It's Raining Ash, But Plague of Locusts Not Likely.

As if we haven't had enough anxieties -- and it's just 15 days into 2020 -- Taal volcano, the second most active in the Philippines, spewed out ash and sulfuric smoke 9 miles or so into the atmosphere, showering Batangas, Cavite, Laguna and parts of Metro Manila and Bulacan with deadly volcanic particulates. We dare not ask what's next in these disquieting times.

But let's not fret too much because there are some reasons to celebrate. One of them is the emergence of several groups of ice hockey teams that are working towards representing the Philippines in Winter Olympics. Huh? An ice hockey team from a tropical country? PF Correspondent Myles Garcia gives us a rundown on these audacious Pinoy and Pinay athletes in "Pinoys' Ice Rink Wishes and Bobsled Dreams."

In Ballesteros, Cagayan, a local musician named Dondon Catli dares to become the town's baker par excellence and a bakeshop named Don Catli de Ballesteros was born. Famous for his wedding cakes, Catli also doubles as organist for various bands in the area. Merlita Usita Campañano, a Ballesteros native, writes about her kabayan.

From Manila, cultural columnist Pablo Tariman fondly remembers his friend, the late iconic director of many award-winning films, Marilou Diaz Abaya in "Marilou, 1955-2012."

For the Happy Home Cook, an Ilocano comfort food with a modern twist: Inabraw na Hipon at Gulay from our resident food expert, Elizabeth Ann Quirino.

Here's a collection of stories worth reading from other publications:

In Taal’s Shadow: Dangers and Blessings
https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/specials/content/129/howie-severino-dangers-and-blessings-in-taal-volcano-s-shadow/?utm_source=GMANews&utm_medium=Twitter&fbclid=IwAR0L_j3lw7krgWIXXs1vXnUhQJpRszRbkXvtm0Y3wZ76GgA2e-RnGezxBQ4

Military report confirms spying risks in deal with China-backed telco
https://www.rappler.com/newsbreak/in-depth/247306-military-report-confirms-spying-risks-deal-china-backed-telco-part-1?fbclid=IwAR3vzT2TgINeVK0J8LpZbyJUAW9Zdv5nI_pKFXfnSn9j-KBSav7HoHIyvM0

Young, and Accomplished, This Filipino Pastry Chef Is Making Waves Globally
https://hbrascend.org/topics/young-accomplished-and-entrepreneurial-this-filipino-pastry-chef-is-making-waves-internationally/?utm_source=Facebook_website&medium=website_share&fbclid=IwAR13zjL2ERmfwhtQGHxOjRFX_cd1KXfD-c3dIjt1TV4Fl5hs5mDYvfNjJY4

‘Giving Back’: Wife shares a tycoon’s life with Alzheimer’s
https://lifestyle.inquirer.net/354511/giving-back-wife-shares-a-tycoons-life-with-alzheimers/?fbclid=IwAR1H41yOFKBJ-gSbt2UdXB5JImP228Gsyj2e34a6HoqTWC4dW8uA9BNOko8

Column: Here’s how HiFi, or Historic Filipinotown, got its name
https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2020-01-06/filipinotown-cool-enclaves?fbclid=IwAR0K_bbmXdDdjkeAyc9mTtuOKI2PmhYNXz36YgFvLAYU--hT3VkuzyviD9w

Our Video of the Week, an informative documentary on Taal volcano's surprise explosion in 1965.

Into 2020, Darkly

Uncertainty and heartbreak. Not a good portent of things to come as we start a new decade, but we slog on.

In the US, a source of tension (or one of them anyway) in immigrant communities is the forthcoming Census, a nationwide count that happens every ten years. PF Correspondent Cherie Querol Moreno talks to FilAm community advocates of Census 2020 to assuage fears of those who are worried that the Census will lead to their deportation. The assurance: under the law the Census Bureau is prohibited from sharing data with law enforcement. More importantly, to stand up and be counted means your communities will benefit from the distribution of government services and funding. Read "What Fil-Ams Should Know About the 2020 Census" to understand the full, positive benefits of participating.

We've seen the heartbreaking photos and videos of what could be the worst fire to happen on earth, in Australia. Veteran journalist/columnist Paulynn P. Sicam, who is right now in Penrith, New South Wales visiting her family, writes a personal account of how it is in "Australia: The Fire This Time."

Switching to a more pleasant topic, PF contributor Titchie Carandang-Tiongson writes about the art of Filipina Spanish artist Maria Mari Murga, whose recent exhibit in Washington DC was hailed by art lovers. Read "All The Light That She Can See" and marvel at her works. 

