An Astounding Historical Event

Our series on February 1986 recollections ends this week with "Coup d'etat and People Power," a re-telling of what happened during the 77 hours of the peaceful EDSA People Power Revolt which ended with the ouster of Ferdinand Marcos and the flight of his family and several others to exile in Hawaii. My article's focus is on one side of the military action, the side of the Reform the Armed Forces Movement (RAM).

There have been attempts to revise the significance of EDSA, that astounding historical event; some even want to diminish it as just a hiccup in Philippine contemporary history. Well, I was there through it all and I knew then as I know now that it was a transformative triumph of a united people, the likes of which we may never see again in our lifetime.

Here's one reason to watch the Oscar Awards this Sunday: Filipino American Ronnie del Carmen is part of the team nominated for best screenplay for Pixar's acclaimed "Inside Out." He is also one of the co-directors of the film that is nominated for best animation feature this year. Entertainment insider Ruben Nepales features his fellow University of Santo Tomas alum Ronnie in "In the In-Crowd for 'Inside Out'".

How about trying out the "20 Filipino Foods You Need to Try Before You Die," a list compiled by foodie Rene Astudillo. The list includes such exotic names as "sundot kulangot," "dinakdakan," "kwek kwek" and "pigar pigar." Now doesn't that just whet your appetite?

From Rene's list we bring you our Happy Home Cook recipe for this week, the famous Vigan empanada.

Our Video of the Week: Hillary Clinton affirms her support for faster visa processing for family unification, in this one-on-one with ABS-CBN's Bev Llorente. 

On the Eve of Change

Have you been through a time when you know without any doubt that the world as we know it is about to change beyond our control? At around this time 30 years ago, the entire Philippines was in limbo as the snap election of February 7, 1986, intended to stabilize the volatile political situation, instead threw everything into chaos as the two opposing forces, Cory Aquino and Ferdinand Marcos, each claimed victory. The situation was ripe for explosion as our Countdown to the Revolution vividly documents, with part two focusing on the election itself and its aftermath. We all knew what happened and how the month ended, but re-living those days of uber-tension is almost cathartic for me, as I hope it is exciting for you.

In San Francisco this month, Jessica Hagedorn's acclaimed play, Dogeaters, based on her novel of the same name, is running in the Magic Theatre. Elaine Elinson, who had interviewed the Fil-Am author two weeks ago, writes a review of the theatrical presentation, which she tags as a definite must-watch. Enjoy "Dogeaters Distills the Time of the Conjugal Dictatorship" and buy yourself a ticket.

From Southern California, Positively Filipino Correspondent Anthony Maddela tracks down Cedrick Argueta, the Filipino-Salvadoran who got a perfect score in theAdvanced Placement Calculus AB exam, one of only 12 teenagers in the world to do so. His Filipino mother, Lilian, talks about how she and her husband, Marcos, are raising their son, now the popular math phenom. 

And from Crestwood, Illinois, Rey E. de la Cruz writes about a neighborhood gem, Philippine Cuisine and Groceries. 

Our Happy Home Cook recipe this week is Escabeche, the fried sweet-sour fish that is a great favorite among Filipinos.

And our Video of the Week: a short documentary from The Guardian on how the Aetas in the Philippines are fighting mining companies.

Love and Revolution

If history is theater, February 1986 will be highlighted in Philippine history in bold, bright marquee lights. It was a whirlwind month with the political situation changing almost every day, moving at a pace quite unheard of in our homeland, leaving everyone barely enough time to reflect. There was no doubt however that a big change was on the way, so palpable and anticipated that the normal functioning of a nation was put on hold while the people awaited the events' unfolding.

In this issue, we begin a series intended to take us back to that fateful February when the political status quo was smashed and our country reeled with the turmoil of revolt. "Countdown to the Revolution: The Snap Election" is a story I culled from my notes and my writings as a freelance journalist then who was just as caught up with the excitement of being part of and witness to history being made.

But we also haven't forgotten that February is also the month of love, and to celebrate we have:

• "Romances in History" by Ambeth R. Ocampo, a Read Again piece tells us that history is not always about turmoil and cataclysmic changes, but also about people and romance;

• "Spouse It's About Time" by John Silva, whose 40-year love relationship with Jonathan Best culminated in their wedding in the city where they met and fell in love;

• "'When I Am Six Feet Below the Ground'" by Lourdes Santos Tancinco pays loving tribute to an exceptional priest, the late Monsignor Fred Al Bitanga, who demonstrated to his parishioners that loving the way of God is not just empty rhetoric;

• "Table for Two," our Happy Home Cook feature by Rene Astudillo, is another Read Again that presents recipes for a romantic Valentine's Day meal; and

• For our Video of the Week, revisit our story and Mona Lisa Yuchengco's film on centenarian lawyer Delfin Gonzalez.