Baguio, Bacalao and Bittaog

When I was still living in the Philippines, Baguio, the country's summer capital, was the destination of choice of Manila folks when Holy Week came around. The city provided a welcome escape from the stifling heat of the lowlands yet also offered a challenge. During Holy Week, the traffic going to and from the place was horrendous even then. With Baguio now bursting at its seams (the current population estimate is 350,000 for a city built for 30,000, according to our writer), does it still make sense to brave the crowds for a whiff of cool air? PF Correspondent Rene M. Astudillo, who returned to the city after retiring from a life in California, says yes and tells us why in "Holy Week! Baguio's Still Worth Your While."

In time for Holy Week, PF Correspondent Cherie Querol Moreno writes about bacalao, the salty fish that features prominently in the menu of  Eats Amore Foods, the Parañaque-based catering service of Jackie and Raffy Caballero (read "Bacalao With Love"). Jackie shares her Bacalao Casserole recipe with our Happy Home Cook this week.

As the world celebrates Earth Day next week, a new contributor, Merlita Usita Campanano, writes about the one bittaog tree in her hometown of Ballesteros, Cagayan that is the one constant in her life and those of other townfolks. Another story in our Hometown collection that celebrates places outside of the usual tourist trail.

And if you're in the market for a summer getaway, Read Again Manuel Hizon's compilation of "11 Great Beaches You Probably Haven't Been To."

Here are the links to stories we gathered from other publications you may want to read:

SC permanently stops SM from cutting trees in Baguio
https://abogado.com.ph/sc-permanently-stops-sm-from-cutting-trees-in-baguio/?fbclid=IwAR1PpMRUdSseNMSQzLwtaYpMa136IeuaBEOM1NFINomxAzBRIS6Npfjegu8

Wesley So Interview: 'Chess Was A Way Out'
https://www.chess.com/article/view/wesley-so-interview-chess-was-a-way-out?fbclid=IwAR0_k71iwgadoatl9dpcByj8n0ONDDT-HVZsQ0t-qWrWCO4bIG4gXKQM3_g

Pinoy Superstitious Beliefs in Construction
https://www.facebook.com/pg/MVYNBuilders/photos/?tab=album&album_id=2133815900008521

'Balete City' role-playing video game aims to promote Philippine mythology and culture
https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/scitech/technology/691224/balete-city-role-playing-video-game-aims-to-promote-philippine-mythology-and-culture/story/

For our video of the week, GMA’s Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho featured a story on Caroline Van Gils, a Belgian national who came to the Philippines last year in search of her mother.

Stimulants, Magic and India

Have you ever wondered how coffee, a non-native crop, and cacao reach Philippine shores? Did you know that the Philippines was once one of the world's top coffee exporters and cacao was so prevalent that many households had their own homegrown supply of chocolate?  Cultural historian Felice Prudente Sta. Maria takes us on a historical trip, "From Coffee to Pollo con Chocolate," that reminds us of the intertwined histories of our homeland and Mexico.

Magical realism is not the exclusive domain of Latin American authors as a new novel, The Book of Pedro Bautista by Dr. Mary Jane Guazon-Uy, attests. Veteran journalist/author Sylvia L. Mayuga reviews this new book from the prolific Ateneo de Naga University Press.

India, the land of mystery and contradiction, was the latest destination of PF Correspondent Myles A. Garcia, who channels E. M. Forster in "A Passage to India, 2019." The country, Garcia states, is an "acquired taste," a feast for the senses, and requires some physical and mental preparation to visit. 

And if reading about tsokolate stirred up your craving, here's a recipe for Triple Chocolate Champorado from Judy Ann Santos-Agoncillo, our recipe of the week for the Happy Home Cook.

