://www.cnn.com/2021/05/06/us/demographics-asian-americans-diversity/index.html?fbclid=IwAR38CkTl55IQNrekduxMZarlN61_7e9eSgTsP9THFCKokQg4KCG6DcMq8z0

Searching for a Taste of the Philippines in Jersey City
https://theclick.news/searching-for-a-taste-of-the-philippines-in-jersey-city/?fbclid=IwAR1tJR-qiyijM_9rJ3987RpA8mBmX72x1nrNtFu2GWPo-HRqkoRCOo0DGj0

Former students of shuttered Catholic school in Derry delve into dark chapter of military history
https://www.unionleader.com/student-history-club-delves-into-century-old-war-mystery/article_be8cb1e7-0c5a-5321-a4ff-c6a1a3d43542.html?fbclid=IwAR3FYzst7SHYiH6qYFl8Fn9WDpQyFvoAjm078a7K49MiG_NhQP9YrB9P3lA

Wealthy and Educated: A Look at Manila's First Beauty Queens
https://www.esquiremag.ph/the-good-life/what-she-wants/evolution-of-beauty-pageant-titles-in-the-philippines-a00208-20171213-lfrm?utm_source=Facebook-Esquire&utm_medium=Ownshare&utm_campaign=20210517-fbnp-the-good-life-evolution-of-beauty-pageant-titles-in-the-philippines-a00208-20171213-lfrm-fbold&fbclid=IwAR3nuYBoREAmxVqiIP2OqrQU555twtZ9I7MkaiHFZ7SMYuszfF11ElkJzsc

Looking Back at the Filipino Pioneers of Navy Medicine
https://www.dvidshub.net/news/395831/looking-back-filipino-pioneers-navy-medicine?fbclid=IwAR1BHTD0aNUqy5UDSIvE-zVDZ5G4uv1NrC3LnVaMq2eXpxB_wK5-UuMaSoc

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Gemma Nemenzo

Editor, Positively Filipino

What's It Like to Have a Famous Mom?

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Since June last year, Positively Filipino has held 14 webinars on a variety of topics, from racism to anti-terrorism to hate crimes, the environment and Filipino women in the pandemic frontlines. 

For our 15th webinar next week, we will bring it closer to home with "Loving Kids Talk About Their Famous Mothers," featuring Melissa Ugarte, TJ Manotoc, Nina Daza Puyat and Aika Robredo sharing stories about growing up under the wing (or the shadow) of their brave, unconventional moms. 

Melissa is the eldest child of the late Maita Gomez, supermodel/beauty queen/revolutionary/college professor, who spent part of her childhood with her mother in the underground movement.

TJ is the son of Aurora Pijuan, the Philippines' second Miss International (winning the title in 1970) who is now a strong advocate of democracy and human rights in the Philippines.

Nina is the youngest of culinary icon Nora Daza's four children and she has followed her mother's path as a food writer and recipe developer.

Aika is the eldest of Philippine Vice President Leni Robredo's three daughters and she works closely with her mother in the latter's many humanitarian involvements.

Our moderator is Paulynn Sicam, a mother herself and a veteran journalist, who has interviewed presidents,  generals and rebels alike. 

You will enjoy this session as we surely will, so please register to join.

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Gemma Nemenzo

Editor, Positively Filipino