Gratitude

Gratitude is what we're giving in spades this week as the US, where about 4 million of our kababayans live, go through the annual ritual of celebrating Thanksgiving Day. 

For first-time contributor Teresa de Veyra-Montilla, the unexpected gift of visiting the former home of her grandparents, Jaime and Sofia de Veyra in Washington, DC, plus meeting Erwin and Titchie Tiongson, who are documenting the history of Filipinos in the US capital, are beatitudes that she writes about in "A Journey in Time with My Grandma." Montilla's forebears are important historical figures. Jaime C. de Veyra was the Philippine Resident Commissioner in the US Congress, representing the country as a colony; Sofia de Veyra, who we had featured before (Read Again Titchie Carandang-Tiongson's profile of this outstanding Filipina http://www. positivelyfilipino.com/ magazine/the-thoroughly- modern-sofia-de-veyra?rq= sofia%20de%20veyra) was an early feminist, suffragist and patriot.

Meanwhile, Jin Chow of Hong Kong and Stanford University, submits a tribute to the two  Filipina OFWs who raised her -- Rosita Aguas and Florencia Masbang -- and she admits guilt that she belatedly realized how much these women sacrificed to be able to work for her family. In "Words of Gratitude from an 'Alaga,'" her thankfulness shines through.

If you've been to Manila recently, I'm sure you've heard about the current rage: Salted Egg-Flavored Potato Chips. Since it's not yet available in the US, our culinary expert Elizabeth Ann Quirino shares her own recipe for the delicacy. 

Our In The Know links for this week:

How the Philippines’ Coral Heart Keeps Beating
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/photography/proof/2017/11/tubbataha-coral-reef-philippines-unesco-world-heritage-site-sulu-sea/

The Former Army Navy Club Is Now The Rizal Park Hotel
https://www.realliving.com.ph/tips-and-guides/the-former-army-navy-club-is-now-the-rizal-park-hotel-a247-20170825-lfrm2

Tribes, Treks and Life Stories with Indigenous Aetas in the Philippines
https://www.nastasha.ca/2017/11/20/tribes-treks-and-life-stories-with-indigenous-aetas-in-the-philippines/

New York Times sues Filipina journalist for false representation
https://www.rappler.com/nation/188650-new-york-times-filipina-journalist-misrepresentation

For our Video of the Week, the US Signal Corps produced a documentary narrated by US Marine Corps Captain David Griffin about the war crimes in Manila during World War II. The film also features General Carlos P. Romulo in the introduction.

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The Philippine American Press Club USA's 2017 Plaridel Awards (Photo by Raymond Virata)

We'd also like to give a big thanks to our writers for winning big at the PAPC-USA Plaridel Awards, which was held last month at the Kalayaan Hall of the Philippine Consulate General in San Francisco.

Plaridel Awards

Elizabeth Ann Quirino - 2 Plaridel Awards
Best Profile Writing: "Watch Out World: Tanya Maynigo Louks, Creator of Healthy Craft Kombucha"
Best Food Story: "Food for the Memory"

Gia Mendoza
Plaridel Award for Best Tourism Feature: "Two Side Trips (Cebu and Bohol) and a Wedding"

France Viana
Plaridel Award for Best Entertainment Story: "Her Mission Was In the Cards"

Merit Awards

Manzel Delacruz - 3 Merit Awards
Best International Reporting: "Priest and Physicist"
Best Investigative Reporting: "In The End, Love Wins"
Best Entertainment Story: "Taklub"

Rey de la Cruz
Best Entertainment Story: "Carol Varga: When She's Bad, She's Very Good"

Three Commemorations and a Headache

Our Vancouver-based contributor Sandie Gilles writes a fitting Veterans Day (Remembrance Day in Canada) tribute not just to our valiant fighting soldiers, but also to her mother, Dr. Alice Benitez, who is actively promoting the Filipino veterans' cause in speeches and during the recent awarding of the Congressional Gold Medal in Washington, DC.

A commemoration of a century-old miracle is bringing thousands of Catholic pilgrims to Fatima, among them our publisher, Mona Lisa Yuchengco, who brings us her pictorial essay on her pilgrimage and the Filipinos she met along the way.

