We Will Always Have Angeles City

Philippine-American Friendship Day will always be a reminder of both the close relationship and love-hate tug-and-pull between our two countries. But there's no denying that the US will always have a place if not in Filipinos' hearts, at least in our consciousness. Today, let's revisit Angeles City, the place where Americans at their worst once wrecked havoc on the city's equanimity. Retired Ambassador Virgilio A. Reyes Jr. once again regales us with his story on "Angeles City's Mini-Renaissance in Heritage Restoration."

For a nostalgic trip into Manila's American history, Read Again Lou Gopal's "Yesterdays in Ermita," part 2 of his 2-part series on the city's once-genteel district. Part 2 features the American families who lived in the area.

Of course, you're also be enriched by part 1. "A Neighborhood of Yesterday: Malate/Ermita."

Australia's Uluru has been in the news lately, so w're reposting PF contributor Larry Ng's writeup about it: http://www.positivelyfilipino.com/magazine/climbing-uluru

If you missed these reports from various publications, here are the links:

They went to Pride with 'I'm sorry' signs and people are feeling all the feels.
http://www.upworthy.com/they-went-to-pride-with-i-m-sorry-signs-and-people-are-feeling-all-the-feels?c=upw1

Puting Pinoy's response to Fil-Am's discrimination in Daly City
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=REseGL0IYMw

Who was Epifanio De Los Santos?
http://opinion.inquirer.net/114241/epifanio-de-los-santos-2

What's next after that basketbrawl?
http://bleachersbrew.blogspot.com/2018/07/whats-next-after-that-basketbrawl.html

For our Happy Home Cook recipe, a most fitting July 4 treat: No-Bake Cheesecake from our resident foodie, Elizabeth Ann Quirino. 

For Video of the Week, we feature the next Filipino talent to be showcased by “America's Got Talent,” The Junior New System.

Sea Finds and a Desert Run

Pearl is one of three birthstones for June, and PF Contributor Myles A. Garcia sends in a timely story about some of the biggest pearls in the world found mainly in Palawan, including the Lao-Tzu pearl whose provenance almost reads like a crime thriller. Read "Pearls of the Orient Seas" and be amazed.

What pushes a man to run the Badwater ultramarathon, the world's toughest footrace? Ben Gaetos, an LA-based architect and probably the first Filipino to finish this extremely rigorous race, explains why he did it in "The Stubbornness of a Long-Distance Runner."

It's considered a delicacy in northern Philippines but for journalist/food connoisseur Rene M. Astudillo, "pinikpikan" is a no-no in his book. Find out why in "Why I Won't Eat the Cordilleras' Popular Pinikpikan."

Be amused at some of the funny signs one encounters in the Philippines. 

One of the best essays about Rizal is a must-read in our In The Know list this week:

“Death Is A Night Wind”
http://www.caravanmagazine.in/reviews-essays/jose-rizal-poem-haunts-philippines-today

The wrecking-ball president
https://www.rappler.com/thought-leaders/205469-rodrigo-duterte-wrecking-ball-president

Manila City gov't is planning to destroy its last park
http://nolisoli.ph/44441/arroceros-forest-park/

Duterte signs Philippine Mental Health law
https://www.rappler.com/nation/205425-duterte-signs-mental-health-law-services-philippines?utm_source=The+Daily+wRap&utm_campaign=43223b578b-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2018_06_21_04_31&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_b3868977d4-43223b578b-95400069&mc_cid=43223b578b&mc_eid=0c0639d4af

For the Happy Home Cook, another simplified version of a Filipino favorite -- cassava cake -- from Melanie Q. Suzara.

For Video of the Week, Safeguard Philippines features Norman King, the first Filipino Aeta to graduate from the University of the Philippines.

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.