Deja Vu in Mindanao

Martial law in Mindanao fills up all the news slots in the Philippines since President Rodrigo Duterte declared it a week ago. We focus our In The Know listings on analyses and news reports, to get you updated on what has been happening:

How A Military Raid Triggered Marawi Attacks
http://www.rappler.com/newsbreak/in-depth/171245-marawi-crisis-isis-plan-bautista

More Details Emerge on How Duterte Made Martial Law Decision
http://www.philstar.com/headlines/2017/05/26/1703846/more-details-emerge-how-duterte-made-martial-law-decision

Is Martial Law the Right Response to ISIS?
http://globalnation.inquirer.net/157444/martial-law-right-response-isis-threat

Why People in Mindanao don't mind Martial Law
https://lefthandedsnake.wordpress.com/2017/05/27/why-people-in-mindanao-dont-mind-martial-law/

Priest Says He and 200 Others Are Being Held Hostage in the Philippines
http://time.com/4798001/philippines-isis-militants-hostage-video/

As our Video of the Week, we feature journalist Howie Severino and the iWitness team of GMA7 network who flew to Marawi right after the martial law declaration to document the real situation in that war-torn city. Here's "Ilaw ng Marawi."

Switching to the more peaceful and enduring part of the Philippines, PF Correspondent Criselda Yabes visits Mayon Volcano for the first time and is rightfully awed. In "Volcano Lover," the well-traveled journalist realizes that "Mayon Volcano is the gorgeous lady you save for last." 

From Vancouver, Filipino artist Chito Maravilla is making waves with his eclectic art that a writer/collector describes as "Maravillaesque." PF Correspondent Rey de la Cruz reports.

Now that Memorial Day in the US has come and gone, summer barbecues are dominating family meals. PF Correspondent Elizabeth Ann Quirino has come up with a Peanut Sesame Pasta Salad that pairs well with the grilled meats and veggies that will surely be part of your summer table.

---

TELL US ABOUT YOUR HOMETOWN

Who can best shine a light on that nostalgic place where a part of you still resides than you, whose childhood memories are full of the wonders of growing up in that special place? Write about your hometown and/or send us an old photograph with a description of how your hometown looks and how it makes you feel. 

Send to pfeditor@yahoo.com and we will post them so the whole world can share the wonder.

Climate and Consciousness

The volatility of weather patterns because of climate change has brought about a growing tragedy: climate refugees such as those who survived the wrath of Typhoon Haiyan and had to move out of the area to seek employment or livelihood. LA-based journalist Dorian Merina explains this phenomena in the last of his series on climate change and how it is affecting Filipinos.

HOCUS is not a magic trick but it is a magical experience as veteran journalist and author Sylvia L. Mayuga takes us on a virtual tour of the exhibit of 26 artworks of Saul Hofileña and Guy Custodio, currently going on at the National Museum of Fine Arts in Manila. Gemma Cruz-Araneta curates this "leap of consciousness" showcase of the Filipino soul, which runs until October this year.

Let me tell you about visiting Boracay and how to make the best of it in "Yes, Boracay," my blog this month.

And for those planning to travel to warm climes, here's how to avoid the travel bloat. Read Again Imelda Oppenheim's "Beat the Heat Bloat," a timely reminder for summer in the western hemisphere.

Our In the Know links for this week:

The ‘greatest Marcos horror story never told,’ through the eyes of a Moro filmmaker
http://cnnphilippines.com/life/entertainment/film/2016/11/22/teng-mangansakan.html

Christians Rise Up Against the 'Filipino Trump'
https://sojo.net/magazine/june-2017/christians-rise-up-against-Filipino-Trump

Monique Lhuillier's Wedding Dresses: Spring 2018
https://www.yahoo.com/news/monique-lhuilliers-wedding-dresses-spring-100000397.html?.tsrc=fauxdal

Writing Toward Home
http://aaww.org/writing-toward-home/

Filipino farmer strikes gold with cocoa
http://www.bbc.com/news/business-37217649

Summer weather brings memories of ambulant vendors and their merienda fare back home, one of which is the popular banana-cue. Here's how to make it, our recipe for the Happy Home Cook this week.

For our Video of the Week, CNN features the team behind the Philippines' "first female-led brewery."

Motherly Dedication

When my Positively Filipino colleagues -- Mona Lisa Yuchengco as publisher and Rene Ciria Cruz as editor -- pioneered Filipinas, the first glossy magazine for and about Filipino Americans in the early 1990s, they had to dig deep into the community and search for stories about and by Filipinos in America. Now, more than 20 years later, we can't keep up. In various publications, by a wide range of writers, stories about the Philippines and Filipinos here and abroad are being printed and posted. We try to keep you abreast two ways: our In Brief section which provides capsule news items about developments that affect or interest Filipinos everywhere; and our In The Know weekly listing of links to stories in other publications that we feel you should read in full. Here's the In the Know lineup for this week:

My Family's Slave
https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2017/06/lolas-story/524490/?utm_source=atlfb

At 100 or So, She Keeps a Philippine Tattoo Tradition Alive
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/15/world/asia/tattoo-artist-kalinga-buscalan.html?smid=fb-share&_r=1

Pinay girl rejected from UK grammar school turns out to be having an IQ higher than Einstein’s
http://kickerdaily.com/posts/2017/05/pinay-girl-rejected-from-uk-grammar-school-turns-out-to-be-having-an-iq-higher-than-einsteins/

Warriors' Stephen Curry helps Cupertino family after teen's tragic death
http://abc7news.com/sports/warriors-curry-helps-cupertino-family-after-teens-tragic-death/1981313/

Zamboanga del Norte students trek dangerous mountain trail to school
http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/video/kapusomojessicasoho/335838/zamboanga-del-norte-students-trek-dangerous-mountain-trail-to-school/video/

With 30 reported cases every single day, the HIV tragedy is cause for very grave concern in the Philippines, as PF Correspondent Rene Astudillo reports in "On Tita Bootz’s Bucket List—Stop New  HIV Infections." Fortunately, there are community advocates and caring souls like Bootz Yabut who are pitching in to help curb the spread of the disease.

As a postscript to the warm, fuzzy Mother's Day tributes, another PF Correspondent John Silva celebrates his unconventional and controversial mother, Helen Ledesma, in "My Unmom Mom."

And for San Francisco Bay Area martial arts denizens, contributor AJ Ruiz writes about the winningest martial arts school in "The Way of Eskabo Daan."

For our Happy Home Cook recipe this week, we go back to healthy -- a vegan version of the traditional favorite, kare-kare, from Richgail Enriquez. 

Our Video of the Week, we feature the story behind the popular Cebuano-speaking Americans of the Hey Joe Show on You Tube.