Angsty August

The death of a highly esteemed environmentalist and philanthropist coupled with the possible release of a triple life sentenced criminal made for an unsettled August week in the Philippines.

Many mourned the passing of Gina Lopez, the nemesis of miners and other ecological criminals. Veteran journalist Paulynn P. Sicam paid tribute to this complicated and committed earth warrior in “Gina Lopez: Rich Girl, Kind Heart, Woman Warrior.”

August won't end without commemorating the assassination of another outstanding Filipino, Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino Jr., and our publisher Mona Lisa Yuchengco shares with us her speech for the occasion, delivered at the Philippine Consulate in San Francisco (“Ninoy Changed My Life”).

And speaking of that earth-shaking assassination, one of those who were prominently mentioned in the investigations that followed was the late Arthur Custodio, then an Air Force colonel, who brought in the late Rolando Galman to take part in the crime of the century. Our Canada-based contributor Albert J. Lesaca writes about his infamous high school classmate in “Memories Are Made of This – My Friend, Arthur Custodio.”

Ahh, Coron. When things go awry, we imagine ourselves in this slice of Palawan paradise, although as PF contributor Willie Vergara writes in “Coron, Once Is Not Enough,” paradise could be too optimistic a word. 

For our Happy Home Cook, here's a Read Again recipe from our resident foodie Elizabeth Ann Quirino, that has been part of my meal menu for quite a while now (read: easy and delicious): Pesang Salmon aka Filipino fish stew.

Our In The Know links that you shouldn't miss:

The Uncounted Dead of Duterte's Drug War
https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2019/08/philippines-dead-rodrigo-duterte-drug-war/595978/?fbclid=IwAR3L29HpKIJsFNqNhdDx67NM4Pu9q3cP1sQjPBPm2evhz7yybooA1R5Zvp4

This impressive collection of Philippine religious imagery finally sees the light of day
https://news.abs-cbn.com/ancx/culture/art/05/01/19/the-intramuros-collection-of-religious-imagery-finally-sees-the-light-of-day?fbclid=IwAR19xhrUxYpHB6wiP5GnRw4kZ-Ozd_giGp_Fvi9ZJtNvqx0dcaHZTYHO4jc

‘Brutalist’ martial law museum to rise in UP Diliman 
https://www.philstar.com/nation/2019/08/25/1946123/brutalist-martial-law-museum-rise-diliman?fbclid=IwAR0_0hwM4TdbCVUCHEbjl9kEGIlyWerTj0iHC84MPGDF1g9WFWz3WnGGPNU

My Grandfather, A Killer 
https://www.npr.org/2019/08/18/749810572/my-grandfather-a-killer?te=1&nl=california-today&emc=edit_ca_20190820?campaign_id=49&instance_id=11769&segment_id=16314&user_id=a6813a01d20d50942afadad6c6f1e549&regi_id=47563992

For Video of the Week, GMA Public Affairs’ I-Witness features a documentary on the estuaries of Manila.

It's About Time

A video that went viral of a transgender woman being prevented from using the women's restroom in a Quezon City mall has renewed calls for the passage of a Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Expression (SOGIE) legislation that will protect the LGBT community from being discriminated against. As usual, the voices for or against are strident and loud, as PF Correspondent Rene M. Astudillo reports in "A Transgender Restroom Incident and Filipino LGBT Rights."

In far-away Vienna, Filipina IT veteran Malou Soto Reininger commits her time and skills to the Philippine-Austria Cultural and Educational Society (PACES), an organization that provides scholarships to deserving Filipino students in the fields of science, technology, education and mathematics, aka STEM. Hawaii-based PF contributor Pepi Nieva profiles Reininger in "From Vienna, an Angel for Filipino Science Scholars."

August, or more specifically August 21, is a historically tragic day for our homeland. Two heinous crimes were committed on this day that upended the course of Philippine history. The August 21, 1971 Plaza Miranda bombing that almost decimated the entire leadership of the then-Liberal Party led to the suspension of the writ of habeas corpus by President Marcos, which eventually led to the proclamation of martial law. In 1983, August 21 was the day Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino Jr. was assassinated in the airport tarmac, a tragedy of enormous proportions that triggered massive protests against the Marcos administration and, three years later, led to its downfall. Read Again our stories on those two monumental events:

Gregg Jones' "The Ghosts of Plaza Miranda" 

Ken Kashiwahara's "Ninoy's Final Journey" 

On a more positive note, August is also the month we honor our homeland's Commonwealth president, Manuel L. Quezon. So here's another Read Again:

Ambeth R. Ocampo's "Quezon Saved Jews from the Holocaust" 

For the Happy Home Cook, here's Elizabeth Ann Quirino's Instant Pot Pata Tim recipe, guaranteed to be worth the calories.

