Remembering and Speaking

One summer night in August 39 years ago, elderly Filipino manongs were forcibly evicted from the International Hotel, a senior residential facility in the heart of San Francisco. That singular act of cruelty changed the landscape of the city and reverberates until now. We go back to that event, "The Last Night of the I-Hotel" to inform readers of what happened thenand what has happened since. It's a significant part of Filipino American history that's for the books.

Filipinos in Iceland? Of course there are some. Contributor Gia R. Mendoza did a few days stopover in the country and found not only kababayans but also natural wonders that soothed their exhausted bodies. Read all about it in "Finding Warmth in Iceland."

Bright colors dominate Elisa Racelis Boughner's art, as Serina Aidasani describes in "Woman of Colors." Boughner was one of the artists of Filipino heritage who took part in an art exhibit at Chicago's Field Museum of Natural History recently.

From Switzerland, Cherry Malonzo, who is raising two Tagalog-speaking, brown-eyed boys, makes a case for teaching the mother tongue to children of Filipino expats in "The Gift of Language." 

For our Happy Home Cook recipe, we go back to Judy Ann's Kitchen for her Chicken Binakol.

And our Video of the Week brings to life the history of San Francisco's I-Hotel to accompany our main story.

On the Road Again

The vagabond life--who hasn't dreamt of living one? Being on the road with nary a responsibility except to oneself, chalking up a different experience each day, getting to meet a variety of people, getting to know oneself deeper. What's not to love?

For those who are planning to travel but haven't yet decided where to go, here are some stories that will inform, inspire and prod you:

10 Survival Tips for Summer Travel in Europe by Cherie Querol-Moreno is a must-read for those heading to the Old World;

Seattle to Fairbanks and Back, in 9 Days by Noni Mendoza talks about a daredevil road trip by two seniors in their 70s who just had to complete their bucket list;

Revisiting El Nido by Criselda Yabes reveals a less-touristy but nonetheless spectacular side to this highly popular travel destination;

Come Join Me in Portugal is a Read Again by Tiago Gutierrez Marques who wrote lovingly of his homeland;

Viña del Mar by Migs Bassig is a deeply personal narrative about being in Chile.

And then as first-time contributor Dayumman Marie Ngoddo writes, there's nothing like travel to make one appreciate the delight and comfort of Home, Sweet Home.

Safe travels everyone.

For those aching for some comfort food, Rene Astudillo's recipe for Fish Tocino is our Happy Home Cook feature this week.

Filipino-Canadian singer/comedian Mikey Bustos returns with our Video of the Week, a very funny and clever parody of Meghan Trainor's hit "No," which becomes, in Mikey creative mind, a statement on what makes a Filipino.

Justice on Trial

Extrajudicial killings have been in the headlines lately -- in the Philippines and in the US -- driven by different reasons, all resulting in pain, human rights tragedies and tinder for social volatility. History professor Vicente L. Rafael offers an insightful comparison of EJDs in both countries, the better for us to understand and reflect on how we should react and act on these travesties of justice.

An equally important call for humanity comes from Fr. Jett Villarin, currently the president of the Ateneo de Manila University, who has the distinction of being both a Jesuit and a physicist. He recently spoke at the University of San Francisco on Pope Francis' Laudatu Si encyclical on ecological justice. Manzel Delacruz elaborates on Fr. Jett's plea for the convergence of science and religion to save nature and humanity.

Meanwhile, as Rio de Janeiro prepares for the Olympics, Contributing Writer Myles A. Garcia, who has written a book on Olympics history, writes an "Ode to Olde Olympia and the Olympic Games" where he witnessed a reenactment of the original ritual of getting fire from the sun to light the Olympic flame.

And in case you missed them, Read Again two of our popular stories:

"Please Stop Calling the Philippines 'P.I.'" by Michael Gonzalez, a reminder that P.I. is a colonial term and to use it to refer to our homeland is an insult to its hard-earned sovereignty.

"When Lolo's Debating Team Vanquished America" by Liana Romulo relates the historic victories of the Philippine debating team led by her grandfather, the great statesman Carlos P. Romulo.

Our Happy Home Cook recipe this week is my personal comfort food, Humba, this one by the Philippines' original top chef, Nora Daza. I reached for her popular recipe book "Let's Cook with Nora," the bible of Filipino immigrants everywhere, when our friend, her eldest son Bong, passed away recently. Bong attested to the deliciousness of all the recipes in this book because he was the taste tester when his mom was putting it together.