All Rise for Inspiring Filipino Women

We join the world in celebrating International Women's Day this Friday by featuring Filipino women, each very different from the others but equally deserving of accolades and respect.

First, Whang Od, the oldest living -- and most famous -- mambabatok or tribal tattoo artist. Living in a tiny village called Buscalan in Kalinga, she has singlehandedly drawn tourists by the hundreds eager to get her tattoo imprint. First-time contributor (who is also my daughter) Maia Almendral Esteves shares her first-hand experience with the 102-year-old lady. 

And then there's Conchita "Ching" Baltazar whose loyal and exemplary service to both her employer and the community of OFWs in Hong Kong earned her the accolade "Bagong Bayani." This story from The Sun Hong Kong is written by its editor, Daisy CL Mandap.

In the US, an impressive number of Fil-Am women have been elected and/or appointed to plum public positions in their respective cities and counties. PF Correspondent Cherie M. Querol Moreno introduces this "Rising Wave of Fil-Am Women Political Pioneers."

And if you're into the tattoo mode, here's an interesting Read Again from Mel Orpilla, "Mark of Four Waves," which puts a historical context to indigenous Philippine tattoos.

In time for Lent, here's a Read Again recipe for the Happy Home Cook: Vegan Longganisa from our favorite vegan chef, RichGail Enriquez.

In case you missed them, our links to interesting stories so you'll be In The Know:

'Do you ever think about me?': the children sex tourists leave behind
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2019/mar/02/children-sex-tourists-leave-behind-fathers-visited-philippines?utm_medium=sundayedition.20190303.smartflab.421.2&utm_source=email&utm_content=article&utm_campaign=10-for-today---4.0-styling

Meet the Chinese Patriots of the Philippines
https://www.esquiremag.ph/long-reads/features/chinese-filipino-revolutionaries-heroes-a2212-20190206-lfrm?ref=taboola_related&fbclid=IwAR0bI8JZ1JWnfKgrZYDyRl7JnHiYQNo6a57mL4VwftEjZdbKE-duOj6WNao

A Walk to Remember: U.P. Organizes Commune Tour
https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1089763/a-walk-to-remember-up-organizes-commune-tour?fbclid=IwAR282fuoBfZig5QwtYwaBaHjB7Vk_GrXGi9OfMtzXhJm_VJOAcswP9nxblo&utm_expid=.XqNwTug2W6nwDVUSgFJXed.1

Inspiring Loyalty, and Serving Chickenjoy at Jollibee
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/14/dining/jollibee-review.html

Our Video of the Week: another encounter between millennials and martial law victims.

Name That Dish

Before taking a bite of a cheese-laden ensaimada or savoring a scoop of tasty mechado, have you ever stopped and wondered where their names come from? Not likely, but it's always good to know how the names of those rich, delicious Spanish dishes came to be. PF Correspondent Cherie M. Querol Moreno satisfies our craving for culinary knowledge with an etymological feast, "Behind the Names of Those Spanish Recipes."

Another valuable history lesson can be had with Sydney-based historian Deborah Ruiz Wall's research on "The 'Indio Hacenderos' of Angono," which includes her forebears. 

History of more recent vintage is the subject of author/journalist Benjamin Pimentel's opinion piece, "Never Mind EDSA: Remember the mini-EDSAs, the Battles Before the Uprising" which contends that the 1986 People Power Revolution was the culmination of a series of citizens' actions that chipped away at the Marcos dictatorship's hold on power.

And February being Black History Month, here are some Read Agains that illustrate the close kinship of African Americans and Filipinos:

Rene G. Ontal's "A Black Man's Burden" 

Benjamin Pimentel's “The Untold Story of Sugar Pie DeSanto” 

For the Happy Home Cook, here's another one from San Francisco-based foodie, Voltaire Gungab: Double-Decker Chocolate and Coconut Pudding.

Here are the links for stories you may have missed: 

Central Luzon: New killing fields in Duterte's drug war
https://www.rappler.com/newsbreak/in-depth/224159-central-luzon-new-killing-fields-duterte-drug-war?fbclid=IwAR1U-7ENDlJdgnEWjoehOaNPR1ip1Ok1y7KKkdpHagBXQwhCppw7oZyDGo8

The Bobby Mañosa I knew–a Filipino architect like no other
https://lifestyle.inquirer.net/325359/the-bobby-manosa-i-knew-a-filipino-architect-like-no-other/

Silicon Valley tech entrepreneur reveals who's behind his success
https://pia.gov.ph/features/articles/1018315?fbclid=IwAR0rG1CkcFX6-zxuzU0hGxoEqO7OBt8Us-VRRKqnQ7Jk3knm0NhXmyiF63k

Ana Valdes-Lim: The Reward is in the Process
http://www.dailygood.org/story/2233/ana-valdes-lim-the-reward-is-in-the-process-richard-whittaker/

For Video of the Week, we feature “Kangkungan,” a new video short by acclaimed filmmaker Mike De Leon, who presents a critique of the current administration of President Rodrigo Duterte and urges Filipinos to vote in the upcoming election.

Fateful February

The recent arrest of journalist/Rappler CEO Maria Ressa was not just a simple case of an aggrieved person filing a libel case (a criminal offense in the Philippines, unlike other countries where it is a civil offense). Rather, it was the latest in a string of charges leveled on the publication ever since it caught the ire of President Duterte. Veteran journalist and Rappler editor-at-large Marites Danguilan Vitug takes us through  the context behind this latest case and explains why, when multiple state agencies are used to go after one media outlet, it becomes an issue of media harassment and press freedom. Read "News Media in Danger in the Time of Duterte." 

An ancient bell coated with green patina greets visitors to Robinson's mall in Padre Faura, Manila. The backstory behind "That Jesuit Bell," as author/journalist Sylvia L. Mayuga calls it, is one that involves wartime exploits and heroism (notably of Fr. John Hurley, SJ, Ateneo's Father Superior during WWII), of community spirit and human endurance. Truly a story that transcends the ages.

Across the seas, community historian/leader Mel Orpilla narrates the history of Filipinos in Mare Island off the city of Vallejo, California. Not very many realize the important role this former naval shipyard played in the Filipino-American War that started in 1898 and of the early Filipinos who worked and lived in that piece of land that juts out to the San Francisco Bay.

Here are links to stories from other publications that you may have missed:

Trump Ripped His’National Emergency’ Move Straight from the Playbook of a Dictator
https://www.latimes.com/opinion/op-ed/la-oe-rempel-trump-marcos-parallels-20190214-story.html?fbclid=IwAR24ENM4dWDH54GKA_7F7ghcuQxUF2yD4zktnstkaEIG_QNOy7KDMXMaK7Q

Law used against journalist Maria Ressa stirs fears among Filipinos: It could target ‘all of us’
https://www.latimes.com/world/asia/la-fg-philippines-maria-ressa-20190218-story.html?fbclid=IwAR3wxSpY82Nod_S2GL_2T4Hc-b3U-zH1nWqcgieI11NiDs3tgesXJdHR7Zw

Unsung Filipino Seafarers Power the Global Economy
https://www.economist.com/asia/2019/02/16/unsung-filipino-seafarers-power-the-global-economy

The Cinematography of 'A Star is Born'
https://filmschoolrejects.com/cinematography-of-a-star-is-born/

The official fast food French fry power rankings
https://www.latimes.com/food/la-fo-french-fry-rankings-20190212-story.html

Our Happy Home Cook recipe: Vegan Spaghetti Mien from Rene Astudillo. 

For our Video of the Week, Bond girl Rachel Grant features 7 traditional dances from the Philippines on Storia’s facebook page.