Torch Bearers

As the Philippines heals from the bruising rhetoric and divisiveness of the 2016 election, it is refreshing to know that the Filipino soul is alive and well among its torch bearers in various parts of the world.

In San Diego, California, there's Bernard Ellorin, an ethnomusicologist, promoting the kulintang as the natural accompaniment to the dance performances of the Samahan Filipino ­American Performing Arts and Education Center. Daisy Amos Laag profiles Ellorin in "A Career in 'Roots' Music."

In Stavanger, Norway, Manila-born and -raised Michelle "Alex" Mossige does her bit to promote Filipino culinary culture with her Adobo Afternoon pop-ups, reports Jacqueline Lauri, herself a Filipino culinary advocate, in "Adobo Afternoons in Norway." Mossige's version of Pork Adobo with Norwegian flair is our featured recipe in The Happy Home Cook this week.

In Vancouver, Canada, a group of Filipino artists, the Dimasalang III International Artist Group, draws inspiration from its leader, the renowned Sofronio Ylanan Mendoza, better known as SYM. Sandie Gilles writes about them in "Brush Strokes by the Untouchables."

Meanwhile, here's a welcome respite from the heat of weather and politics: Positively Filipino Contributing Writer Criselda Yabes guides us through bird watching havens in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao in "Flights of Fancy."

If you're a Filipino culture bearer, check out our Partner post this week and add your name to the growing list.

In our Video of the Week, the Asian Law Caucus honors Filipino World War II veterans as AAPI Civil Rights Heroes.

Chill

Three months of intense political campaigning, and Filipinos have made their choice. Whether you are rejoicing or mourning right now, it's time to calm down and return to what's truly fundamental and good.

May is the month of celebration and commemoration -- from Flores de Mayo and Marian Month, to Asian Pacific American Heritage, Mental Health Awareness and Memorial Day in the US. And then there was Mother's Day, which is pretty much universal, and to mark it, we have stories on mothers and motherhood:

From Switzerland, Cherry Malonzo, a young mother, writes about the unexpected joy of natural childbirth with a midwife assisting, in "Where Midwives Are Worth Gold."

Rosa Quirino Eugenio is a little known lady who played a big role in nurturing a president. The eldest sister of President Elpidio Quirino, the sixth president of the Philippines, Rosa took over the mothering of her younger siblings when their mother died. In "Little Mother, Big Sister," Positively Filipino Contributing Writer Elizabeth Ann Quirino reveals some family stories.

Hotel executive James Tecson Lim offers a touching tribute to his late mother, Lourdes De la Cruz Tecson, who raised him singlehandedly.

And our Read Again feature in this Marian Month, a brief guide to Marian shrines in the Philippines by Ma. Ceres P. Doyo, from the book Pueblo Amante de Maria.

In Los Angeles' Echo Park and Historic Filipinotown neighborhood, The Park's Finest BBQ Restaurant is catching attention because of its innovative approach to the well-loved Filipino barbecue. Positively Filipino Contributing Writer Anthony Maddela takes us there.

Chef Johneric Concordia of The Park's Finest BBQ shares a recipe of his mom. Our Happy Home Cook feature for the week is aptly called Mama Leah's Chicken Drummettes.

For our Video of Week, we present Anthony Bourdain's feature on the Philippines in "Parts Unknown."

Political Anxiety

Mercifully, the political circus will be over in five days. But will it really?

The traditional "wisdom" in Philippine political campaigns is that a candidate, especially for hotly contested posts, will have to overcome two major hurdles before he/she can claim a win: the voting and the counting. “A candidate may win in the voting, but will he win in the counting?” is a common question asked by voters. The vote tally is the bigger hurdle, thus political operatives know that a big chunk (some say 98 percent) of campaign funds should be saved for the last night before election, when the horse-trading and the bribing will be at fever-pitch and poll watchers are deployed (and paid) in every precinct to make sure the votes are counted correctly.

Who wins and who loses when the electoral process is subverted? Walden Bello, a recognized thought leader and independent senatorial candidate, shares his opinion piece on who or what is the biggest current threat to the Philippines' teetering democracy.

Moving on to other compelling stories, Positively Filipino Contributing Writer Rey E. de la Cruz takes us to his hometown of Ballesteros, Cagayan where the destructive effects of black sand mining has resulted in an eroded coastline and the wiping out of "gakka," small clams unique to the area. Gakka has been a traditional Cagayan delicacy for centuries and its disappearance has made Ballesteros natives angry at those profiting from the mining activities.

And another hometown, another lament: Rene Astudillo returns to Baguio and realizes that the hometown he knew is now just a memory. "What Happened to the Baguio I Once Knew?" is a common question from those who once loved the beautiful city of pines.

In Manila, Kashmir restaurant, the first and longest-running Indian restaurant in the metro area, continues to lord it over newbies. Serina Aidasani pays tribute to the restaurant's longevity in "Spicing Up the Filipino Palate," some 40 years after the owners introduced Indian cuisine to Filipino taste buds.

Kashmir also shares with us its recipe for Vegetarian Samosas in our Happy Home Cook section this week.

In our Video of the Week, Chef Myke "Tatung" Sarthou presents dishes which Filipinos prepared during pre-hispanic times.