When It's December in Our Soul

For Filipinos outside the Philippines, the onset of December triggers a focus on the homeland. By this time, balikbayan boxes for Christmas should have been packed and shipped, Christmas cards mailed to international addresses, and tickets for the annual visit to the Philippines in January or February booked. If you're one of those, like me, who have dilly-dallied on these things, we have to get our act together quite soon because 2016 is galloping by fast. And not a moment too soon, I'd say. 

For those intending to visit Cebu or Bohol, read this week's story by occasional contributor Gia R. Mendoza, "Two Side Trips and a Wedding." You might want to get in touch with the guides she hired and the sites she saw to make your visit hassle-free and productive.

And from the Diocese of Legazpi, Albay, Bishop Joel Z. Baylon issues a stirring call for prayer for enlightened leadership, through an open letter to President Rodrigo Duterte. Every night at 9, the church bells of Legazpi will be ringing to call the people to pray. This will go on "for as long as it takes," the Bishop writes.

A cautionary tale from literary stalwart Cecilia Manguerra-Brainard on her near-fatal encounter with the pneumococcal vaccine, "The Pneumonia Shot That Sent Me to Urgent Care," underscores the need for each one of us to be an active participant in our health care.

As Cuba hits the headlines worldwide with the death of its leader, Fidel Castro, Read Again "Eternamente Cuba," Chibu Lagman's travel piece on the island nation that shares so many similarities and history with the Philippines.

A major part of that history is Andres Bonifacio, whose 144th birthday falls on November 30. As the Philippines grapples intensely today with the definition of a real hero, let's pause to remember what Bonifacio did for the country. Read Again Penelope V. Flores' article, "Andres Bonifacio, the Other National Hero."

For Pinoyspotting, Joe and Lynn Santos cruised the Mediterranean and met some kababayans.

Our Happy Home Cook feature this week: the comforting Ginataan from Chicago's beloved Uncle Mike's Place.

For our Video of the Week, TV host Lourd De Veyra and a panel of experts look into the myths of Martial Law.

Fair Shakes

The outgoing House of Representatives of the US has scheduled a hearing on November 29 on the Filipino Veterans of WWII Congressional Gold Medal Act of 2015. Positively Filipino joins The Filipino Veterans Recognition and Education Project in urging all Filipinos in America to call your representatives and ask them to support the bill. This is undoubtedly well deserved by our Filipino veterans who fought alongside the American forces but have not been given due recognition. An ALL HANDS ON DECK moment for the community. Click here for more information.

Earthquakes are happening all over the world and it will be folly to think that you and I will not be affected sometime. Contributor Manzel Delacruz writes from earthquake country California -- where there's now a 72 percent probability that a seismic activity will occur anytime soon -- about the earthquakes in her life and how to prepare for the next one. "Living in Earthquake Country" is a must-read for those living on faults.

On the lighter side, an interesting life is what New York-based Dien Magno chooses to live. A journalist by day and a burlesque dancer by night, Dien is profiled in "Portrait of a Fil-Am Journalist as an Exotic Dancer" by veteran journalist and editor Cristina DC Pastor who publishes TheFilam.net, an online magazine in metro New York. 

More on the lighter side, our art director Raymond Virata brings us another compilation of funny signs that only Filipinos can think of. 

For Video of the Week, we feature Kathryn Jewel Golbin, a blind pinay singer who amazed the judges of "France's Got Talent."

And for those celebrating Thanksgiving with sumptuous feasts, you might want to return afterwards to comfort food. So here's a recipe for champorado from Chicago's famous Uncle Mike's Place . Make sure you have tuyo orjeproks (both deep fried salted fish) on hand to complete the down-home experience. 

Read Again our feature on Uncle Mike's Place: Uncle Mike’s Place

Young Voices In This Time of Distress

Last Sunday, at the Glide Memorial Church, a San Francisco landmark, the uplifting service -- famous for its celebratory music, its soaring homilies and its inclusiveness -- was the perfect salve for wounded souls. And the whole congregation that day was still aching from the tragedy of November 8, 2016, surely a day of infamy for the United States and the free world. In the Philippines, there was the double whammy of the Supreme Court deciding to honor a dictator as a hero on that day. 

What does the election of Donald Trump mean for people of color? For starters, within 24 hours of the election, hundreds of racially charged harassments of minorities were reported. With the Ku Klux Klan already emboldened to come out openly, bullying of not just blacks but anyone not Caucasian (certainly including Filipinos) can be the new normal in this America that seems to have changed overnight. Millions have gathered to protest and we can only hope that the momentum for pushbacks against racism, misogyny and hate will continue for as long as they are happening.

The National Federation of Filipino American Associations (NaFFAA) fired the initial volley for the community a few days ago when it publicly denounced the racist tweet of former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee which said, “If HRC wins she will appoint her Filipino maid to head CIA. She already has access to all the secrets anyway. No need to train her.” Calling the tweet as "deeply offensive, NaFFAA demanded an apology from the former (and possibly future) presidential aspirant. 

This week we feature the writings of two young people: 18-year old Annika Olives airs her reaction to the results of the election in "Make America Beautiful Again." From Manila, 12-year old Luis Yuchengco wrote and recites a stirring Spoken Wordcall for his peers to "Dream Big." We don't usually publish poetry in Positively Filipino, but we can't help but share our publisher Mona Lisa Yuchengco's pride in her nephew.

And for those who are visiting the country and would like to take the iconic jeepney, Rene M. Astudillo lists down some tips that will get you through the harrowing/exciting experience in "Riding a Filipino Jeepney 101."

Positively Filipino Contributing Writer and resident foodie Elizabeth Ann Quirino shares another recipe, this time her own take on the traditional Italian apple cake, Torta de Mele in the Happy Home Cook.

For our Video of the Week, we feature the Philippine Eagle Center in Davao City from OurPhilippines.tv.