Feeling Low During the Lockdown?

"I Wish to Inform You of my Intent Not to Wake Up Tomorrow." How would you feel if you wake up to that note from a family member? Millennial writer George Deoso penned those words when grappling with his mental demons and provides us an insight on the state of mind of a person contemplating suicide.

The recent spate of suicides worldwide, including the Philippines, particularly among young people, has raised the ante on addressing very real mental health issues that used to be ignored or swept under the proverbial rug by a culture that stigmatizes them. Mercifully, after long years of denial, the Philippines finally has a law that will hopefully bring solutions. Noted psychologist Lucita S. Lazo provides us a situationer in "A Promise to be Fulfilled -- the Mental Health Law of 2018." 

With the Covid-19 pandemic and lockdown, Filipino Americans are similarly challenged. PF contributor BJ Gonzalvo, a psychology researcher, provides some salve to lonely souls in "Mental Health Care for Self and Kapwa During the Pandemic."

On a brighter note, here's the third list of "Fil-Ams Among the Remarkable and Famous" compiled by our publisher Mona Lisa Yuchengco. 

Comfort food is the common quest during these times of uncertainty so, for the Happy Home Cook, here again is Arroz ala Cubana, in two versions:

Elizabeth Ann Quirino's traditional version https://www.positivelyfilipino.com/magazine/the-happy-home-cook-arroz-a-la-cubana?rq=arroz%20ala%20cubana

Richgail Enriquez's vegan version https://www.positivelyfilipino.com/magazine/the-happy-home-cook-vegan-arroz-ala-cubana?rq=arroz%20ala%20cubana

And your links to more good reading:

Eid'l Fitr 2020: 'The bigger the test, the greater our faith'
https://www.rappler.com/nation/261821-eidl-fitr-2020-bigger-test-greater-faith

Troll Armies, a growth industry in the Philippines, may be coming soon to an election near you
https://www.latimes.com/politics/story/2019-11-19/troll-armies-routine-in-philippine-politics-coming-here-next?fbclid=IwAR0G2gFwn2247kzkflF-os7NbGx6IpVciXXSnVeChF_wlfQpkh_R722Hopo

'Blues Clues & You!' host Joshua Dela Cruz on talking to kids about coronavirus racism
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/asian-america/blues-clues-you-host-joshua-dela-cruz-talking-kids-about-n1211351?fbclid=IwAR2zBkRr5SecXfdbcgb5elXGwazz4hmSdt1U2t1UxV-nKas7n4GrzQ6M43M

Locked down in paradise: Foreigners in COVID-19 quarantine rave over Philippines' beauty

https://www.philstar.com/lifestyle/travel-and-tourism/2020/05/19/2015079/locked-down-paradise-foreigners-covid-19-quarantine-rave-overphilippines-beauty?fbclid=IwAR2wzfFtxsUjS-xGp1ao58hXGYR0RPDUav1ez8VJdz6gMpOIPH_QLnC2Yqg

Abuse in Lockdown: Gender Violence in the Philippines
https://www.fairobserver.com/coronavirus/christianne-france-collantes-covid-19-domestic-abuse-lockdown-gender-violence-philippines-news-15211/?fbclid=IwAR2X2AYqLg7Nm1AwidM5hBr4GD90M7VqbVqkGHh-4WCxJipu2m2gtU7MUcE

Our Video of the Week, Trevor Noah of The Daily Show talks to Jose Antonio Vargas about the plight of undocumented workers in the time of Covid-19.

Lockdown and Nostalgia

If you google "lockdown and nostalgia," you'll see all the articles about how nostalgia -- the longing for what seems now as "better times" -- is a common offshoot of the anxieties brought about by the pandemic. The nostalgia can take various forms -- from bingeing on favorite music, old movies and comfort food, to reaching out to relatives and friends previously neglected. To the history inclined, it may mean researching past events or finally starting that genealogical tree for one's clan.

While his scholarly research on his ancestors' Teduray roots is definitely not pandemic-induced -- the breadth and depth of his research shows labor that spans decades -- social scientist and academic Eduardo C. Tadem's "The Saga of the Tamontaka Teduray Sisters" is a fascinating window into a lesser known Mindanao indigenous tribe that has spawned some big names in the Mindanao political landscape. 

Meanwhile, Japan-based Chinese-Filipino author and academic Caroline S. Hau tries her hand at fiction and the result is Tiempo Muerto, a novel about class divide and exile. Political scientist Patricio N. Abinales reviews in "Death and Loathing in Sugarlandia."

Our publisher Mona Lisa Yuchengco continues her series on outstanding Filipino Americans in part 2 of "Fil-Ams Among the Remarkable and Famous."

As our personal news feed is marked by the constant drip of reports on the deaths of people we know, let's stop and pay tribute to one of the biggest names in Philippine cinema, movie director Peque Gallaga, who passed away a few weeks ago of non-covid causes. Marra PL. Lanot writes "Three Days in My Life with Peque."

Check out our two Partner posts this week: 

A call to fight back against the growing trend of hate crimes against Asian Americans https://www.positivelyfilipino.com/magazine/partner-enough-is-enough

The online showing of a powerful play on the early Fil-Am farmworkers, our beloved manongs https://www.positivelyfilipino.com/magazine/partner-magno-rubio-now-online

On the occasion of her 67th birthday, Read Again "The Timeless Nora Aunor" by film critic Mauro Feria Tumbocon, Jr.  and watch this tribute video in Video of the Week.

For the Happy Home Cook, here's a recipe with a whimsical name: French Kiss from the prison kitchen of then-detained soldiers Elmer D. Cruz and Emerson R. Rosales. 

