Our Unhappy Homeland

Though we are thousands of miles away, our motherland is never far from our minds and whatever tragedy and/or insanity that happens there affect us deeply. This week there are two issues that tug at our hearts and conscience: the unconscionable bombing of the Cathedral in Jolo during Sunday service that killed more than 25 people, and the pending legislation now being debated in the Senate lowering the criminal age to 12 years old.

On the latter topic, here's an Opinion piece by Fr. Shay Cullen of the Preda Foundation, a non-governmental organization that protects children, entitled "Many Filipino Children Are Treated as Criminals."

And here's an astute analysis by author/social commentator Walden Bello on the underlying motivations behind this obnoxious bill: https://www.rappler.com/thought-leaders/222071-class-war-masquerading-as-war-on-crime?fbclid=IwAR084gUeqijGsEsUSGybiOjDX2QYpw0hNHEWs3NEDJMaqnnd5kXo4UHInyY

Not quite Jolo but close enough, Read Again veteran journalist Criselda Yabes' 2013 situationer on Patikul, Sulu, "Island of Hope." 

As the US Midwest braces for the freezing polar vortex, here are two stories that can warm hearts and stomachs:

Millennial writer Christian Gabriel Pareja profiles Jamey Buencamino, a classical/rock guitarist who grew up in freezing Wisconsin {"Jamey Buencamino Strikes a Cord").

PF Correspondent Rey de la Cruz writes about Cid's Ma Mon Luk, an eatery in Chicagoland that brings back warm memories of its namesake in Manila ("It's More Bun in Cid's Ma Mon Luk, Chicago").

From the restaurant comes our Happy Home Cook recipe this week for Lomi, a perfect treat for the snowbound.

For a touch of levity, here is Forgive Us Our Signs 13, culled from the Viber and Facebook postings of various friends. 

A variety of topics are covered in our In The Know links this week:

Triumph, Then Tragedy in the Philippines
https://www.asiasentinel.com/society/triumph-tragedy-philippines-bangsamoro-mindanao/?fbclid=IwAR25uMz5mrdyBvhxwyGqs1fxaFsOYfWd9ksAaFCEEpKZ_jhK56h1Nea5Boo

Philippine church attack clouds outlook for peace in Mindanao

https://asia.nikkei.com/Politics/Philippine-church-attack-clouds-outlook-for-peace-in-Mindanao?fbclid=IwAR3oRyRSp9eyvISGaJES1jBKWmEGG798bF8j8c8P1raWe88CU720KWrJ4Vo

This Pixar Artist Is Creating a Comic Book About a Filipino Martial Art 
https://www.esquiremag.ph/culture/arts-and-entertainment/bobby-rubio-neighborhood-legends-a1174-sa00220-20190130-src-spot?fbclid=IwAR3C_ZNX9MVNNoGnru_EPLNIHphb_-qHuP0LBwGVYTbEATY2CffNICYt3oE

Marc de la Cruz on his shot as first Fil-Am ‘Hamilton’
https://usa.inquirer.net/19324/marc-delacruz-on-his-shot-as-first-fil-am-hamilton?fbclid=IwAR1_2YR7LvCodfVga_2d0gBjgHc_-0dpWHQMipEaDsKHXhdmSyNR1vd1-l8&utm_expid=.XqNwTug2W6nwDVUSgFJXed.1 

For Video of the Week, after the passage of the Bangsamoro Organic Law, CNN Philippines featured a story on our Muslim brothers in the south.

Manilamen Down Under

While over 300,000 Filipinos now reside in Australia, the history of Filipinos in the continent dates back to the mid- to late 19th century when "Manilamen" were recruited as pearl divers for the pearling industry. These Manilamen settled and married Aboriginal women in the Torres Strait area where their descendants still live. Sydney-based academic Dr. Deborah Ruiz Wall, who did an extensive oral history project of the descendants of Manilamen, writes this interesting, little-known story on "The Link Between Australia's Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders and the Philippines," a Positively Filipino exclusive. 

Author/editor Cecilia Manguerra Brainard reviews The Betrayed, a recently published novel by Paris-based Filipino writer Reine Arcache Melvin and proclaims it as "one of the best Filipino novels I have read in a long time." ("Passion in the Time of Revolution")

For Filipinos in the US currently unsure about how to deal with the ICE during this government shutdown, here's some valuable advice from San Francisco immigration lawyer Lourdes Tancinco, who contributes our Partner Post this week. ("Effect of Shutdown on Immigration Related Programs and Applications")

 As a young man in New York, PF Correspondent Myles Garcia bought a "Salvador Dali print." For the next 44 years, he wondered whether the artwork was authentic or if he was conned. Finally, he decided to take action and consulted an auctioneer. Read about the strange, amusing odyssey of a Salvador Dali sketch in "Hello Dali: Salvador, Venus and Me."

