Heroes and Duplicities

August is the month of Filipino heroes and one of them is August-born Manuel Luis Quezon, president of the Philippines during the Commonwealth period. Quezon initiated a shining moment in our country's heritage when shortly before World War II, he opened the country's shores in welcome to European Jews fleeing the impending Holocaust. Historian Ambeth R. Ocampo writes about Philippine-Jewish relations and the magnanimity of Quezon in "Quezon Saved Jews from the Holocaust." We commemorate the legacy of Quezon on his 139th birthday on August 19.

Another history lesson, this time from lawyer Saul Hofileña Jr., whose book Under the Stacks, unearths some previously ignored or unknown facts of Philippine colonial history. Veteran journalist Sylvia L. Mayuga introduces us to "A Man and His Book: Unmasking Duplicities of the Past," an eye-opener and a must-read (both the book and this review) to understand the deep roots of the Muslim conflict in Mindanao.

We continue our Hometown series with Toronto-based writer Patria Cabatuando-Rivera's story of growing up in Nueva Ecija and revisiting her childhood haunts in the towns of Peñaranda, Gapan and Santa Cruz. 

Our Happy Home Cook recipe this week is Liver in Bistek Sauce, one of the recipes in Gerri Barangan-Korten's book, Sagana. 

And another list of links to interesting stories is compiled in our In The Know section:

Duterte: Marcos family willing to open, return ‘wealth in question’
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/926476/president-rodrigo-duterte-marcos-family-ill-gotten-wealth-gold-bars-ferdinand-marcos

Philippines' communist rebellion: A new generation
http://bworldonline.com/philippines-communist-rebellion-new-generation/

Manila's 12 Oldest Restaurants and What They Look Like Now
http://www.esquiremag.ph/culture/food-and-drink/old-restaurants-manila-a1729-20170505-lfrm

Tagalog-speaking Qatari teen thanks Pinay nanny; says he owe her a lot for his upbringing
http://kickerdaily.com/posts/2017/08/tagalog-speaking-qatari-teen-thanks-pinay-nanny-says-he-owe-her-a-lot-for-his-upbringing/

51 Old Colorized Photos Reveal The Fascinating Filipino Life Between 1900 - 1960
http://www.filipiknow.net/old-colorized-photos-philippines/

Our Video of the Week takes us to Brooklyn where Nick Solares, host of The Meat Show, feasts on sisig, adobo and Filipino bbq at F.O.B., the Filipino food destination in the Cobble Hill neighborhood.

Gemma Nemenzo

Editor, Positively Filipino

New on Holy Week

As the Christian world takes a breather for Holy Week, we'd like to invite San Francisco Bay Area residents to watch "An Open Door: Jewish Rescue in the Philippines," an award-winning documentary by Noel Izon on how the Philippines opened its doors to more than a thousand Jews rescued from Europe in the early years of WWII. A touching affirmation of love and brotherhood featuring the children of the survivors, this film will be shown for the first time for free on April 15. Seats are limited so click on this link right now for details.

We don't usually do Q&As, but we couldn’t resist one with Walden Bello, who recently resigned as congressman because he could no longer support his party's (Akbayan) uncritical support for the Aquino administration, following President PNoy's skirting of responsibility for the Mamasapano tragedy. Walden is always worth reading, and this interview shines new light on some aspects of the controversy that has been glossed over by media.

And speaking of controversy, writer/professor Peter Bacho shares some pretty strong views about Filipino Americans and the issue of identity, in this profile by regular contributor Anthony Maddela. In "Peter Bacho, Pessimistic Sage," the author of Boxing In Black and White states that “Young Filipinos are not interested in the past; they are not intellectually curious, so I have no real desire to explain [the Filipino experience], to be honest.” Read the story to get the full context of this controversial statement.

Starting with this issue, we're posting a recipe a week to help you with your menu planning for your family. We start off with Elizabeth Ann Quirino's Filipino Fish Stew in Ginger Broth with Tomatoes and Spinach, a perfect Holy Week treat that I can personally attest to as delicious. If you have a recipe that you want to share, please send it in. Read the intro to The Happy Home Cook on how to do it.

And in observance of Holy Week, we've gathered some pictures of rituals and images from our contributing photographers, Marites Falcon, Brian Aguilar Agana and our art director, Raymond Virata.

More Holy Week traditions are featured in our Video of the Week.

In my blog, I focus on a trending topic in the Philippines: divorce, or the lack of it.

Gemma Nemenzo

Editor, Positively Filipino