Here are links to stories from other publications:

These Filipino scientists left their career abroad to help PH combat COVID-19
https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/05/13/20/these-filipino-scientists-left-their-career-abroad-to-help-ph-combat-covid-19?fbclid=IwAR34-L44addHOuzbSw3NT6rOtRMI_9XfXfCipv8rD5myEc3jLhvNLJc01Sg

Combatting Covid-19 the Iloilo City Way
https://tribune.net.ph/index.php/2020/05/17/combatting-covid-19-the-iloilo-city-way/?fbclid=IwAR32ycnpiBvhfCUBk_ZQtVSaIGlHpnWSnQFuwBimaXEz5haOVluzh49vOdE

A New Portrait of Lapulapu
https://www.nqc.gov.ph/en_US/resources/a-new-portrait-of-lapulapu/?fbclid=IwAR1PKXQ25XESBgB0NIcfpWwUqV8wdxssFt1O5pCAnf9BN4bbAb_lU2CZGt8

Kapampangan ‘survival’ dishes
https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1272424/kapampangan-survival-dishes?fbclid=IwAR3Xy1osI5rqXgCy_FykIzqO3dqEGEDiYdSR2_KXI5BhBs36IxHxv4VPrCk

Column: Filipino nurses battled discrimination to work in American hospitals. Now they fight for PPE
https://news.yahoo.com/column-filipino-nurses-battled-discrimination-130014792.html

Fil-Ams You Should Know

Aside from Mother's Day, the big celebration in the US in May is Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month (AAPIHM). Why May? Because the first Japanese immigrant to the US arrived on May 7, 1843 and the transcontinental railroad was completed by mostly Chinese immigrants on May 10, 1869. Filipino Americans have their own month to celebrate - October, since it is believed that the first Filipinos to reach American soil got here on that month. Nonetheless, we celebrate in solidarity with our fellow Asians because any occasion to honor the contributions of immigrants to this giant melting pot of a country is cause for celebration.

Get to know some famous -- and infamous -- Filipino Americans in the compilation spearheaded by our publisher Mona Lisa Yuchengco, the first of which is in this issue. ["Fil-Ams Among the Remarkable and Famous"]

Likewise, in our continuing salute to mothers this month, Lisa shares with us her tribute to her late mother, Paz Sycip Yuchengco. ["A Final Goodnight"]

Cultural writer Walter Ang introduces Cynthia Salaysay, a Filipino American author, whose first book Private Lessons, a young adult (YA) novel, is coming out this month. ["Cynthia Salaysay's Healing Heart"]

Some deaths are heavier than others as Manila-based PF Correspondent Criselda Yabes illustrates in her tribute to her good friend (and ours too), former secretary of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources Fulgencio Factoran Jr. ["Jun Factoran, A Friend Forever"]

Here's a timely Read Again that will make you feel good: Liana Romulo's account of her esteemed lolo's amazing feat. https://www.positivelyfilipino.com/magazine/2013/7/when-lolos-debating-team-vanquished-america

For the Happy Home Cook, let's dig up another comfort food from our archive: Binagoongang Baboy from Beth Romualdez. http://www.positivelyfilipino.com/magazine/the-happy-home-cook-binagoongang-baboy

Here are links to stories from other publications: 

Pandemic slashes remittance lifeline as overseas Filipino workers lose jobs
https://www.bworldonline.com/pandemic-slashes-remittance-lifeline-as-overseas-filipino-workers-lose-jobs/?fbclid=IwAR2ZbbTPIYw0LpqUFsh8vzsLSGFEUl7K1VkEaNvRy3tdxcMCianXJBPqeao

Five things to remember during Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month and beyond
https://www.adn.com/opinions/2019/05/24/five-things-to-remember-during-asian-american-and-pacific-islander-heritage-month-and-beyond/?fbclid=IwAR2jZorBTiALQj6TTSuWoG8_8vvAIJqqZvwIHsZbsW7FnytFlftX4kPea6M

In the Claws of a Police State
https://thebaffler.com/latest/in-the-claws-of-a-police-state-flores-fantauzzo?fbclid=IwAR07Jk2QrkXK74CLdhFltQGC2o08EG829-Uq2Qya-59Q3fZQnw-7LLdDVN0

“Similar to Times of War”: The Staggering Toll of COVID-19 on Filipino Health Care Workers
https://www.propublica.org/article/similar-to-times-of-war-the-staggering-toll-of-covid-19-on-filipino-health-care-workers?utm_source=pardot&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=majorinvestigations&utm_content=feature

Celebrity IOU: Michael Bublé fulfills grandfather's dying wish with home for his caretaker Minette
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-8287151/Celebrity-IOU-Michael-Bubl-fulfills-grandfathers-dying-wish-home-caretaker-Minette.html?fbclid=IwAR19mlzdhKtFDgjwFXybGLCl7hbynMdswyUZfA0SjGQZKjjZoMoPrHPYY0s#i-5912dad24a9fa0a6 

What Manila Looked Like The Year You Were Born
https://www.esquiremag.ph/culture/lifestyle/old-manila-vintage-photos-a00297-20200501-lfrm3?utm_source=Facebook-Esquire&utm_medium=Ownshare&utm_campaign=20200431-fbnp-culture-old-manila-vintage-photos-a00297-20200501-lfrm3-fbfirst&fbclid=IwAR3rDBH9HefUzse2Da5tbFqoe3AffarjJtkamXXsbO_w30FQ2bCgmdCA6H0 

For our Video of the Week, witness veteran journalist Howie Severino's documentation of his bout with Covid-19.