Barnstorming

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In the national elections of 1987, the first under the Cory Aquino administration, I had the privilege of being part of a campaign for a congressional seat in Laguna. I say it was a privilege because the three-month campaign turned out to be one of the most exhilarating and inspiring experiences in my life, even though we lost to the candidate with the most money.

While low on funds, we were high on enthusiasm and grassroots support. We did the whole shebang: distributing posters and leaflets (on cheap newsprint) in churches and marketplaces, organizing barrio-to-barrio meetings, shaking thousands of hands, holding a lively miting de avance in the town plaza (well-attended because we had a popular movie star as guest). Most importantly, our troupe went house-to-house to talk to people face-to-face. 

It was literally back-breaking 18-hour/day work that parched our throats, browned our skin and dropped our weight as we walked to remote sitios and huddled with fishermen after hauling in their catch for the day. The demanding, all-volunteer labor was a humbling education of a lifetime. From the campaign, we took away valuable lessons on how people in the grassroots thought and lived. 

In this year's election, we are witnessing something unprecedented: a widespread nationwide house-to-house campaign powered by youth volunteers for a presidential ticket. H2H is a common practice in local elections but not for national positions where it's more cost-effective and practical to rely on mass media to convey the candidates' messages.

But, as contributing writer Andres D. Bautista emphasizes in his article this week, times have changed, misinformation has become the name of the game and only direct outreach to voters can counter the lethal brew of lies and fake news.

So from across the seas, we wish the campaign volunteers continued strength and fervor as we pray (and do our bit to help in whatever way) for a better tomorrow for our Motherland. 

This Week’s Stories

House To House, Heart To Heart by Andres D. Bautista

Bienvenido N. Santos, You Were A Friend Of Mine by Cecilia Manguerra-Brainard

A Filipino Voice From Down Under by Harvey I. Barkin

[Partner] Statement Against Red-Tagging And Disinformation

Read Agains:

Eighty years ago this year, on April 9, 1942, the Fall of Bataan, "the biggest single surrender in U.S. military history,'' happened. It was a tragedy that should not be forgotten.

Remember Bataan by Cecilia I. Gaerlan http://www.positivelyfilipino.com/magazine/remember-bataan

Re-enacting the Bataan Death March: A Personal Journey by Jon Melegrito http://www.positivelyfilipino.com/magazine/re-enacting-the-bataan-death-march-a-personal-journey

The Happy Home Cook: Grilled Salmon and Shrimps in Banana Leaves by Elizabeth Ann Quirino

http://www.positivelyfilipino.com/magazine/the-happy-home-cook-grilled-salmon-and-shrimps-in-banana-leaves

Video of the Week: Kubing the Philippine bamboo jaw harp

In The Know

Grammys 2022: from Olivia Rodrigo to Bruno Mars, Filipino-American singers are having a moment
https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3172674/grammys-2022-olivia-rodrigo-bruno-mars-filipino-american?fbclid=IwAR2IgUWHXpJxgKf0S7rPaq1pZMp-3QDlKQt1b1Q_pnQRZ2RVi70f6M1hnzU

Fil-Am artists Olivia Rodrigo, Bruno Mars, and H.E.R. win big at 64th Grammy Awards
https://push.abs-cbn.com/2022/4/4/fresh-scoops/fil-am-artists-win-big-at-64th-grammy-awards-199408

The architectural wonders of Pampanga
https://business.inquirer.net/343804/the-architectural-wonders-of-pampanga?fbclid=IwAR07qisaiS1ozUcCLz4T3bSdb1jkHV2kGTE9NbIDpeWgqgQnRUMji-LnKb0

‘A striking work of nature’: the search for a rare flower in the Philippines jungle
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/mar/27/jungle-flower-rafflesia-banaoana-luzon-philippines?fbclid=IwAR357ZgkizJEwuAiLur-FSBD_uqE68E5fHuLgAq_Ym2d4-MkzEzuO116HWg

