January 13, 2021

It Can Happen Here

January 13, 2021/ Gemma Nemenzo

On Wednesday morning, January 6, I texted my daughter in the East Coast to watch the counting of the electoral college votes in Congress. We may never be able to watch this again, I said, because in normal times the process is procedural, quick and uneventful, not worthy of TV coverage. But these are not normal times so my husband and I settled in (which is a redundant phrase while in a California covid lockdown) and watched.

Little did we know that in a matter of minutes, the assault on the Capitol building would begin. We watched appalled, shocked and deeply saddened as the mob of Trump supporters vandalized, defiled and temporarily took over the seat of American democracy, presenting a clear and present danger to the lives of legislators and legislative police in the process.

This was one of those historical moments that will be indelibly imprinted in our memory, the kind that will trigger recollections of what-I-was-doing-when-it happened details. Having lived a long life, mine is already a list:

• the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in November 1963

• the declaration of martial law in the Philippines in September 1972

• the assassination of Ninoy Aquino in August 1983

• the EDSA People Power revolt in February 1986

• the election victory of Barack Obama in November 2008

What are yours? Share your list with me at PFeditor@yahoo.com.

Our Stories This Week

Fil-Ams Among The Remarkable And Famous, Part 13 By Mona Lisa Yuchengco

Ateneo Art Gallery At 60: Art Amidst Disruption By Rosa Concepcion Ladrido

Pedal Attraction In Iloilo By Vicente Salas

The Happy Home Cook: Binacol na Manok (Chicken Stewed in Coconut Water)

Video of the Week:: Pamana: Saving our Heritage

In The Know

Editorial: Catholics need to confess their complicity in the failed coup
https://www.ncronline.org/news/opinion/editorial-catholics-need-confess-their-complicity-failed-coup

Why Filipino voters turn their lonely eyes to strongman leaders
https://asia.nikkei.com/Opinion/Why-Filipino-voters-turn-their-lonely-eyes-to-strongman-leaders?fbclid=IwAR2L9JjqEgaawD76fS83q4WywKWv9FrxYKW-A3dQ-FKU0XY-RG9_8IPL4QQ

How a team led by a journalist is fighting coronavirus misinformation in the Filipino community
https://www.poynter.org/fact-checking/2020/how-a-team-led-by-a-journalist-is-fighting-coronavirus-misinformation-in-the-filipino-community/

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=IwAR003Rsx92LTzEuGC7hhj874F7IuWaLIAH6WBooz6tOgSJiy97TquCzn48k

The lonely legacy of Spam
https://theweek.com/articles/956644/lonely-legacy-spam?fbclid=IwAR07-jIIPmU-_4dpGbBKwVv7aE1x3Ux_PhgCmryam98aZ6yK17aymylRS48

January 06, 2021

Good-Bye to All That, Hello Again

January 06, 2021/ Gemma Nemenzo

This is our first issue for 2021 and it marks the beginning of the 8th year of Positively Filipino.

It is also the start of the third decade of the 21st century so we send you our fervent wishes for auspicious years ahead.

Before we write 30 (an old journalism term to denote the end of a submitted manuscript) to 2020, here are our Most Read stories for the year. Whether you're re-reading them or reading for the first time, we hope you'll enjoy them as much as thousands of readers have.

Stop and Smell the Power of Filipino Cooking By Elizabeth Ann Quirino
http://www.positivelyfilipino.com/magazine/stop-and-smell-the-power-of-filipino-cooking

Colonization’s Impact on Manila By Nathaniel “Dinky” von Einsiedel
http://www.positivelyfilipino.com/magazine/colonizations-impact-on-manila

The Colonial Legacy of Racism Among Filipinos By Michael Gonzalez
http://www.positivelyfilipino.com/magazine/the-colonial-legacy-of-racism-among-filipinos

Connecting the Pots, Food from the Philippines to America By Elizabeth Ann Quirino
http://www.positivelyfilipino.com/magazine/connecting-the-pots-food-from-the-philippines-to-america

A Compassionate Healer and Fierce Fighter for Fellow RNs By Cherie Querol Moreno
http://www.positivelyfilipino.com/magazine/a-compassionate-healer-and-fierce-fighter-for-fellow-rns

Imelda’s Debt, Which Keeps On Going By Myles Garcia
http://www.positivelyfilipino.com/magazine/imeldas-debt-which-keeps-on-going

Filipinescas – La Orosa’s Heroic Spirit By Virgilio Reyes, Jr.
http://www.positivelyfilipino.com/magazine/filipinescas-la-orosas-heroic-spirit

