July 07, 2021

Down the Rabbit Hole

July 07, 2021/ Gemma Nemenzo

PF Correspondent Anthony Maddela's review of the popular FilAm comedian Jo Koy's memoir, Mixed Plate, sent me down the rabbit hole of YouTube (you know how it is, you click on one song, then another, and before you realize it, you've already used up an entire morning listening to the music of your youth) where Jo Koy videos are a-plenty. I had to stop watching after an hour because my stomach and jaw hurt from too much laughing. Jo Koy is a topnotch comic (just get past the profanity) and, if you're like me, you'll order his book pronto.

Speaking of rabbits, the Philippine government's Dept. of Agriculture is following the US Department of Agriculture's lead and promoting rabbit meat as a healthy alternative to pork and beef. Already, a Baguio City restaurant has come up with a variety of dishes for the adventurous palate. Baguio-based PF Correspondent Rene M. Astudillo reports.

We're nowhere near the end of the list of remarkable Fil-Ams, with part 22, and still counting.

For the Happy Home Cook, we picked up another recipe from Maja Hu (Melody Abrera Hu) of Maja's Kitchen Creations: Roasted Brussel Sprouts with Tamarind Glace.

Read Again:

Oscar Peñaranda’s fascinating story on how he got hold of his revolutionary grandfather's flag used during the Filipino American War in 1899: http://www.positivelyfilipino.com/magazine/a-reunion-of-strangers

Jaime FlorCruz's account of his 40-year exile in China: http://www.positivelyfilipino.com/magazine/2013/4/40-years-in-china-from-stranded-activist-to-international-journalist

Video of the Week: Stella Abrera

In The Know

Where Did Marcos Hide His $10 Billion Fortune?
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2021-06-28/finding-the-hidden-10-billion-fortune-of-philippines-president-ferdinand-marcos

Sesame Street tackles anti-Asian bullying with 'Proud of Your Eyes' video
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/asian-america/sesame-street-tackles-anti-asian-bullying-proud-eyes-video-rcna1267?fbclid=IwAR1OwNmwxGdf1O_CVTLhqPXGEWD4ikWEQ80IXUFg0iEemIW6HZ4UrNP55_M

July Fourth is Independence Day for two countries. But for one it is hollow.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2021/07/04/july-fourth-is-independence-day-two-countries-one-it-is-hollow/?fbclid=IwAR3uprDlpbOXofRC2oSqiQ1O5V5PAICacpvgXmiCo7jm4DbIy2Kyw3SAZac

Remembering America’s First Filipino Settlement Before It Vanishes Into The Sea
https://www.yahoo.com/huffpost/remembering-america-first-filipino-settlement-120008602.html?soc_src=social-sh&soc_trk=ma

Tatler Guide to Important Philippine Art Masterpieces
https://ph.asiatatler.com/life/tatler-guide-to-important-philippine-art-masterpieces

N.V.M. Gonzalez: A writing life
https://www.philstar.com/opinion/2021/07/03/2109819/nvm-gonzalez-writing-life?fbclid=IwAR2mjP0-wrno30gXyLmCwI5tCuG17P7TbcY4hVsKy9us5K4DtgT5Cm-u46U

June 30, 2021

We Didn't Know How to Love Him

June 30, 2021/ Gemma Nemenzo

Benigno Simeon Cojuangco Aquino III, better known as PNoy or Noynoy, passed away on June 24, a few hours after we sent out our issue last week (Wednesday here in the US). While we missed out on the immediacy of the sad and unexpected news (we put out a new issue only once a week), we have the advantage of being able to wade through the countless tributes on print, social media, on videos and podcasts, in churches and Zoom gatherings, on giant electronic billboards and the personal recollections of those who knew him or didn't, and those who worked with him or were the beneficiaries of his policies.

The Philippines' 11th president after 1946, the 5th since his mother assumed the post after the people toppled the Marcos regime in 1986, had consistently high popularity ratings throughout his presidency, despite his being criticized as aloof, stoic and emotionless. Yet the stories now being told by his staff, particularly the writers who collaborated with him in crafting his public statements (one of whom was told by PNoy himself to please wait until he's dead to write about him), paints a different picture -- that of a meticulous boss who made sure he got the facts straight and the grammar correct in public, and a typical loner who craved his silences and his music, alone. So unlike regular politicians who want the limelight even if they're so unfit for it.

PNoy's legacy as leader of the country from 2010 to 2016 has been cemented with his death at 61 years old. The decency and integrity that he was known for, along with his administration's achievements -- I personally consider the passage of the Reproductive Health law, which had his unwavering support despite intense opposition from the Catholic Church, as his most sterling one -- are rightfully heralded and documented for posterity. That his critics continue to try to demean and defile his legacy with such ignorance and vulgarity only reminds us of how bereft we are of losing him. Ace journalist and journalism professor Sheila Coronel says it best: “There's now sort of a wave of nostalgia for a president who was honest, sincere, didn't curse and didn't kill, and who took governance seriously”.

