Farewell to Lisa’s Dad

To us who didn't really know him personally, he was simply "Lisa's Dad," an appellation that we uttered with reverence because we are well aware that Lisa's dad is Alfonso Yuchengco, a giant presence in Philippine contemporary history.

Known to his friends as A.Y., Lisa's father was a businessman-industrialist whose business interests ranged from insurance (Grepalife, Malayan) to banking (RCBC) and education (Mapua). He was also known for his philanthropy; he was a generous supporter of a wide variety of causes (among them, the Bayanihan Dance Company and the Bantayog ng mga Bayani, a foundation dedicated to memorializing victims of martial law). Moreover, as Lisa herself revealed (see "How I Knew My Father's Love"), A.Y. was a secret financier of "subversive" activities, particularly during the Marcos years. His most exalted title of course is Ambassador, a statesman's role he fulfilled with honor and dignity -- in Japan, China and as Permanent Representative to the UN. Ambassador Yuchengco passed away on Easter Sunday in Manila, at the age of 94.

We join the Yuchengco family in mourning his passing and celebrating his extraordinary life. We speak for a grateful nation in thanking the Ambassador for his distinguished service to the country and to the Filipino people.

No one can convey the man's greatness better than his daughter so we are re-posting our publisher Mona Lisa Yuchengco's tribute to her dad on his 90th birthday four years ago.

On other news, it's Earth Day once again and our climate specialist, LA-based journalist Dorian Merina, discusses the clear connection between climate change and food production in "Wanted: A New Agriculture to Face Climate Change."

And for a touch of levity, PF correspondent Rey E. de la Cruz writes about the troubles he would get with his name.

I'm sure the De la Cruzes out there can relate.

Here's our compilation of interesting stories from various publications in our In the Know section:

The Philippines faces a very serious security challenge in two fronts and how it plays out could critically affect the balance of power in the Asia Pacific Region and beyond
http://roilogolez.blogspot.com/2017/04/the-philippines-faces-very-serious.html?spref=tw&m=1

Where does the military stand with Duterte?
http://www.rappler.com/thought-leaders/166768-military-stand-duterte-commander-in-chief

This legit Filipino eatery is hiding behind an unassuming name
https://www.washingtonpost.com/goingoutguide/restaurants/a-legit-filipino-eatery-hides-behind-an-unassuming-name-at-matthews-grill/2017/04/06/71001fd4-1597-11e7-833c-503e1f6394c9_story.html?utm_term=.d607750ad346

Pinay Chef Snubs Ivanka Trump
https://politikalpinoy.wordpress.com/2017/04/14/pinay-chef-snubs-ivanka-trump/

For our Happy Home Cook, PF Correspondent and foodie Elizabeth Ann Quirino shares her Peach-Mango Pie, a handcrafted (therefore better) version of the one from the famous hamburger chain.

Our Video of the Week: BBC's Human Planet features the amazing yet dangerous trade of underwater reef fishing in the Philippines.

Week of Age-Old Rituals

At one point in my young life, I was a researcher for a UN-funded project on folk media in the Philippines, tasked with documenting traditional forms of expression and events all over the country. That was how I witnessed the various rituals that make Holy Week unique and special among our people -- from the meditative cadence of the pabasa that brought a community together to the disturbing flagellants and the sacrificial re-enactments of Jesus' nailing on the cross in Pampanga. There too were the pageantry of the Moriones festival in Marinduque and, of course, the Seven Last Words, the Visita Iglesias and the long Easter masses of the Catholics -- all of them traditions that showcase the richness of our culture.

Some of our contributing photographers sent in some images of Holy Week in the Philippines. Enjoy them again in "Images of Semana Santa."

For the undocumented in the US who are currently going through their own personal tribulations due to the Trump administration's anti-immigrant policies, here's a useful legal guide from immigration lawyer Lourdes Tancinco, "Undocumented's Options: Depart Voluntarily or Be Detained."

Advice on an equally significant topic is given by Dr. Glenn Vives, a cardiovascular specialist of Kaiser Permanente in Martinez, California. Regular contributor Manzel Delacruz mines the doctor's insights on why Filipinos and Fil-Ams are prone to cardiovascular problems, in "He Wants You to Have a Healthier Lifestyle."