For the Happy Home Cook, here's a recipe for Mami, a popular cold-weather treat, from Le Cordon Bleu alumna G. B. Korten.

For this week’s In The Know links:

Philippine bid to jail nine-year-olds is 'a great child violation', Unicef says
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/feb/13/philippine-bid-to-jail-nine-year-olds-is-a-great-child-violation-unicef-says?fbclid=IwAR2LhWe0cBxZ6ccF41mthU1wvB73Fk1u2x_PVQ-cRcUpGGNbeNWGC1OWCZc

On Global Filipinos: Sheila Marcelo is 1st FilAm woman CEO on Wall Street
https://thefilam.net/archives/29145?fbclid=IwAR0AC7eDON1uaBFGIuRSqPuoKTRZOKxf4lMR054nYiKfucBkGf8Ubi5le50

Rhapsody in C: Ryan Cayabyab
https://www.esquiremag.ph/long-reads/profiles/ryan-cayabyab-national-artist-profile-a1523-20190117-lfrm3?fbclid=IwAR28ZsAXFkv_dF02I4aOZIhAmXK31Svz3tZBOhCrXLLurbpCMgY9w0_YFGQ

Vincent Rodriguez III Is a Gay Actor Playing a Straight Heartthrob
https://www.advocate.com/television/2019/1/08/vincent-rodriguez-gay-actor-playing-straight-heartthrob?fbclid=IwAR2YYdgtvtdrXydc7ZIxbqHHwMkluOqUUYWV4avB1GhkdQ__X5sggCSVgg4

Pixar artist creates short film starring Filipino-American leads
http://cnnphilippines.com/entertainment/2019/01/14/Pixar-artist-short-film-Filipino-American-characters-Float.html#

For Video of the Week, we feature multi-award winning actor Darren Criss, singing “Proud of your Boy” from the Disney musical “Aladdin.”

Destinations

A historic meeting between the ailing Manuel Luis Quezon and a similarly ailing (although not quite as serious yet at that time) Carlos Bulosan in 1943 is the subject of Titchie Carandang-Tiongson's story this week. "When Bulosan Met Quezon" is a poignant read peppered with a hint of class tensions.

There's more to Sarangani than Manny Pacquiao and travel writer/environmentalist Bernard Supetran introduces us to its natural, cultural and adventure attractions that allows this province carved out of South Cotabato to hold its own among the Philippines' must-see destinations.

And of course, when we talk about our homeland, there's usually something ludicrous to laugh about. This time it's the "stairway to heaven" in EDSA that PF Correspondent Rene M. Astudillo reports on. See for yourself why there's so much fuss about it.

After all the sumptuous holiday dishes we've been featuring, how about a vegan dessert this time. For our Happy Home Cook recipe, we feature Richgail Enriguez's Vegan Maja Blanca. 

Our In The Know links this time around:

Facebook kicks out Filipino Channel Online, Trending News Portal, 314 other accounts for spamming https://technology.inquirer.net/82584/facebook-bans-philippines-twinmark-media-enterprises?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook&fbclid=IwAR00sAxH7UeHIQkTIgz-juQdZVGnKPR4wx7k3K6bXUwi_zAsq6v4Z1W_PWk#Echobox=1547198732

NY-listed China online education firm to tap 100,000 English teachers from Philippines
https://www.philstar.com/business/2019/01/05/1882327/ny-listed-china-online-education-firm-tap-100000-english-teachers-philippines?fbclid=IwAR2v3FBddkGsuJQa6ByY_GRatP0VeRchwIc9LJD0Y-z1LlE2GO0266km1AI

Up close with Catriona Gray
https://usa.inquirer.net/18401/exclusive-up-close-with-catriona-gray?fbclid=IwAR0DYFu074ZCADecJR1KVN4sQlClfm8jTgR9A_PW-BBF6xYou3lpyJNZ5b8#ixzz5cEW5tA7m&utm_expid=.XqNwTug2W6nwDVUSgFJXed.1

When You’re Born In Canada, You Learn How To Be Filipino Through Food 
https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/al-donato/filipino-food-identity_a_23584183/?ncid=other_facebook_eucluwzme5k&utm_campaign=share_facebook&ec_carp=1469524042429100395&fbclid=IwAR3kw7fHTPEz1Quay6tDDxy-qnC92mBeHcPMbHxddve1-b7aw9VM5QESzIM&ec_carp=1469524042429100395

Susan & FPJ’s Movies in UNESCO’s Memory of the World
https://www.philstar.com/entertainment/2019/01/03/1881743/susan-fpjs-movies-unescos-memory-world?fbclid=IwAR2B6Te9AkLKlkPS1rnU0OD0N0Iti-5GoZCb4ONN4pjdVlX4lySCGJITpCc

For Video of the Week, Inquirer Motoring Correspondent Ardie O. Lopez pays tribute to his grandfather, Irineo Odoy, who is the father of the U.P. Ikot Jeep.