For those of you who didn't know him or were not aware of his policies, here's a curated collection of links to stories about Noynoy Aquino, the president and the man:

In The Know (Special Edition)

The Impossible Dreamer
https://www.spot.ph//newsfeatures/the-latest-news-features/86591/benigno-noynoy-aquino-iii-tribute-a3256-20210626-lfrm4?ref=home_aside_popular

The unfinished legacy of Noynoy Aquino
https://www.rappler.com/voices/thought-leaders/opinion-unfinished-legacy-noynoy-aquino

A Former Close-In Aide Shares His Experiences With President Noynoy Aquino: 'I Lost a Friend'
https://www.esquiremag.ph/long-reads/features/noynoy-close-in-aide-experience-a2650-20210625-lfrm?utm_source=facebook-esquire&utm_medium=ownshare&utm_campaign=20210625-fbnp-long-reads%2Ffeatures%2Fnoynoy-close-in-aide-experience-fbfirst&fbclid=IwAR1-TAzUxhiek402MRQ1oHmXl8Qlt5dtED3brA0QF7RC-scHHZoQYS_HGoM

PNoy was My Boss: A delayed dispatch from an ex-Palace speechwriter
https://news.abs-cbn.com/ancx/culture/spotlight/06/25/21/pnoy-was-my-boss-a-delayed-dispatch-from-a-palace-speechwriter?fbclid=IwAR37EML9A7Fsvha435dgo1EJKHcakHW_ucOhHV2bQ7bKOFxdgxKlZRq7ClY

The Story of the Aquino and Cojuangco Clans And The Struggles of the Philippine Nation
https://ph.asiatatler.com/society/family-matters-the-aquino-and-cojuangco-aquino-clans?fbclid=IwAR1cDGKZMZeFeqdnfIEjae0T0edbveLXE_mpVLb_3rd9CkCkcLU-I7H-eig

Mula sa taumbayan, maraming salamat, PNoy!
https://www.rappler.com/voices/editorials/thank-you-noynoy-aquino-from-the-filipino-people?fbclid=IwAR3iLCGN0HnCU-0bkiO2vM7LL6FdFyErD9C_GuT2Jvy_212Q9rrObArILDY

A lament for a president
https://www.philstar.com/business/2021/06/28/2108474/lament-president?fbclid=IwAR3tGIRLo9liSJeqkQwv2EpcAC58LgehaqhUeU0Iy29tL7UXEKJQxQT1XiQ

Our Stories This Week

"Grand Agers" Prove 80 Is The New 50 By Cherie M. Querol Moreno

Ma Tante Laura By Myles A. Garcia

Teng-Teng Panciteria By Rey E. de la Cruz

The Happy Home Cook: Pork Ampalaya (Bittermelon) By Chef Teng Rondina

Video of the Week: Remembering Noynoy Aquino

June 23, 2021

What a Difference 30 Years Make

June 23, 2021/ Gemma Nemenzo

When Mona Lisa Yuchengco started Filipinas magazine in 1992, it was quite a task to find prominent Fil-Ams to feature. There were just a few in entertainment, fewer still in media and politics.

What a difference 30 years make! Today, Fil-Ams have a strong presence in many fields -- entertainment, music, literature, the academe, media, government service and local politics. One of them is Rob Bonta, elected for multiple terms as the first Fil-Am in the California state legislature and recently appointed by Gov. Gavin Newsom as the state Attorney General, taking the place of now Vice President Kamala Harris. The appointment has left Bonta's legislative seat vacant and one of those running to fill that seat is Malia Vella, a Filipino American who is currently the vice mayor of Alameda, CA. Read about her (and wish her luck) in Harvey I. Barkin's write-up.

Part of the world is opening up after the devastating pandemic so we're now posting travel stories to places you might consider visiting in the future. A regular PF contributing writer, former Ambassador Virgilio A. Reyes, Jr., writes about visiting Guam, a US territory with strong ties to our Motherland.

Fil-Am author Mia P. Manansala's Arsenic and Adobo, one of Buzzfeed's highly anticipated mystery novels of 2021, is given a review by PF Correspondent Elizabeth Ann Quirino.

From our archives, here are some Read Agains that continue to be good reading:

Veteran journalist Philip M. Lustre Jr.'s recalls a time when politicians were competent and colorful, and the best of them all was Manila's mayor: http://www.positivelyfilipino.com/magazine/arsenio-h-lacson-the-best-president-the-philippines-never-had

Famous artist/chef Claude Tayag remembers Anthony Bourdain's Philippine visit: http://www.positivelyfilipino.com/magazine/bourdains-last-famous-badass-words

And we have a new contributor to our Happy Home Cook section: Maja Hu, based in Austin, TX, shares with us her recipe for waffles using the currently trendy Philippine root crop, ube.

For Video of the Week, Asia Society Philippines put together a music video with well-known Filipino performers in a campaign against the rising Anti-Asian Hate Crimes in the U.S.