November 17, 2021

Quo Vadis, Philippine Democracy?

November 17, 2021/ Gemma Nemenzo

The election circus came early in our Motherland and the main event (aka the freak show) this week was the family feud of the Duterte father and daughter, with a sideshow starring Bongbong Marcos and ex-President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. It's not easy to go above the fray in this sordid power gluttony drama, but PF contributor Ernesto M. Hilario did just that. See his sober take on what Filipino voters in the Philippines and overseas should not lose sight of in the next six months of guaranteed political chaos.

We begin this week our series on Living Legends, a compilation by our publisher Mona Lisa Yuchengco that honors pioneers and barrier breakers who were the first Fil-Ams to be distinguished in their respective fields. This initial list covers Legislators, Politicians and Government Officials; Authors; and Sports (including one who has been making waves in the NBA for years).

Our Stories This Week:

Vote For Change Or Live With Tragedy By Ernesto M. Hilario

Living Legends, Part 1 By Mona Lisa Yuchengco

Hi, Boys And Girls, Have Some Banana Catsup By Anthony Maddela

Recipe of Week: The Happy Home Cook: Chicken Asado

Video of the Week: Alaala

In the Know (Philippine Election Edition)

Pages, stans and likes for sale: How K-pop and social media are figuring in Halalan 2022
https://news.abs-cbn.com/business/11/08/21/fb-pages-stans-and-likes-for-sale-ahead-of-halalan-2022?fbclid=IwAR3dTHJbu6fkkX30E_p_AhBZaa8s0g1PwEy0-qd_H27VQE17tc62CtdWG-U

Networked propaganda: How the Marcoses are using social media to reclaim Malacañang
https://www.rappler.com/newsbreak/investigative/marcos-networked-propaganda-social-media?fbclid=IwAR0Uex85Uu9RVjNt6BQoSHWLTFvZtI29ihNaHTSCECcF-04D2RjlA4r8Fvo

Staying Relevant
https://verafiles.org/articles/staying-relevant

In The Know (Standard Edition)

Filipino American health workers reflect on trauma and healing on COVID's frontlines
https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2021/11/09/1052062334/covid-filipino-american-health-workers-burnout?fbclid=IwAR2iislga8-U5INfvQ0g-FTDp1k5r1KymBlDkCkaObh8sjlgh_Rj-l2pyAc

A Dose of History: The Glory Days of Philippine Society Before World War II
https://www.tatlerasia.com/culture/arts/the-glory-days-of-philippine-society-before-world-war-ii?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook&fbclid=IwAR20sy4BEyoz6vLzbe95lFAvTCSKh0yOt5IrswVUFjX9rNdOBjYqfzaZu38#Echobox=1635502646

Filipino martial arts isn’t as widely known, but that could be changing
https://news.yahoo.com/filipino-martial-arts-isn-t-083013795.html

Party place no more: Makati’s Poblacion is all grown up
https://www.rappler.com/life-and-style/arts-culture/makati-poblacion-party-place-no-more-all-grown-up?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook&fbclid=IwAR16eDPgKzDXV4_i9ZJ3HDYMC455AroJz_CIpe4-JuMI6EEjmLt9Vz6g8Hw#Echobox=1635644176-1

NEW: 15 Enchanting Garden Restaurants You'll Love In Metro Manila
https://metro.style/food/restaurants/al-fresco-dining-garden-restaurants/31455?gid=71c2c275-bff1-4afc-a0b7-df84ba5b7fb2&pid=14

Pandemic anxiety could be permanent: Psychologist gives tips for prevention

https://www.philstar.com/lifestyle/health-and-family/2021/11/08/2139881/pandemic-anxiety-could-bepermanent-psychologist-gives-tips-prevention?fbclid=IwAR1a8U0TxAwq-GQn5x1YcyC5pm52v1ovgOfD2T3QWGM3yyCvDxNMu1gCLkI

November 10, 2021

Our Season of Grief

November 10, 2021/ Gemma Nemenzo

When the Covid pandemic started last year and some people I knew were dying (not necessarily of Covid), I started making a list of those who passed in 2020. There were 27 of them, filling up an entire page of my notebook, most of them I knew personally, and a few I just knew from afar but who I mourned nonetheless (RBG and John Lewis, for example).

I should have anticipated that 2021 will yield a longer list, already filling up three pages, and it's just November. Seventy one people I knew said goodbye this year, one of them my only sister, whose death in late September still twists my heart out of shape.

And of course I'm not alone in grieving. Former Ambassador Virgilio A. Reyes Jr., one of Positively Filipino's most prolific contributors pays tribute below to three "Ateneo immortals" who helped shape him.

What about you, did you lose a significant person this year to the pandemic or some other reason?

Though the remaining days of 2021 may be shrouded with a patina of gray for grief, there are always rays of sunshine and inspiration. Our other new story this week on a humanitarian worker who has chosen to live his life among the displaced in Southeast Asia is one such inspiration.

Last night's Positively Filipino webinar titled Cook with Books and featuring four wonderful cookbook authors, one of whom was PF Correspondent Elizabeth Ann Quirino who moderated the forum, was another.

