Save the Philippine Eagle to Save Us All

A daring, up-close documentation of the life of the majestic Philippine Eagle entitled "Bird of Prey" is the subject of PF Correspondent Anthony Maddela's story as he talks to the people who made the award-winning film possible. In "What a ‘Bird of Prey’ Can Teach Humans," the Philippine Eagle is both a celebration of the richness of our motherland's natural resources and a strong warning against climate change that endangers not only the Eagle but a million wildlife as well.

A chance encounter in an exercise park in Hanoi led Toronto-based PF contributor Patty Rivera to write about Janice Buco Phương, a Filipina from the school of hard knocks who sang her way to the "Vietnam Idol" title in 2016. "Our Filipina 'Vietnam Idol'" is a heartwarming story of how determination, home-grown talent and a bit of luck can define one's place in a foreign country.

As we remember today the horrific tragedy of 9/11, Read Again Major General Antonio Taguba's close encounter with death on that day, 18 years ago, and his view on how it has changed the US and the world. 

Our Happy Home Cook feature this week is No-Churn Ube Ice Cream, a topping for the halo-halo of Barako Kávéház, the Filipino-owned cafe in Budapest that we featured last week. 

For your reading pleasure, here are links to stories you may have missed: 

The road less traveled: From Paris to Leyte
https://www.philstar.com/lifestyle/sunday-life/2019/09/08/1949836/road-less-traveled-paris-leyte?fbclid=IwAR3NDbzYeMygt0aaSXgXXdAizkE_AOicX9rv5SG-RZc1pfFSHPqJoxBzZsE

How This Entrepreneur Built A Top-Rated Asian Fast Food Empire
https://www.forbes.com/sites/annalisaburgos/2019/09/03/how-this-entrepreneur-built-a-top-rated-asian-fast-food-empire/?fbclid=IwAR1N4n_xuW0Nm_GG7JRuOfJOoAmcx1Z80UbGFA8lKCKF9o1j0wwTTiq9_zY#5147bed72394

Fil-Am R&B star H.E.R. releases 19-song mixtape ‘I Used to Know Her’
https://asianjournal.com/entertainment/showbiz/fil-am-rb-star-h-e-r-releases-19-song-mixtape-i-used-to-know-her/?fbclid=IwAR2a5dU3HL0tiaP8vUMCfBTGNw55uIUZZ9tRenc8PglsuVsfGJMgTguElgg

I’m A Filipina Who Was Addicted To Skin Lightening Products 
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/filipina-light-skin-bias-philippines_l_5d5d942be4b03b44f416572d?fbclid=IwAR1TWJO34qocmRuyJGf-qIgrOppEGgo20vtZNec-wLjSnlLGgzpJtVsWnY0&guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly9sLmZhY2Vib29rLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAALHi8dioVYHxjQnkGYM4nI46ACukC_K7JBVSnxR0gPdVrN5MuGCQYR6t6DGo_ALvkIx-aRfGC-RBqSrpMzFOtXvRo4KjnYdE-V-fPcNxlegwetpLM_jsvnqg_KqwT7j4QQ0eRqgKZWCmf6JLPaOYMdaF1Jp4JIDzUmJHvUnDgW8J

A Domestic Helper’s Love for Photography
https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=450329585565326

For Video of the Week, Eater presents Chef Sheldon Simeon as he prepares Filipino-Hawaiian dishes.

Gina Ortiz Jones' Moxie, Rapist-Murderer's Gall, Hungary's Halo-Halo

Texans in the state's 23rd Congressional district know Gina Ortiz Jones. They almost elected her to the US House of Representatives last year, when she lost to the Republican incumbent by just a little over 900 votes. Now this Filipino American retired Air Force captain who served as an intelligence officer in Iraq is eyeing the same seat for 2020 and this time, FilAms from various states are helping her win it. Read PF Correspondent Cherie Querol Moreno's "Gina Ortiz Jones: ‘The Promise of America is Worth Fighting For’" to find out more about this courageous daughter of a Filipino immigrant single mother who makes us proud.

The big uproar against the planned early release of a criminal convicted of a heinous crime and sentenced to several lifetimes in maximum security prison continues even if the Duterte administration has rescinded the release order. Makati-based lawyer Wilfredo Garrido summarizes the issue in his Opinion piece, "Rapist-Murderer Ex-Mayor Has Friends in High Places."

"Halo-Halo? In Hungary?" You better believe it and it's even topped with homemade ube ice cream! PF contributor Jennifer Fergeson writes about the Filipino couple Luleyn and Ryan Andres who is introducing this most quintessential Filipino dessert to Budapest in their cafe, Barako Kávéház.

And since we're on the subject of food, here's Rene Astudillo's new recipe for the Happy Home Cook that combines our two favorites, adobo and binagoongan. Just make sure you stop yourself from eating too much.

Our In The Know links, ICYMI

MAP: Major political families in PH after the 2019 elections
https://www.rappler.com/newsbreak/in-depth/238673-map-major-political-families-philippines-after-elections-2019?fbclid=IwAR2uKpw7BWKtID8vYk5HrDRzVc9OJLcDQ79gTMWoqI-jCSB8tpcvJKUXH6Q

Wow, Marvel Comics Has A New Filipina Superhero Named Sea Hunter
https://www.cosmo.ph/entertainment/marvel-new-filipina-superhero-sea-hunter-a1320-20190829?fbclid=IwAR0W_MU_gsi7vFtnQO2EKCE1frviiKDM8EGprtLlFwofbSEI5cfUcQdpVNA

A Tribute to Cafe Adriatico
https://www.theurbanroamer.com/cafe-adriatico/?fbclid=IwAR1QN0A9HHGeQ6Mb4HeOpkon2CZ8lBzzM3rA_n7ZozjIzlDb0wTGJfiYeyw

A Peek At The Cleanest “Wet Market” In The Country
https://www.thedailysentry.net/2018/12/a-peek-at-cleanest-wet-market-in-country.html?fbclid=IwAR3YYQH0JTIKHxTYdlS6cW0PUQGRZBT-HJ0x0k7PQuMWiolH78GX8kywkSw#.XWHMCfHF5WY.facebook

Now that September is here, it’s the start of the Philippine Christmas season. For our video of the week, ABS-CBN News features Jose Mari Chan, whose songs are popular every Christmas.

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.