Cult, Colony or Commune: The Strange Case of the Moncadistas of Cebu
https://www.esquiremag.ph/long-reads/features/moncado-hotel-cebu-a2056-20220324-lfrm2?utm_source=facebook-esquire&utm_medium=ownshare&utm_campaign=20220324-fbnp-long-reads%2Ffeatures%2Fmoncado-hotel-cebu-fbfirst&fbclid=IwAR1h2l5E0CKz8G0r3yiLPnNiPim6_Fer_mqgTpTzdt5fBBd76JOyiFX2nPw

An untranslatable word for pure joy
https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20170714-an-untranslatable-word-for-pure-joy

The Tragedy of Lake Lanao, Southeast Asia's Only Ancient Lake
https://www.esquiremag.ph/long-reads/features/lake-lanao-ancient-lake-tragedy-a00293-20210831?ref=feed_23%3Futm_source%3DFacebook-Esquire&utm_medium=Ownshare&utm_campaign=20220331-fbnp-long-reads-lake-lanao-ancient-lake-tragedy-a00293-20210831%3Fref%3Dfeed_23-fbold&fbclid=IwAR1-xCZKHA56YmbeXvowJaYqD9zjFARlyqbmQ5RLTdYuXyBjGxanviDLMMw

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Gemma Nemenzo

Editor, Positively Filipino

The Worst of Times and the Best of Times

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As an active journalist in the Philippines between 1983, the year Ninoy Aquino was assassinated, and 1986 when the Marcos regime was ousted by people power, I was right there when the almost daily protests were happening. Those were heady times, alternately exhilarating and scary, when yellow confetti rained daily from the usually staid buildings in Ayala Avenue, when intense political infighting and secret strategizing among rival factions within the administration were taking place, and anti-Marcos rallies were drawing bigger and bigger crowds. We felt the electricity in the air and the ground shifting; we knew that history was being made and we were not just witnesses but participants in its unfolding.

I realize now how different it is to watch events unfold from afar. Though I'm in constant touch with friends who are on the ground, it's not the same as being there and actually feeling, hearing, seeing the tension and the excitement. Worse, with the proliferation of online disinformation, I have to suspend reacting to news until I verify their veracity, which can be a damper to spontaneous enthusiasm.

This is why I'm so happy to have my friend and WOMEN (Women Writers in Media Now) colleague Rochit  Tañedo write about the nitty-gritty of the recent massive Leni Robredo-Kiko Pangilinan rallies in Nueva Ecija and Tarlac. Traveling by public bus from her home in Quezon City shortly after Covid restrictions were lifted, laden with donated campaign materials, Rochit embedded herself among the volunteer organizers and the masses who thronged to the rally sites, and wrote about the "Tears and Fears and Leni-Kiko's Abonados." Not quite the same as being actually there, but close. 

Other Stories This Week:

This Filipino American Life by Juanita Tamayo Lott

Conrad Ricamora: Niceville’s Nicest Actor by Anthony Maddela

Why ‘White is Beautiful’ Among Filipinos? by Rey E. de la Cruz, Penelope V. Flores and Deiia R. Barcelona

Read Again: Women Who Made and Wrote

She Broke My Heart and Made It Whole Again by Sylvia Mayuga

Marilou, 1955-2012 by Pablo A. Tariman

Gina Lopez: Rich Girl, Kind Heart, Woman Warrior by Paulynn Paredes Sicam

Dawn Bohulano Mabalon’s Short Life Burned Brightly by Mariel Toni Jimenez

Cook It Again: The Happy Home Cook: Vegan Arroz A La Cubana by Chef Richgail Enriquez

Video of the Week: Chefs Sandy Daza and Claude Tayag

In The Know

HISTORIC PUNK VENUE ‘MABUHAY GARDENS’ BECOMING UNDERGROUND COMEDY HOTSPOT

https://brokeassstuart.com/2022/03/28/historic-punk-venue-mabuhay-gardens-becoming-underground-comedy-hotspot/?fbclid=IwAR2180iCQudQZDef-U0iQIeyoT0dZc3Oudu6pDYlsb0VFh2OvXunANf_hDU

