September 09, 2020

Anti-Terrorism Law and You

September 09, 2020/ Gemma Nemenzo

Two heavyweights in the civil liberties arena in the Philippines will weigh in on the impact of the Anti-Terrorism Law recently passed by Congress. Senator Risa Hontiveros and Attorney Theodore Te will discuss the nuances of the law and how it will impact overseas Filipinos in Positively Filipino's webinar tomorrow at 6 pm Pacific/9 pm Eastern (in the Philippines, 9 am Friday). If you haven't registered yet, please click on the link below for details.

Meanwhile, this week we commemorate the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II, pay tribute to a woman of substance, humorously expose a crackpot clan in Mindanao that claims ownership of the entire archipelago and includes Rizal and Hitler in its lineage, and introduce the new cookbook (and a recipe) of one of the leading lights of Philippine cuisine. We hope you enjoy them.

Our Stories This Week:

World War II In The Philippines - 75 Years After By Cecilia I. Gaerlan

Gilda Cordero Fernando: Forever Groovy By Paulynn Paredes Sicam

Philippine Hoaxes: Of Cabbages And Kings, Grifters And Trolls By Myles A. Garcia

Sandy’s Handy Cookbook By Bella Bonner

[PARTNER] Byaheng Pag-Asa

The Happy Home Cook: Chili Coconut Squid By Chef Sandy Daza

Video of the Week: As the US prepares for an eventful presidential election, the Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities, including the Filipino American community, underscore our wholehearted participation in the charting of this country's future.

In the Know

From malls to banks: The pandemic’s domino effect
https://rappler.com/newsbreak/in-depth/coronavirus-pandemic-domino-effect-malls-banks

My Neighbor, The Roosevelt Statue
https://aaww.org/my-neighbor-the-roosevelt-statue-rene-g-ontal/?fbclid=IwAR0jokipkMGf65jn0XqEaIw2JaxQiNPpDZM6HRPyMBjhV45o8GNDyiNztcc

A father-daughter relationship blooms amid Philippine flora
https://news.berkeley.edu/2019/01/03/a-father-daughter-relationship-blooms-amid-philippine-flora/?fbclid=IwAR0BRoB9MX0ek1dEiC8FF4Wepa03rgvqRXfIoqwV-RLwf-UVhwSvnMaxCgg

Catholic poet, artist put spotlight on COVID
https://www.catholicregister.org/features/arts/item/32027-catholic-poet-artist-put-spotlight-on-covid

This Former Student Activist Now Owns the Largest Pawnshop Network in the Country
https://www.esquiremag.ph/money/industry/palawan-pawnshop-owner-profile-a00289-20200902-lfrm?ref=article_aside_money

Sometimes, It Takes Time': Erina Alejo, the Third-Generation Renter
https://www.kqed.org/arts/13885733/sometimes-it-takes-time-erina-alejo-the-third-generation-rente?fbclid=IwAR0RQxecWk1hFn-FW9D65UIVuZGg-Dnl-KLZGnAKs9DiL-96H87rVWSveSU

September 02, 2020

Virtual Everything

September 02, 2020/ Gemma Nemenzo

Nine months since the coronavirus pandemic hit earth like the proverbial giant meteorite, a virtual world has opened up for us. Webinars, podcasts, streaming movies, tutorials, family reunions, exercise videos, Broadway shows, awards shows, online learning, virtual international travel -- they're all ours for the taking (or watching/listening). Zoom has even become a household word.

(Speaking of webinars, in case you missed Positively Filipino's very enlightening conversation with ace journalists Sheila Coronel and Ging Reyes, "Shutdown For a Shakedown? Behind the Attempts to Muzzle Press Freedom and ABS-CBN," you can watch it here.)

Unfortunately the online world also has its share of trolls and criminals, preying on the naive, the seniors (who are not as tech savvy) and the emotionally vulnerable. True these scammers have been around pre-covid but presumably they are more active now that people are staying home and relying only on their electronic devices to maintain their contact with the rest of the world. And then there's the loneliness factor.

