Happy Reading & Eating to All

From the Positively Filipino staff -- Mona Lisa Yuchengco, Rene Ciria Cruz, Raymond Virata and myself -- we'd like to wish all our readers a joyous holiday season. Another year is almost over and, already, this is our second to the last issue for 2015. How quickly time flies, really. We hope that in some small way, we have enhanced your lives with our carefully curated stories.

Did you know that Pope Francis so loved the Pope Mobile that he rode in during this Manila visit in January that he actually ordered another one for Rome? Nitz Almazora, whose family built that particular custom-made vehicle, tells us about how her family of seven flew to Rome for an audience with the beloved head of the Catholic Church and to deliver the ordered Pope Mobile. Surely an experience to be told to every generation of the Almazora clan.

From London, meanwhile, Sarri Tapales writes about her transformative experience "Dancing with Ligaya." That's Ligaya Amilbangsa, a recent recipient of the much-coveted Ramon Magsaysay Award for culture and dance, who teaches Pangalay, the traditional dance of our ethnic brothers and sisters in Mindanao. Sarri is a ballet dancer herself and she knows whereof she speaks when she describes how learning the Pangalay brought her home to her Asian roots.

A Christmas issue isn't complete without a Christmas story so we have a poignant one, "They're All We Shall Ever Want for Christmas" by esteemed Filipino writer Ed Maranan.

And we're not ignoring the Miss Universe brouhaha: our Art Director Raymond Virata has compiled some of the funniest tweets and reaction videos on that tragicomedy.

Our Happy Home Cook feature: Churros with Tsokolate from our resident foodie Elizabeth Ann Quirino. Perfect as a post-Noche Buena treat.

Christmas Pa More

Simbang Gabi starts today in churches in the Philippines and among large Filipino communities all over the world. In San Francisco, Simbang Gabi has received the official imprimatur of the Vatican, thanks to the tireless efforts of Filipina church leader Nellie Hizon who worked for 20 years to get the uniquely Filipino tradition recognized. Regular Positively Filipino contributor Manzel Delacruz tells us the story of the commissioning of Simbang Gabi in the San Francisco diocese, a milestone achievement that brings Filipinos in the Bay Area together in tradition and prayer.

Another Christmas event that has done wonders for creating a sense of community is Belenismo sa Tarlac, an annual Belen-making contest that is now participated in by 17 municipalities and a city in Tarlac. Started in 2007 by the Tarlac Heritage Foundation headed by Mrs. Isabel Cojuangco Suntay, Belenisimo or the art of creating a Belen (nativity scene) has brought out the creative imagination of townsfolk and has changed the Christmas landscape of the province. Native Tarlaqueña Elizabeth Ann Quirino writes proudly about this event, which she witnessed for the first time this year.

In Atlanta, Georgia, meanwhile, Fil-Am radio producer Myke Johns is making waves in the arts community of the city. Positively Filipino Correspondent Rey de la Cruz introduces us to this dynamic personality whose heart is solidly behind public radio.

Our Happy Home Cook feature in time for the holiday gatherings is embutido, the Filipino meatloaf with homemade banana ketchup, courtesy of LA-based chef, food blogger and cookbook author Marvin Gapultos.

For Video of the Week, Micah Indiola took a video of two Filipino kids singing Parañaque Rebels' Christmas rap carol "Santa Klaws."

A Christmas Feast

With the growing popularity of Philippine regional cuisine, Ilocano dishes are taking center stage as foodies praise its health benefits (heavy on fresh vegetables), cooking methods (mostly boiled) and also its taste. Of course, there's the other side to the healthy aspect -- a lot of salty fermented fish and lard (think bagnet)  -- which makes the dishes good enough to crave for. Positively Filipino Correspondent and food expert Elizabeth Ann Quirino writes about her recent feast in Vigan and the Ilocano treats she enjoyed, which included the poqui poqui, the traditional Ilocano Christmas dish, which is featured in our Happy Home Cook section this week.

Lotis Key-Kabigting won the Plaridel Award for First Person Essay three years in a row and she's back this week with her latest piece, "A Traveling Fool." If you're a chess enthusiast and/or a Lotis fan, you'll enjoy knowing what she's been up to all year.

And more about traveling, Filipino business executive Jose Eduardo Delgado, better known as Jed, talked to Positively Filipino contributor Serina Aidasani, about what drives him to travel the world and take great risks to satisfy his passion for adventure. Read "Wandering Jed" if you're up for some vicarious thrills.

For our Partner post this week, Positively Filipino Correspondent Myles A. Garcia writes about the annual Philippine International Aid (PIA) fundraiser, the biggest social event in the Filipino community of the San Francisco Bay Area. Now 29 years old, PIA has enabled over 43,000 poor Filipino children to go to school with scholarships and grants.

For our Video of the Week, Broadway superstar Lea Salonga introduces her daughter Nicole Chien at a concert at the PICC Plenary Hall in Manila.