A National Museum, Naturally

The Philippines has a beautiful new museum -- the National Museum of Natural History housed in the former Department of Tourism building and renovated to reflect 21st century innovations in the era of climate change. Retired Ambassador Virgilio A. Reyes, Jr. gives us a peek of its history and collections.

Much has been written about the late chef/adventurer/raconteur and media personality Anthony Bourdain's love for Filipinos and our food. Very few, however, have been as up close and personal to him as one of the Philippines' celebrity chefs, Claude Tayag, who was Bourdain's chief guide to Kapampangan cuisine in the No Reservations' most watched episode on the Philippines. In his column that he wrote last week and shared with us, Tayag pays tribute to this extraordinary character and how he was when the cameras were off.

Dr. Sonny Siasoco couldn't get over his appreciation of kababayans that he encountered in his balikbayan visits, so he wrote "Random Acts of Kindness, Pinoy-style" to remind us that there's a lot to celebrate in the Filipino national character.

You might have missed reading these stories so we're listing them in our In The Know section this week.

Safe Haven in the Philippines
https://www.facebook.com/WorldJewishCong/videos/10155372207979805/

You can now read the Jose Rizal manga online for free
http://news.abs-cbn.com/life/06/19/18/you-can-now-read-the-jose-rizal-manga-online-for-free

Why Cavite Is the Capital of Philippine Heritage Cooking
http://fnbreport.ph/features/fb/why-cavite-is-the-capital-of-philippine-heritage-cooking-catherine-20180612/

Our Happy Home Cook recipe comes from Rene Astudillo's food blog, MyBayKitchen.wordpress.com: Callos a la Madrileña.

For Our Video of the Week, a Daly City woman was caught on video spouting racist slurs against a Mexican-Filipino couple.

Independence, Ramadan, and Father's Day

As we celebrate 120 years of Philippine Independence, let's take a look back to how it all began. Read Again "Why June 12 Is Different From Other Days" by contributor John Silva.

In San Francisco, this year's celebration featured, among other highlights, an Independence Day cake created by Bettina Santos-Yap, a marketing person who recently embarked on her second career, this time in the culinary world. PF Correspondent Cherie Querol-Moreno reports.

We wish our Muslim brothers and sisters a meaningful celebration of the Eid ul Fitr on June 15, marking the end of this year's month-long Ramadan. How is Marawi City faring after the horrific fighting and bombing there? Our PF Correspondent Criselda Yabes updates us on the remnants of what used to be a glorious showcase of Muslim life in Mindanao.

And for our Father's Day feature, a touching story on how a son found his father and how the father accepted his previously unknown son. Derrick Reyes, the son, tells us his story in "May I Call You Dad?" while Ricardo "Dick" Taylor reveals what he felt when he found out that he had a son he never knew.

In our In The Know links this week, we pay tribute to Anthony Bourdain, the chef/media celebrity/adventurer/sage who, in two episodes of this highly rated series, publicly declared a lot of affection for Filipinos and Filipino food. 

A tribute to Anthony Bourdain, one of the OG champions of Filipino cuisine
https://coconuts.co/manila/lifestyle/tribute-anthony-bourdain-one-og-champions-filipino-cuisine/

This valedictorian began to talk about sexual misconduct at her graduation. Then her mic was cut.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/education/wp/2018/06/09/this-valedictorian-began-to-talk-about-sexual-misconduct-at-her-graduation-then-her-mic-was-cut/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.f331545d609f

The Price of ‘Machismo Populism’ in the Philippines
https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2018/06/duterte-kiss-philippines/562265/

Filipina Equestrian Spreads The Olympism Message
https://www.olympic.org/news/filipino-equestrian-spreads-the-olympism-message?esi=true

For your Father's Day celebration, here's a simplified version of our favorite Filipino dessert, Leche Flan from contributor Melanie Q. Suzara.

And for our Video of the Week, enjoy Anthony Bourdain's tribute to our people. 

Looking Back

As Filipinos the world over gear up to celebrate another Philippine Independence Day, it's a good time to learn about the two-day visit of President Manuel Luis Quezon and his family to Washington, D.C. 76 years ago, the only Philippine president to stay at the White House. Titchie Carandang-Tiongson who, along with her husband Erwin and two sons, are digging up Philippine history in Washington, D.C., writes the historical account.

Another Washington, D.C. story is Myrna Montera Lopez's profile of Santiago "Sonny" Busa, Jr., an outstanding FilAm who was a military officer, a diplomat, an academic and a community leader, among the many roles he has distinguished himself in.

And switching to the motherland, Prof. Michael Gonzalez teams up with student journalist Meeko Angela Camba to introduce the work of Gerry Tan, a sound artist, who is "weaving sound from a tapestry."

Our In The Know links for this week:

Inside a Philippine City Seized by ISIS Loyalists
https://www.nytimes.com/video/world/asia/100000005858523/isis-loyalists-marawi.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&clickSource=story-heading&module=photo-spot-region&region=top-news&WT.nav=top-news

Inside the Controversial World of Slum Tourism
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/features/photography/history-controversy-debate-slum-tourism/

Five Blood Transfusions, One Bone Marrow Transplant — All Before Birth
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/25/health/fetal-bone-marrow-transplant.html

Valencia Brothers Seek to Represent Filipino American Experience Through Food
https://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/Lasa-Restaurant-Filipino-483165571.html

For our Happy Home Cook, Chef Richgail Enriquez features her vegan version of Munggo Guisado.

For Video of the Week, Youtube comedian Jeppy Paraiso is back with his Tita series.