Here's our ICYMI listing of stories from other publications for this week:

[ANALYSIS] How the Marcos-World Bank partnership brought PH economy to its knees
https://www.rappler.com/thought-leaders/227198-analysis-how-marcos-world-bank-partnership-brought-philippine-economy-to-knees?fbclid=IwAR1XflcNwCkq4X5hbWarcUIL768qt0P7STcOO50cdlMeRiR5Uzdxus_UDQs

The Duterte wealth: Unregistered law firm, undisclosed biz interests, rice import deal for creditor
https://www.rappler.com/newsbreak/investigative/227315-pcij-report-rodrigo-sara-paolo-duterte-wealth?utm_medium=Social&utm_campaign=Echobox&utm_source=Facebook&fbclid=IwAR2ek03rBAi-1v15JlgfOqTS5_a5TSW_NrZ7FeVhYTgT1y740gyFAunt6RE#Echobox=1554285268

Don Jacinto: the Filipino American managing the iconic Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel
https://www.asianjournal.com/magazines/mdwk-magazine/don-jacinto-the-filipino-american-managing-the-iconic-hollywood-roosevelt-hotel/?fbclid=IwAR1aDWN1rz3HqsDCuQzz-HJyEqXn9DOnWVGJxbUZz0NARjP8sNARaCkKOac

15 Heritage buildings that need to be rescued
https://news.abs-cbn.com/lifestyle/02/11/14/15-heritage-buildings-need-be-rescued?fbclid=IwAR0K9b_grKt4A7KNY5DMxxVIyubVHG4HlcXHnFuse28ZCDOQnYQp7Xt4WHo

For our video of the week, we present Rappler’s “Defend Press Freedom,” a video featuring journalists from the Martial Law years to today’s campus reporters.

Trauma and Survival

We commemorate once again Bataan Day, honoring those who survived and those who did not make it during the Bataan Death March of 1942. Here is an excerpt from a book entitled Cadet, Soldier, Guerrilla Fighter written by a Death March survivor and US Army Bronze Star awardee Antonio A. Nieva. "Death of An Army" tells the story of those days of extreme hardship and desperation. 

A fitting Read Again is Jon Melegrito's narrative on the first time he joined the re-enactment of the Bataan Death March in New Mexico to honor is late father, Gregorio, and other survivors. 
http://www.positivelyfilipino.com/magazine/re-enacting-the-bataan-death-march-a-personal-journey

Surviving trauma of a different kind is the underlying theme of Fil-Am author Grace Talusan's memoir, The Body Papers, winner of the 2017 Restless Books Prize for New Immigrant Writing. Patty Enrado, herself a novelist, reviews the book.

And, ICYMI, here are links to interesting stories from other publications:

Filipinos Are Beginning To See The Ugly Side Of Chinese Investments
https://www.forbes.com/sites/panosmourdoukoutas/2019/03/21/filipinos-are-beginning-to-see-the-ugly-side-of-chinese-investments/?fbclid=IwAR3IyFe5wkXR6PE-VmH8S24A5xC-ImtvZwezNv5oynvAUHoSIIn8eahJwOI#1bf8b57054f0

Marawi still a ghost town 2 years after siege ended
https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1101741/marawi-still-a-ghost-town-2-years-after-siege-ended?fbclid=IwAR0gUm-dr2oxcsNbnRAe6B7mGiINeFyMXLGirbpqCY0WKHGM1HdJSiB9VWY

The gene doctor will see you now
https://www.up.edu.ph/index.php/the-gene-doctor-will-see-you-now/?fbclid=IwAR2z6d2BiJrQwTF3GNiwXmC57C2s9Dzxxj22tE5L3kpj_k6YsTlsm4zjf34

Why I Fight 
https://www.philstar.com/lifestyle/sunday-life/2019/03/24/1903779/why-i-fight?fbclid=IwAR0Q3h3u_cet6fTWf0eTJMLqudm4RE4MxUTSSa2vJ47AMernvgdhZfaoyWw

Enjoy Pork Humba, our Happy Home Cook recipe this week from regular contributor, Rene Astudillo.

And our Video of the Week is Janina Vela (who has about 600,000 followers) talking about the books that have changed her life or, at the very least, her thinking. A bit long but a fascinating episode from an impressive Filipino millennial.