Most of all, to commemorate a life well lived, we are posting as our Video of the Week CNN Philippines' 2016 tribute to one of the most inspiring women to walk this earth, Jessie Lichauco, who passed away a few days ago at 109 years old. Mrs. Lichauco was the subject of her granddaughter Sunshine Lichauco de Leon's documentary "Curiosity, Adventure and Love."

Read Again:

Possessed and Repossessed in T’Boli Country

Passing The Torch to Generation Y

Cook It Again:

The Happy Home Cook: Vegan Longganisa

In The Know (Philippine Election Edition)

Tell me who your friends are: Why we should all be outraged about Malampaya
https://www.bworldonline.com/tell-me-who-your-friends-are-why-we-should-all-be-outraged-about-malampaya/?fbclid=IwAR0YF9So1q4dRjoyjXnZYo1AVPyGz1gdbwwOBaS0smejNck85-URcXWjkUw

Disqualification Case To Be A Burden For Bongbong, A Test For Comelec – Expert
https://www.onenews.ph/articles/disqualification-case-to-be-a-burden-for-bongbong-a-test-for-comelec-expert?fbclid=IwAR2jXumc59gVS2ydljGMdGOULiY6c939pL8BHliEeScxRoXE7yP_Vp0XBDY

Will She Run For President Or VP? Sara Withdraws COC For Davao Mayor
https://www.onenews.ph/articles/will-she-run-for-president-or-vp-sara-withdraws-coc-for-davao-mayor

In The Know (Standard Edition)

A group of teachers in the Philippines has launched an internet archive of “subversive” books.
https://lithub.com/a-group-of-teachers-in-the-philippines-have-launched-an-internet-archive-of-subversive-books/?fbclid=IwAR3Vj40K4W5HxXvglKeMJVo0hDwKsHAncJuvX3r9gatjj_Qh3xzjwXb1YIE

A New Generation of Filipino Hip-Hop Builds On a Deep Bay Area Legacy
https://www.kqed.org/arts/13905208/a-new-generation-of-filipino-hip-hop-builds-on-a-deep-bay-area-legacy?fbclid=IwAR24Lv5KpaEn0oRjrdc-bGAKh0yv-ZtulRcsTkSieYHuOOKJNtE4WwuwEj8

Filipino martial art Balintawak Eskrima featured in Hollywood sci-fi film ‘Dune’
https://www.goodnewspilipinas.com/filipino-martial-art-balintawak-eskrima-featured-in-hollywood-sci-fi-film-dune/?fbclid=IwAR1g9Geqphf9lVZ0gK_SeGesW80HOHxhvLHAbh_1pxQwDq7-vWmo1Yj1ruk

‘Squid Game’ Filipino actor says racist cabbage-throwing incident in South Korea left him ‘crying inside’
https://nextshark.com/squid-game-christian-lagahit-racism-south-korea/

How Bulakeño values built one of the country’s most enduring lechon manok brands
https://news.abs-cbn.com/ancx/food-drink/features/10/25/21/bulakeo-values-built-this-enduring-lechon-manok-brand?fbclid=IwAR0_a-yQIRDodbK97LIdYwbH_KrXqCVslyDbE-GJP3rAiZ07dYcd10gc4As

LOOK! An improved Bacolod City Public Plaza is inspiring pride among locals
https://news.abs-cbn.com/ancx/travel/destination/04/18/21/look-an-improved-bacolod-city-public-plaza-is-inspiring-pride-among-locals?fbclid=IwAR0x_C5vRmpEjKQ_pPThh06teJxwWISi1oWw_BxG4DUK5ce-rpKu7spfQiE

November 03, 2021

Cooking for the Holidays

November 03, 2021/ Gemma Nemenzo

We're approaching holiday season here and with the pandemic receding (hopefully for good), what better way to prepare for Thanksgiving and Christmas than to check out recipes from the bounties of new cookbooks from Filipino chefs in various countries. Positively Filipino will be hosting a virtual gathering of cookbook authors on Tuesday, November 9 (Wednesday November 10 in the Philippines). Below are the details. To register:

For those who missed -- or want to listen again -- to last week's webinar on the USS Telesforo Trinidad campaign, here's the link to the recording.

"Instagrammable" Cafes

It's not only K-drama that is trending in the Philippines; 2D cafes patterned after South Korea's famous Greem Cafe is sprouting in Philippines cities. Baguio-based PF Correspondent Rene M. Astudillo brings us there.

Reading Centers to Stir Up Filipino Children's Appetite for Learning

With more than a decade of experience running a volunteer reading center for disadvantaged kids, medical technologist Ana Maria Bacudio opens a second one for Mangyan children in Baco, Mindoro. With partial funding from a California-based nonprofit, the project includes a mobile library.

An "Upsetting" Story

We've gotten many book reviews but this one is a stand-out for its raw honesty. Manila-based author George Deoso shows us what good fiction reads like.

For the Happy Home Cook

A recipe using the Cordilleran smoked meat called etag need not faze home cooks thousands of miles away from those mountain communities. Any smoked meat from the supermarket will do.

Video of the Week

Filipino Heritage Night at the Houston Rockets stadium got especially thrilling as two exceptional Fil-Am ball players — Jalen Green of (team) and Jordan Clarkson of (team) face off.