Women Power

We join the celebration of Women's Month with stories by, about and for Filipino women, so keep reading us in the next few weeks as we honor those that hold up half the sky. Like artist Imelda Cajipe Endaya, as profiled by Serina Aidasani in "Presents from the Past." Her art is inspired by her passion for Philippine history and her exploration of what it means to be Filipina in today's world.

And then there's author F.H. Batacan whose book, Smaller and Smaller Circles, a whodunit set in Metro Manila's Payatas garbage dump, won the Palanca Memorial Award, the Philippine National Book Award and the Madrigal-Gonzales Best First Book Award. The murder mystery is considered the first Philippine crime novel. This must-read book, now international distributed, is reviewed by veteran journalist Ben Pimentel.

In "Looking for My Father in Cuyo Island," contributing writer Gia R. Mendoza revisits her family history as she returns to the island of her birth where her father was once the resident physician. It was an eye-opening, nostalgic journey for her and she shares the experience with us.

Our publisher, Mona Lisa Yuchengco, likewise shares her thoughts on the joys and the challenges of returning to our homeland, something which she does regularly but still looks forward to and savors. "Four Funerals and a Surgery" is something most balikbayans can relate to.

And here's something you might want to Read Again: Journalist Aurora Almendral's profile of Henry Motte Muñoz, a French-born Filipino whose crusade against corruption led him to set up a social enterprise called Bantay PH. Motte Muñoz was recently named by Forbes magazine as one of "30 Under 30" outstanding young people to watch out for. 

Our Happy Home Cook featured recipe this week is an easy one for dinner: Ginataang Tilapia from Rene Astudillo.

And our Video of the Week: from the Broadway hit "Hamilton," creator and lead actor Lin-Manuel Miranda introduces new Filipina cast member, Karla Puno Garcia, in this rap song "!0 Taglish Duel Commandments."

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.