Positively Filipino Correspondent and food expert Elizabeth Ann Quirino provides us two pieces this week: a feature on Tanya Maynigo Louks, founder and owner of Craft Kombucha, a healthy tea-making entrepreneurship in Washington D.C.; and her Good Friday recipe for Baked Tilapia, this week's Happy Home Cook feature.

For those who missed out on stories from other publications, here are the In The Know links for this week:

Dealing with Duterte's Philippines
http://www.metsociety.org/debate-foreign-policy/2017/4/3/dealing-with-dutertes-philippines

Drug war sends OFW rushing home for son who ‘couldn’t run’
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/887697/drug-war-sends-ofw-rushing-home-for-son-who-couldnt-run#ixzz4e12Kdwgy 

Inside a Filipino cybersex den
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3393713/She-sat-eight-year-old-girl-lap-asked-want-Inside-Filipino-cybersex-den-pot-bellied-paedophiles-pick-girls-abused-webcam.html#ixzz4e0uxRU00

So Beats Onischuk To Win 1st U.S. Championship
https://www.chess.com/news/view/so-beats-onischuk-to-capture-first-u-s-championship-3094

Philippine invasive plant could fuel the country's kitchens
https://www.yahoo.com/news/philippines-invasive-plant-could-fuel-114459236.html?.tsrc=fauxdal

And our Video of the Week: “Bibingka” a 2015 short film by Kay Cuajungco, who explores the lives of Filipino migrants through the foods they grew up with and the recipes that were passed through them.

Remembering the Bataan Death March

Seventy five years ago, on April 9, 1942, some 75,000 defeated Filipino and American troops were forced by the invading Japanese Imperial Army to walk 65 miles from Mariveles, Bataan to the prisons in San Fernando, Pampanga. The trek, under extreme heat and hunger, accompanied by maltreatment by the Japanese soldiers, resulted in the death of about 1,000 Americans and 9,000 Filipino soldiers. That day of infamy has since been recorded in history as the Bataan Death March. Positively Filipino joins the Filipino nation, and the veterans of WWII and their families in commemorating this tragedy that has nonetheless brought about stories of valor and heroism by its survivors.

Our Washington DC-based contributor, Jon Melegrito, the son of a Bataan Death March survivor, wrote about his personal journey to honor his late father by walking 14 milesin the scorching New Mexico desert with some 7,000 participants of the re-enactment of the Death March. 

In San Francisco, a group of women led by Cecilia Gaerlan, also an offspring of a survivor, has established the Bataan Legacy Project whose primary goal is to keep the memories of Bataan and its survivors alive. Contributor Manzel Delacruz writes about them and the good work they're doing.

And from another dark period of our Motherland's history, Issa Manalo Lopez in "Prison Baby" writes about her birth in a Marcos prison and how she had to come to terms with her parents' incarceration.

In case you missed these interesting stories from various publications, here are our In The Know links this week:

Once PH's poorest, town literally draws path out of poverty
http://www.rappler.com/nation/165305-subanens-celebrate-poverty-reversal-siayan-zamboanga-norte

Bishop Oscar Solis of Salt Lake City Catholic Diocese: Bringing the church to the people
http://asianjournal.com/aj-magazines/bishop-oscar-solis-of-salt-lake-city-catholic-diocese-bringing-the-church-to-the-people/

‘Bangungot’: Why young men die suddenly in their sleep
http://lifestyle.inquirer.net/259051/bangungot-young-men-die-suddenly-sleep/

Man seeks justice for wife shot 28 times in Philippines
http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-beds-bucks-herts-39405721?SThisFB

Jonathan Gold's 6 favorite Asian fried chicken joints in the L.A. Area
http://www.latimes.com/food/dailydish/la-fo-jonathan-gold-asian-fried-chicken-20160629-snap-story.html

For Video of the Week, Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho spotlights Erwin Macua, a security guard who graduated cum laude at St. Theresa’s College, the school he worked for.

Finally, as we near Holy Week, another meatless recipe from Elizabeth Ann Quirino, Grilled Salmon and Shrimps in Banana Leaves.