An Indigenous basket-weaving tradition keeps a Philippine forest alive

https://news.mongabay.com/2022/03/an-indigenous-basket-weaving-tradition-keeps-a-philippine-forest-alive/?fbclid=IwAR2SB4RxFl14GjAKLu78L1KZLQxxxwQKrLip7WoSQDxB745XqifDxiKHCIE

Most Beautiful Cities and Towns in the Philippines

https://www.esquiremag.ph/life/travel/most-beautiful-cities-towns-philippines-a00204-20200528-lfrm?utm_source=Facebook-Esquire&utm_medium=Ownshare&utm_campaign=20220314-fbnp-life-most-beautiful-cities-towns-philippines-a00204-20200528-lfrm-fbold&fbclid=IwAR3S3kaBokVkdhItla4tLAQuYCzB8Vg9Zz9_KGtOkl2rHff6iWpocKX0xWo

‘A total Pinoy fantasy’: This 600-million amusement park is the new pride of Negros

https://news.abs-cbn.com/ancx/travel/destination/03/14/22/this-600-m-amusement-park-is-negros-latest-pride?fbclid=IwAR2T3K5mFjhYgHjAbLGvRrE3T-E8-2vop7lo5WkuTiTAG4W_AT8LCZhQAps

This classroom-on-a-trolley on the railways of Quezon has caught the eyes of the world

https://news.abs-cbn.com/ancx/culture/spotlight/03/17/22/classroom-on-a-trolley-in-quezon-gets-world-attention?fbclid=IwAR1jLiFtzefO5hrZzfNt3AWnoDcPC1EWdwaPBSFI2DbmwTXifhJHT6cALdQ

It’s not the house that art built but it’s art that keeps it standing

https://news.abs-cbn.com/ancx/culture/art/03/19/22/avellana-artgallery-at-25-remains-a-home-for-artists

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Gemma Nemenzo

Editor, Positively Filipino

Star Turns

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Many Filipinos -- men and women both -- have already made quite a splash in the entertainment world that another feat, such as Mary Rivera's role as the lola in "Spider-man: No Way Home" is no longer headline material. Her appearance in the highest grossing movie of 2021 was brief but was nonetheless a cause for celebration especially among her fellow Ilonggos, as contributing writer Vic Salas reports. 

But did you know that in the elite world of opera, in distinguished stages in the US and Europe, Evelyn Mandac, a Filipina soprano reigned as the brightest star? No other Filipino singer has surpassed her achievements in the classical music realm, as her voice student Chiara Cox writes.

In our native land, a woman is inspiring an unexpected tsunami of volunteerism and creative campaigning nationwide. A middle-class community in Quezon City did its part by declaring a day of pampering for their kasambahays, drivers, gardeners and other service workers. Bella Bonner has this heartwarming story.

How are the odds stacking up for the seekers of public office at this point in the political circus? The surveys notwithstanding, the situation is still fluid and no one can assume victory yet, not even the frontrunner. Political observer Ernesto Hilario explains.

This being International Women's Month, here's a fitting tribute to some outstanding Filipino women from their loving children. Watch again our webinar held last May which brought out some insightful items that we wouldn't have known otherwise. The participants are: Aika Robredo talking about her mother, the possible future President Leni Robredo; Nina Daza-Puyat on her mother, the original superchef Nora Daza; Melissa Ugarte on her mother, model/beauty queen/revolutionary Maita Gomez; and TJ Manotoc on his mom, activist/civic leader and former Miss International Aurora Pijuan. Powerful Filipinas who prove that, indeed, "women hold up half the sky." http://www.positivelyfilipino.com/magazine/webinar-video-loving-kids-talk-about-their-famous-mothers

Cook It Again: The Happy Home Cook: Escabeche (Sweet and Sour Fish)

Video of the Week: Dancers for Leni

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Gemma Nemenzo

Editor, Positively Filipino