After all the holiday food tripping, time for a vegan meal. Here's our Happy Home Cook recipe from Richgail Enriquez for Mushroom Pusit.

And our In The Know links, ICYMI:

A Chinese crime wave hits Duterte’s Philippines as Pogos grow unchecked
https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3043542/chinese-crime-wave-hits-dutertes-philippines-pogos-grow?utm_content=article&utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook&fbclid=IwAR3k-ZFhCFy86dJzJoW8lRwYdKMHMFlNVjRhqtGC5N72N6IiKiA-Kl_eqFA#Echobox=1577411423

Sexism in the Philippines: In the Line of Fire
https://southeastasiaglobe.com/in-the-line-of-fire/?fbclid=IwAR1NRNusxZttR3IvY47Xb_173JcvSITygbr9t_-kXm-5t-H54GCVyYnkgss

#FilAmDecade: 10 Years of Filipino American History
https://www.facebook.com/notes/dr-kevin-nadal/filamdecade-10-years-of-filipino-american-history/10157817886364696/

Philippine Expressions Bookstore Owner Linda Nietes Honored By The Community
https://balitangamerica.tv/philippine-expressions-bookstore-owner-linda-nietes-honored-by-the-community/?fbclid=IwAR3BDvB3_KAj1RIxsSJbLWjDjhmtKmiYbJMzc1eb_JHJdPvufaFCLKK3EcI

For our Video of the Week, the Black Eyed Peas, along with the Voice Philippines’ Jessica Reynoso, perform at the closing ceremony of the recent Southeast Asian Games in New Clark City, Tarlac.

Welcome to 2020, May It Be Different for the Better

With this issue, we mark Positively Filipino's 7th year of publication, a milestone that we celebrate with gratitude and affection to all of you who have supported and appreciated this online magazine all these years. Contrary to what most believe, PF doesn't have a big staff; in fact, there are only four of us doing the grunt work in putting out this publication. [See http://www.positivelyfilipino.com/editorial/ to know who we are.] 

What we lack in staff, we make up for in correspondents and contributors: freelance journalists, writers, academics, artists, friends who have not written for publication before but who have surprised us with their writing abilities, and strangers who have offered to write about things dear to the Filipino diaspora. Then there are those who point us to something or someone worth featuring in our pages.  To all of you, THANK YOU. Positively Filipino exists because we have come together to celebrate in various unique ways our being Filipino in this globalized world where we have to assert our presence. 

We hope to have your continued and unwavering support as we go on gathering our collective stories and sharing them with kababayans and kindred spirits. 

In this our first issue for the year and the decade, here are some good reads to complete your celebrations:

Award-winning writer Jennifer Fergesen shares another story from the Filipino culinary diaspora, this time the restaurant in Vienna's notable Hotel am Brillantengrund which serves innovative Filipino dishes because, well, it's run by a Filipino-Austrian.

To recap the year that was, here are Our Most-read Stories for the Year.

And if you want to know what's in store for your zodiac sign in 2020, here's "How To Read Your Stars in 2020," by astrology advocate Walter Ang, whose passion for the signs is matched by his passion for FilAm theater [hint: read his book].

Our first Happy Home Cook recipe for the year is for Seitan Bistek from Chef Frezida Mangalino of Hotel am Brillantengrund.

In case you missed them, some notable stories from other publications:

Philippine Peasants Were Promised Land. Staking a Claim Can Be Deadly.
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/27/business/philippines-duterte-poverty-farmers.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&fbclid=IwAR3V7tPg3UWK3esvQLi89x27YdPqUhKAXXut9vrcBKpNA4GaEZ_Q5Wfk0_0

The Most Famous Photograph of Poets Ever Taken
https://slate.com/culture/2019/12/photo-elizabeth-bishop-marianne-moore-auden-tennessee-williams.html

In the Filipinx Diaspora, We Are Remaking Tradition, the Recipe Edition
http://www.barbarajanereyes.com/2019/12/26/in-the-filipinx-diaspora-we-are-remaking-tradition-the-recipe-edition/?fbclid=IwAR3J7qW9IsTwdgaBbt4qC729vRW0EPrMCZBZGnDOdlUpc1NO1Y33pF4CKTo

This Lechon de Leche by a Filipino home cook captured the world
https://www.philstar.com/lifestyle/food-and-leisure/2019/12/24/1979372/lechon-de-leche-filipino-home-cook-captured-world?fbclid=IwAR2HRCh4Mu5xh0zOUl3ebexiQ3LLUGW9HrwXsGvMkxpEs5uRZaCjJYSyQdA

For Video of the Week, stand-up comedian Jo Koy presents a toast to his mother.