Pre-pandemic, romance scams (the type with the highest recorded occurence) lost its victims in the US $143 million in 2018 alone, with an average per-victim loss of $2,600.

PF publisher Mona Lisa Yuchengco writes about her friend's brush with a romance scammer, truly a cautionary tale for potential sweet-talk victims. If you or someone you know is being scammed, there are web sites (such as https://www.usa.gov/stop-scams-frauds) for reporting them. Just make sure you do a background check on the site you choose lest it might be another scam.

Stories this Week:

[Webinar] Shut Down For A Shakedown? Behind The Attempts To Muzzle Press Freedom And ABS-CBN

Looking For Love In All The Wrong URLs By Mona Lisa Yuchengco

Dishes You’d Like To Cook And Eat In Self-Quarantine By Jennifer Fergesen

Jason Tanamor And His Aswang By Walter Ang

Amba Girly: Spirit Of The Corps By Marisa S. Roque

The Happy Home Cook: Blond Biko By Chef Nouel Omamalin

Video of the Week: The Voice Kids UK winner Justine Afante

In The Know

WATCH: Why all Filipinos are considered indigenous
https://news.abs-cbn.com/video/life/10/27/16/watch-why-all-filipinos-are-considered-indigenous?fbclid=IwAR2jwrF9GGtzeG-sO2u6uuZZ0aNPZdsYLjfQC6RuDNNn0AdTBEjeT3LPJhI

Philippine human rights workers are being systematically killed in a growing war on dissent
https://news.yahoo.com/philippine-human-rights-workers-being-184122085.html?soc_src=social-sh&soc_trk=ma

25 years after: Amy Besa & Romy Dorotan on the pains and glory of being New York restaurateurs

https://news.abs-cbn.com/ancx/food-drink/features/08/23/20/before-ube-hit-it-big-abroad-amy-besa-and-romy-dorotan-were-serving-it-in-the-us-in-the-90s?1=1&fbclid=IwAR0YI4Ig0_q5FMmnF-kt9-Eh8MjlYNpY14TdrkrcFUT-f2r0vTUWR0Kz7Lw

SF author’s ‘Son of Good Fortune’ explores ‘myth of the American dream’
https://datebook.sfchronicle.com/books/san-francisco-authors-debut-novel-sheds-light-on-filipino-american-immigration?fbclid=IwAR0mNlHlp7yl-yHtmkUiaqBlt1_VVeV1NASoPk8A6lofzxekBcl1DnPf6fI

Anna Maria: The Spaniard who survived 16 bayonet wounds during the Battle of Manila
https://english.elpais.com/arts/2020-08-28/anna-maria-the-spaniard-who-survived-16-bayonet-wounds-during-the-battle-of-manila.html?fbclid=IwAR2jq8GfLyKl4HXCOiM5Vek-sCCoRY_HqMn_E0guLPEc2I4BPzagYkShOcw

August 26, 2020

The Man Behind the Myth

August 26, 2020/ Gemma Nemenzo

Imagine this scenario: a poor, chaotic country is holding an election for president. On one side, the incumbent -- ruthless, cunning, steeped in the politics of power; on the other side, a very popular movie actor, beloved by the masses for his standard role as defender of the powerless, but with nary an experience in governance or political maneuverings. The actor would have won, but for the shameless "order" of the incumbent to her appointed election official (of which she was caught when a recording of her phone call was made public, now infamously remembered as "Hello Garci"), with the assistance of some of her loyal generals, for the manufacture of a million votes in her favor.

So now, 16 years later, we wonder: what if that election had been clean and the result an honest reflection of the will of the people, would a president, armed only with sincerity, honesty and an abiding faith in the rule of law, have changed the historical trajectory of our homeland? More curiously, would the masses' hunger for a strongman leader fighting on their behalf have been satiated with the actor/hero at the helm, and thus staved off the need for the authoritarian leader we now have?

On the occasion of what would have been his 81st birthday on August 20, Fernando Poe Jr.'s long-time personal and business manager Susan V. Tagle provides us an intimate profile of the man behind the myth.