Our In the Know links this week: 

Gina Lopez, Who Led Crackdown on Mines in the Philippines, Dies at 65
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/19/obituaries/gina-lopez-philippines-dies.html?fbclid=IwAR1MV-1GeJlvmOnuvMnF-DPUlWut4Y8FIDOO73EDM7p-xem2E2YcrTo5KHc

The Vigilante President
https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/philippines/2019-08-12/vigilante-president?utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook_cta&utm_campaign=cta_share_buttons&fbclid=IwAR15L81WXDBJZ0GA1V5NNrphbjrf6hvyDKNJzrltqex30gPZdd3ihnw_NZw

Penguin Classics’ Pinay publisher puts the spotlight on PH literature
https://news.abs-cbn.com/life/07/29/19/penguin-classics-pinay-publisher-puts-the-spotlight-on-ph-literature?fbclid=IwAR3ZSdOt2nYt-IyZbTvUc_KgNeP0CyFIcA5QSAvbz83Fj1vGP3oI50nLdPo

Mayor Vico Sotto: 'The Rules of the Game Are Clear, But We Need People to Push the System a Bit'
https://www.esquiremag.ph/long-reads/profiles/mayor-vico-sotto-the-rules-of-the-game-are-clear-but-we-need-people-to-push-the-system-a-bit-a2212-20190722-lfrm2?ref=home_featured_big

Jia Tolentino on the ‘Unlivable Hell’ of the Web and Other Millennial Conundrums
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/04/books/review/jia-tolentino-trick-mirror.html?te=1&nl=books&emc=edit_bk_20190816?campaign_id=69&instance_id=11703&segment_id=16236&user_id=a6813a01d20d50942afadad6c6f1e549&regi_id=47563992

For video of the week, KPIX SF Bay Area reports on the renaming of a Mountain View school after Pulitzer Prize winner and immigration reform activist Jose Antonio Vargas.

Confusions, Mixed Feelings, and Hate

Nobody tells the colorful stories of the good 'ol days of mass media in the Philippines than Greg Macabenta, who has done it all --  journalism, script writing, advertising, publishing, column writing, even occasionally performing -- and who was responsible for some of the most memorable ad campaigns in the annals of Philippine advertising history. Already a career multitasker when it wasn't yet a thing, Greg puts his stories on print with his newly published memoir, Confusions of a Communications Man, which is a must-read for anyone who has aspirations of hitting it big in media. PF contributor Lorna Lardizabal Dietz reviews the book in "A Jack of Many Communication Trades."

Author Cecilia Manguerra Brainard reveals her mixed feelings about her recent visit to Japan, whose beauty she totally appreciated while not completely forgetting WWII, Hiroshima and the cruelty of war. Read "Japan: A Thoughtful Travelogue" to understand what she means.

Racism and its concomitant terms - white supremacy, hate crimes - are once again fueling dastardly acts that have targeted minorities in the US. History shows that the crimes are nothing new and Filipinos are not spared. Lest we forget (or before we get lulled into thinking that this current wave will not affect us), let's look back:

Just 20 years ago, a Fil-Am postal worker Joseph Ileto was gunned down by an avowed white supremacist looking for a kill. Ileto's only "crime"? He was a brown man who inadvertently crossed the path of the perpetrator. Filipinas Magazine in October 1999 had this story: "Death by Discrimination" by the late Bert Eljera.

And further back in time, another crime against Filipinos in Watsonville, California. Read Again Alex S. Fabros Jr.'s "In the Heat of the Night: The Exeter and Watsonville Riots 1929-1930."

Our In The Know stories this week:

PH now among main cyberattacks targets
https://business.inquirer.net/276283/ph-now-among-main-cyberattacks-targets

Lives lived and lost along Manila's Pasig river
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-49203752?fbclid=IwAR1nX26dgDXI6wrKmuuxD2P-tp1hXsXBTWEvHdwhrscdNmu9EQXRedMHgL4

Rodrigo Duterte is losing interest in creating a federal Philippines
https://www.economist.com/asia/2019/08/01/rodrigo-duterte-is-losing-interest-in-creating-a-federal-philippines?cid1=cust/dailypicks/n/bl/n/2019087n/owned/n/n/dailypicks/n/n/na/290433/n

A thriving Filipino community makes Juneau home away from home
https://news.abs-cbn.com/ancx/travel/destination/08/07/19/a-thriving-filipino-community-makes-juneau-home-away-from-home?fbclid=IwAR2596WX3E6JxCCswO8N8O6ssgaB2_1tYOkCWZNxEdgp-93K67FqJVlqoK4

What Makes An American?
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/09/sunday-review/immigration-assimilation-texas.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share#commentsContainer

Born in Israel, hundreds of Filipino children risk expulsion
https://news.yahoo.com/born-israel-hundreds-filipino-children-risk-expulsion-021046223.html?soc_src=social-sh&soc_trk=ma

For the Happy Home Cook, we bring back this plant-based treat: Ensaladang Talong with Coconut Vinaigrette.

For Video of the Week, we feature a Pan Am Airlines travelogue on the Philippines from the 1960s.