Celebration!

May is the most festive month of the year for Filipinos. From Sarrat, Ilocos Norte to Pinamungajan, Cebu to Tubigon, Bohol and many other places in between, fiestas mark the return of townsfolk who have fanned out to distant shores but remain tethered to their hometowns emotionally. It's the time for family reunions, all-out food fests in various homes, mini-circuses, freak shows, processions and the awaited town dance at the plaza where a beauty queen's coronation usually caps the evening's festivities. 

Here in the U.S., May is a mixed-bag of commemorations that honors mothers, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, senior citizens, Mexicans, Haitians, Jewish and awareness of various health issues including mental health and lupus. So wherever you are, whatever your station in life, there's always reason to celebrate May because, above anything else, it's the month of sunny weather and glorious flowers.

We start off this month with a variety of delightful reads:

A challenging but ultimately satisfying trip to Mt. Pinatubo where first-time contributor, Dr. Sonny Siasoco and his family trekked. It's not for the faint of heart as his photo essay, "Positively Pinatubo," illustrates.

What if you've been bequeathed millions and you lost it? That's what happened to Filipina caregiver Hadassah Peri (born Gicela Tejada Oloroso of Sapian, Capiz), and our regular Internet sleuth Myles Garcia dazzles us with details of her fortune that's tied up with the late millionaire heiress Huguette Clark. "Good Help is Hard to Find: The Improbable Story of Huguette and Hadassah" is a must-read.

And for boomers who refuse to grow old, our publisher Mona Lisa Yuchengco comes up with a list of "Sixties Shades of Gray" that will have senior citizens and soon-to-be seniors laughing, if only the truth isn't so painful. 

The loss of a mother is a wound that never heals and Lisa Suguitan Melnick eloquently writes about it in "Out the Back Door." 

For those May gatherings, something familiar: Macaroni Chicken Salad with Pineapple from the recipe book of Elizabeth Ann Quirino, in The Happy Home Cook.

For our Video of the Week: Vina Lustado, a Filipino American architect who owns Sol Haus Design, a residential design firm, shows off her super-efficient and gorgeous 140-square-foot house in Ojai, California.

And my blog is on my personal May memories.

Lakes, Indigenous Art and the Beatles

A warm welcome to those who are getting this weekly newsletter the first time.

Positively Filipino has been publishing exclusively online since January 2013 and since then, has 500 or so stories on the myriad aspects of Filipino history, culture and politics to its name. If you click this link, you'll have access not only to the new stories we have this week but also to our archives, categorized according to general topics and through the authors' names. Just scroll down to the categories on the right side of the page. Everything is clickable so you can go straight to an author's work or the category you want to read.

Don't forget to check out our Global Briefs also for capsule reports on the goings-on in Filipino communities and Filipinos in different parts of the world.

This week, we feature the incredible art and culture of the T'boli people of Cotabato, one of the Philippines' indigenous tribes that should make us all proud, if only we know more about them. Patricia Araneta traveled to Lake Sebu in T'boli-land and wrote a compelling report, "T'boli: It's Better to Weave Than Leave," that includes pictures that showcase the exquisite work of the T'boli women weavers.

In Baguio City, the art of the Ifugao carvers take center stage as the Philippine Bamboo Foundation Inc. promotes the native product as a source of livelihood and as a means to protect the environment. Baguio-based writer Desiree Caluza explains in "You Take A Stick of Bamboo."

For writers in the midst of crafting a novel or a nonfiction book, nothing is more welcome than a respite from the demands of daily existence to be able to focus exclusively on writing. Maria Carmen Sarmiento, a Manila-based author, was able to do just that when she was chosen to spend a month in Bellagio, Italy by the banks of beautiful Lake Como. She tells us about how it was to write and interact with  an elite group of writers from all over the world in "My Month By the Lake."

Our recipe this week in The Happy Home Cook: Slow-cooked Sirloin Pepper Steak over Rice from Rene Astudillo, also known as the creator of The Adobo Chronicles.

For our Video of the Week, a group of Filipino fans seeks to reverse the Beatles' bad memories of Manila with "Postcards for Ringo"

40 Years Ago This Month

Two major events in the last week of April changed history, and we commemorate both in this week's issue.

April 24 is the 35th death anniversary of Macli-ing Dulag, the Kalinga tribal chief who led the opposition to the Chico River Dam project in the Cordilleras. His assassination by elements of the Philippine Army in 1980 unified the people against the dam and led to the eventual scuttling of the project by the Marcos dictatorship. Macli-ing Dulag's legacy is forever etched in Philippine history and April 24 is celebrated as Cordillera Peoples Day every year.  Ace journalist Ceres P. Doyo shares some excerpts from her new book on the charismatic chieftain in "The Unforgettable Macli-ing Dulag."

April 30 marks the 40th anniversary of the fall of Saigon, which ended the catastrophic Vietnam War. Ken Kashiwahara witnessed the chaos and the tragedy of the withdrawal of the US and revisited Saigon for the first time a few months ago. He shares his recollections and observations in "Escape from Saigon."

Meanwhile, a confrontation that the whole world awaits with gusto happens on May 2 when Manny Pacquiao comes head-to-head with Floyd Mayweather, Jr. Two boxing enthusiasts, Roilo Golez and Peter Bacho, share their predictions on the outcome. You can also share your pick on our new online poll.

In Seattle, pet owners are lucky to have in their midst Dr. Michael Mison, a topnotch veterinary surgeon, who comes from a family of educators and civil servants. Gia Mendoza profiles her pet's lifesaver in "A Pet's Best Friend."

As we celebrate Earth Day this month, read again two of our informative postings on the environmental impact of the aquarium fish trade ("Saving Nemo") and the holy guardians of Bud Bungao, the magical mountain in Tawi-tawi ("The Holy Mountain of Tawi-tawi"), both by Philippine environmental writer, Gregg Yan.

Our recipe for the week in The Happy Home Cook comes from food blogger and author, Marvin Gapultos, who shares his award-winning "Slow-braised Pork and Pineapple Adobo."

And for our Video of the Week, the Bisaya-speaking Americans of the Hey Joe Show are back in “Signs That You Are Filipino.”

I hope you also visit my blog, “Gemma Nemenzo on Life, Love, Writing, and Everything In Between” and let me know your thoughts on "Expat Realities."