Lest the Old Feuds & Scandals Die Away By Myles Garcia
http://www.positivelyfilipino.com/magazine/lest-the-old-feuds-amp-scandals-die-away

Why We Must Have Uncomfortable Conversations By Constante G. Quirino
http://www.positivelyfilipino.com/magazine/why-we-must-have-uncomfortable-conversations

On Filipino Culture, In the Wake of Barkadagate By Kat Velayo Greenberg
http://www.positivelyfilipino.com/magazine/on-filipino-culture-in-the-wake-of-barkadagate

Stories of the Week

A 2020 Year-Ender Of Sorts

Unmasking Trump’s Election Loss By Andres D. Bautista

Up Close With The Stars By Gemma Nemenzo

The Ninja Warrior With A Rare Nemesis By Anthony Maddela

The Happy Home Cook: Crab In Coconut Sauce (Ginataang Alimango) By Chef Roline Casper

Video of the Week: Balik Pilipinas

In The Know

Women journalists in the Philippines: 'We transcend fear every day'
https://www.rappler.com/nation/women-journalists-in-the-philippines-we-transcend-fear-everyday?mc_cid=ce14b916ac&mc_eid=5b1f08a2af

Former toothpaste model in PH now a leading man in US
https://news.abs-cbn.com/entertainment/12/29/20/former-toothpaste-model-in-ph-now-a-leading-man-in-us

David Medalla, Inventive Artist at Center of London’s Scene, Has Died at 78
https://www.artnews.com/art-news/news/david-medalla-dead-1234580360/

Number Fever: The Pepsi Contest That Became a Deadly Fiasco
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2020-08-04/the-inside-story-of-pepsi-s-philippines-bottle-contest-fiasco?utm_campaign=news&utm_medium=bd&utm_source=applenews

The Cruise Ship Suicides
https://www.bloomberg.com/features/2020-cruise-ship-suicides/?utm_source=twitter&cmpid=socialflow-twitter-businessweek&utm_content=businessweek&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=socialflow-organic&fbclid=IwAR2iAl3rKJPgr6peuikvYZZLxYEL_REGbQ-xXK2fyAF5YDmHVKaeWzMcQF8

To reprise her 'Karate Kid' role in 'Cobra Kai,' Tamlyn Tomita had some ground rules
https://news.yahoo.com/reprise-her-karate-kid-role-204635077.html?soc_src=social-sh&soc_trk=ma

December 28, 2020

Our Journal in the Plague Year

December 28, 2020/ Mona Lisa Yuchengco

Seven years. That’s how long Positively Filipino has been sharing your stories all over the world. 

This past year was like no other, what with the pandemic and all the other problems it brought with it. Not to mention the natural disasters that befell us like hurricanes, super typhoons, volcano eruptions and wildfires, and the political upheavals in the U.S. and other countries. For the first time in my lifetime, my family and I experienced a pandemic. For ten months, we stayed put, covered our mouths and noses, and watched loved ones and friends die without being able to say good-bye. But it was important for all of us to continue living, if only to serve as a reminder that the world is not dead yet. So, at Positively Filipino, we continued to give you relevant stories not only on how the COVID-19 wreaked havoc on our lives, but also how our fellow kababayans in other parts of the world were faring. At the same time, during the shelter-in-place period, we worked on producing webinars for a better understanding of racism, the electoral process, press freedom, and other experiences that make up our hidden but rich history in this country.

As the vaccines arrive in our cities, there is hope that this pandemic will be over soon, and with a new administration, there is hope for unity. I had been thinking a lot about many things these past ten months, and what I would do if I survived this pandemic. We just cannot go back to life before COVID-19. There are too many lessons to be learned from this experience, and we can’t turn our backs. How do we prevent another pandemic? How do we reach out to our neighbors and start a serious conversation about race, equality, and unity? What do we need to do to heal Mother Nature? How do we repair the social, emotional, and academic toll our children have gone through? How do we uphold our constitutional rights and democracy and hold our politicians accountable? How do we begin to genuinely help the poor achieve economic stability? Too many questions that could take more than a lifetime to answer, but we have to start now.

In the meantime, let’s do our part, no matter how small. Here at Positively Filipino, we will continue to share your stories and provide relevant information. Thanks to our talented writers who create the stories every week. Thanks to our thousands of readers like you, who faithfully read these stories and send us encouragement every week. And thanks to our staff, Gemma Nemenzo, Rene Ciria-Cruz and Raymond Virata, who make Positively Filipino happen every week.

Please continue to share our amazing stories of Filipinos all over the world as these stories define us as a people. We are no longer invisible.

Join us in ushering a happy and hopeful 2021.