And another commemoration: on the 4th anniversary of the devastating super typhoon Haiyan/Yolanda, American film producer/director Nick Spark, who was there shortly after the disaster happened to shoot his award-winning documentary Right Footed, returns to Tacloban and finds a markedly different -- and inspiring -- scene.

Back to the present and immediate future: the proposed House Republican tax reform bill hits home for seniors like Evangeline Canonizado Buell, who has to contend with senior ailments, rising health care costs and, if the bill passes, possible penury. We're posting her testimony here that she delivered during a press conference in San Francisco on the real-life effects of the bill.

For those of you who wondered where you got your surname, here's a popular Read Again:
http://www.positivelyfilipino.com/magazine/how-filipinos-got-their-surnames

And our In The Know links for this week:

Why should Trump care about thousands killed, when there are deals to be done?https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/nov/14/trump-thousands-killed-us-philippine-presidents-duterte-drug-war?CMP=share_btn_fb

Thirty countries use 'armies of opinion shapers' to manipulate democracy – report
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/nov/14/social-media-influence-election-countries-armies-of-opinion-shapers-manipulate-democracy-fake-news

Meet the Filipina supervising animator behind the upcoming Pixar film Coco
http://nolisoli.ph/27957/meet-filipina-supervising-animator-behind-upcoming-pixar-film-coco/?utm_campaign=Echobox&utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook#link_time=1510052894

Butterfly in the Spring's feature on Sunshine Puey
https://butterflyinthespring.com/2017/11/11/sunshine-puey/

Thanksgiving in the US is just a few sleeps away but before you indulge yourself in rich, fatty, cholesterol-laden dishes, how about enjoying a meal of Vegan Filipino Spaghetti? Vegan chef Richgail Enriquez lends us her recipe.

Our Video of the Week features a a little boy with a big achievement: Enzo Cox, a Filipino American, delivers a stirring TED talk.

Mother Mary's Call and Hope for Children

As we all know, the Catholic world is big on miracles, thus this entire year it celebrates the centenary of the miracle of Fatima, with thousands of pilgrims visiting Portugal to pay homage to the Virgin Mary. For Linda Nietes-Little, who owns the most established Filipino bookstore in southern California, her affirmation of faith is more personal and she shares with us her story, "When Mama Mary Called from Fatima."

Moving now to the secular world, Los Angeles-based fashion designer Oliver Tolentino headlines this year's fundraising event for Philippine International Aid (PIA), the foundation established more than 30 years by our publisher, Mona Lisa Yuchengco. PIA provides educational funds for needy children in the Philippines. Tolentino, a stalwart in the Hollywood fashion scene, has prepared a collection of 60 new and original outfits for the November 19 extravaganza in San Francisco, as he tells PF Correspondent Myles A. Garcia. Read the story for more details.

Every year, art-inclined staff of the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) Medical Center participate in the UCSF ARTshow, an event that combines treatment modalities and the creative arts in one of the country's most famous medical facility. Regular PF contributor Manzel Delacruz highlights the works of two Filipino Americans -- sculptor Rex Dacanay and painter/illustrator Nannette Nemenzo (a distant relation), both analysts in the Department of Pediatrics.

Everyone's gearing up for Christmas and for this week's Happy Home Cook, we feature the Macadamia-Jackfruit Cake of San Francisco foodie Voltaire Gungab -- a cake pretty and delicious enough for gift-giving or for enjoying with the clan.

Here's our In The Know links for this week:

The True Story of the Mindanaoan Slave Whose Skin Was Displayed at Oxford
http://www.esquiremag.ph/long-reads/features/the-true-story-of-the-mindanaoan-slave-whose-skin-was-displayed-at-oxford-a00029-20171102-lfrm2?ref=article_featured

The Fascinating History Behind Pinoy Slang

http://www.esquiremag.ph/culture/the-fascinating-history-behind-pinoy-slang--a1729-20171107-lfrm?ref=article_featured

Celebrating Fil-Am History Month without Fil-Am History
http://globalnation.inquirer.net/130383/celebrating-fil-am-history-month-without-fil-am-history

Dignified: A Filipina Taking Pride in Caregiving
https://www.facebook.com/AARPAAPI/videos/1153134021489302/

And our Video of the Week: AJ Plus' Sana Saeed looks into the history of Filipino American nurses.