Babies, Rice and Acting

When theater actor Bodjie Pascua joined the cast of the iconic Philippine children's TV show "Batibot," he became a household name as an entire generation of Filipinos grew up watching and singing along with their Kuya Bodjie. But "Batibot" was just one of Bodjie's sterling achievements as contributor Serina Aidasani notes in "Acting Is No Child's Play." For this dedicated thespian, acting is life itself.

Speaking of children, Positively Filipino correspondent Elizabeth Ann Quirino writes about Namee Jarolan Sunico who authored the first Filipino baby food cookbook. Certainly Namee fits the bill for Watch Out World, This Is a Filipino.

In Los Angeles, meanwhile, another Positively Filipino correspondent Anthony Maddela writes about a tiny gem of a restaurant called Ricebar, which serves quick lunches to people who work downtown. "Ricebar Raises the Bar on Rice Bowls" spotlights the entrepreneurial abilities of two young Fil-Ams, Santos Uy and Charles Olalia, who saw the potential of a vacant space and gave it life.

With police killings and brutality hitting the news, it's the right time to Read Again our exclusive feature, "Diary of a Fil-Am Cop." Raw, thrilling vignettes on days in the life of one big-city cop who happens to be a Filipino.

Our Happy Home Cook recipe for this week: Ukoy, a merienda favorite from occasional contributor Jojo Sabalvaro-Tan. 

And from Goldilocks: their classic Mocha Chiffon Cake.

It's September, and the Philippines unofficially starts the world's longest Christmas season. Our Video of the Week features comedian Jon Santos who sings "Apat na Buwang Pasko," a finalist at the recent 2015 PhilPop Festival.

Another Man’s Gem

Smokey Mountain. The name alone conjures up images of filth and suffering. Although Manila's notorious garbage dump has been leveled, it continues to fascinate and haunt documentarists such as Japanese indie director Kohki Hasei whose short film, "Godog" pays tribute to the children who lived and survived in this late, unlamented urban wasteland. Manila-based contributor Maria Carmen Sarmiento writes about how this award-winning director saw gems where others saw only garbage in "The Japanese Jologs Who Loves Smokey Mountain."

Tackling the health situation in the rural areas meanwhile is the Philippine Medical Society of Northern California (PMSNC), a 42-year-old organization of doctors, nurses, medical personnel and support staff, which has been conducting a yearly medical mission to various areas in the Philippines for 29 years now. Manzel Delacruz informs us about the group's commitment and structure that has made it one of the longest running missions from the US that’s helping alleviate the medical needs of the homeland.

For a touch of nostalgia, we are reposting Lou Gopal's "A Neighborhood of Yesterday: Malate/Ermita District Part 1," which reminds us of the glory days of old Manila. While you're at it, you can also read Part 2 of this fascinating throwback story.

Another Read It Again story: Rochita Loenen Ruiz's "How Tolerant Are the Dutch?" for a firsthand account of living as an immigrant in The Netherlands.

We have another Pinoyspotting report from Bay Area-based Joe Santos from his recent travel to Europe.

How about some sinfully delicious Pork Binagoongan for dinner? Positively Filipino Correspondent Elizabeth Ann Quirino shares her recipe for cooking the usually fried pork in the oven instead.

And our Goldilocks featured recipe, Sans Rival.

Don't miss our Video of the Week featuring the Pinay girl group "4th Power" on X-Factor UK.

Please read my blog this week, “Road Scholars,” about why a road trip is important. 

Climbing to the Top

As we come out with this issue, the Filipino American chess grandmaster Wesley So is competing in the Sinquefield Cup in St. Louis, Missouri. As our contributor Eliseo Tumbaga, who wrote the chess master's profile, "A Chess World Champ in the Making," alerts us: "This will be the third-highest rated tournament of all time with eight of the world's top ten playing, including the world champion." Wesley is ranked #7 in the world and #3 in the U.S. Let's root for this 21-year-old chess genius who is considered the best Filipino chess player of all time.

No one can accuse retired anesthesiologist Dr. Sonny Siasoco of not being adventurous. After scaling Mt. Pinatubo (Read: Positively Pinatubo), he turned to Mount Arayat, Pampanga's famously subversive mountain (it was the center of revolutionary activity during the Hukbalahap movement). Climbing mountains is never easy, but if you're a senior citizen it's doubly challenging. Read Dr. Siasoco's lively account of his adventure in "Mt. Arayat Is a Pain in the Ascent."

In Palo, Leyte, meanwhile, where the trauma of Typhoon Haiyan/Yolanda remains a reality, a group of women and a few men organized by the NGO, WeDpro, is treated to a psychological healing workshop by famous therapist, Dr. Margarita Holmes. Aida F. Santos, who heads WeDpro writes about the residents' eye-opening exposure to mental health issues and the interesting way they responded.

We go vegetarian in The Happy Home Cook this week, with Richgail Enriquez's Vegan Mechado. And of course, we have another delicious recipe from Goldilocks: Banana Loaf Cake.

In Video of the Week, we have an excerpt from the 2009 BBC travel documentary “Explore: Manila to Mindanao,” in which British reporter Simon Reeve interviewed Imelda Marcos and asked the source of the Marcos fortune.

Finally, we send our condolences to the family, friends and readers of Bert Eljera, a Positively Filipino contributor and correspondent for Inquirer.net. Bert passed away on Sunday, August 17 in Las Vegas. He had been waiting and hoping for a kidney transplant. Unfortunately, his tenacious struggle for life didn’t succeed. We will miss our colleague and friend.