June 08, 2022

Beauty's Secret

June 08, 2022/ Staff

She was a legendary beauty during her time (mid-20th century Philippines), her name always uttered with both reverence and speculation. Susan Magalona never joined beauty contests, never inserted herself in national conversations. On the contrary, she was reclusive, therefore mysterious, which added to her mystique. It was only in later years that stories of segments of her life emerged: her sad first marriage, its annulment, her second marriage to another rich scion, her move to the US. PF Correspondent Virgilio Reyes, Jr., distilled the tales that swirled around Susan Magalona and shares the story with us.

Why was Philippine Independence Day changed from July 4 to June 12? Gemma Nemenzo explains in her column.

"Utang na Loob: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" is the latest of PF's webinar series that aired last week. Moderated by Fil-Am journalist Leezel Tanglao, whose personal story illustrating this very Filipino cultural value led to a podcast series, the webinar featured the expertise of Fil-Am psychologist/authors EJR David and Kevin Nadal. Leezel puts context to the dissection here. If you want to listen to the actual webinar, the link is in her story.

PF publisher Mona Lisa Yuchengco continues her long-running series on Fil-Ams Among the Remarkable and Famous. It's a fitting statement on how much the community has flourished in the US that she hasn't ran out of people to include in her list.

A shout-out to residents and visitors to the City of Angels: there's a new Filipino restaurant in town with the clever name of Spoon & Pork. Its Adobo Belly Nigiri ($8) is deemed Michelin-worthy and is definitely worth the drive to either of its two branches, in the Sawtelle and Silverlake districts. PF Correspondent Anthony Maddela takes us there.

For the Happy Home Cook, Spoon & Pork's Gising-gising recipe is a winner.

This Week’s Stories

Susan Magalona, An Inimitable Southern Belle by Virgilio A. Reyes, Jr.

Paradigm Shift by Gemma Nemenzo

Life And Debt (Of Gratitude) by Leezel Tanglao

Fil-Ams Among The Remarkable And Famous, Part 32 by Mona Lisa Yuchengco

Filipino Food Goes Top Tier At Spoon & Pork by Anthony Maddela

The Happy Home Cook: Spoon & Pork's Gising-Gising by Chef Jay Tugas

[Video of the Week] The People Make The Destination

In The Know

Anti-Asian Hate, Social Isolation, and Mental Health among Asian American Elders during COVID-19
https://stopaapihate.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/SAH-Elder-Report-526.pdf

Together with Kasama, the World's First MICHELIN-Starred Filipino Restaurant
https://guide.michelin.com/sg/en/article/people/together-with-kasama-the-world-s-first-michelin-starred-filipino-restaurant?fbclid=IwAR2mV58nxiFsPmUE5Z7lFJkAdhyb_veRbEBqoXSfL06Z1eU2OP0Zcush_F4

With $353-M contempt order, can Marcos Jr. travel to US as president?
https://www.rappler.com/newsbreak/explainers/explainer-can-marcos-jr-as-president-travel-united-states/

What makes UP special? Here are the many reasons
https://philstarlife.com/news-and-views/398457-university-of-the-phillipines-up-dnd-accord?page=5

The Culinary Capitals of the Philippines: Louise Mabulo’s Guide to Camarines Sur, Bicol
https://www.tatlerasia.com/dining/journeys/louise-mabulo-food-guide-to-camarines-sur?utm_campaign=PH_DIN_FULL20220601&utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter

The best adobo, really, is your mother’s
https://philstarlife.com/living/760572-filipino-adobo-mother?page=5

Victorio Edades: How an OFW changed the course of Philippine art
https://news.abs-cbn.com/ancx/culture/art/06/03/22/edades-how-an-ofw-changed-the-path-of-philippine-art?fbclid=IwAR1GLAiZ8gTbJfDgbMKPhJD_YrB6b2VZ5ECFG7m4EkpVuAzwbkdTRcf7HOE

June 01, 2022

Real History, Real Heroes

June 01, 2022/ Staff

In her commencement address at Kenyon College which honored her with a doctorate, honoris causa, Columbia U journalism professor Sheila Coronel was painfully honest about the failures of our generation to protect the earth and preserve the gains of democracy. Yet her speech was inspirational and motivational to the class of 2022, part of the generation that has to deal with the quadruple whammy of the pandemic, racial unrest, natural disasters and the rise of populism.

In such a topsy-turvy world, the natural human tendency to search for heroes is palpable. Thus the emergence of authoritarian figures that present themselves (dangerously) as saviors. Coronel offers a blunt warning against these false gods: "They are hyper-masculine and larger than life. Propelled to power by myth and lies, they do not live in the world of facts. They use our broken information system to deny their crimes and to propagate false narratives of victimhood."

A real hero, however, as ace journalist/editor Jo-Ann Q. Maglipon contends in her tribute to the late National Artist for Literature Bienvenido Lumbera, is selfless, devoid of self-proclaiming bravado, yet unflinchingly brave when time and circumstance call for it.

We are not without genuine heroes past and present. What we need to do is make sure their stories are preserved and that real history remains free of distortion for generations to come. These tasks are ours; in the face of orchestrated disinformation, we can no longer afford to fail.

This Week’s Stories

Democracy – A Promise To Keep by Sheila Coronel

For My Hero, Doc Bien by Jo-Ann Q. Maglipon

Bongbong Marcos’ Bid For Legitimacy by Randy S. David

Longganisa, Jazz Variations On A Theme by Jose Ma. Lorenzo Tan

[Partner] ALLICE 2022 “A-List” Honors Front-Liners by Cherie M. Querol Moreno

[Cook It Again] The Happy Home Cook: Longganisa With Apples And Asian Pear by Voltaire Gungab

[Video of the Week] Libingan ng Alaala

Tomorrow! Register now!

In The Know

Hello Dolly! This Filipina went from decades of playing bit roles to Cannes sensation
https://news.abs-cbn.com/ancx/culture/movies/05/26/22/dolly-de-leon-from-bit-player-to-cannes-sensation

Speedy and Upbeat, Leylah Fernandez Is Going Deep at the French Open
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/29/sports/tennis/fernandez-gauff-stephens-french-open.html?fbclid=IwAR0jBdnKD2s3_b-estpEMIJ-7jsoI05KIUO7kL77KOu7Vq_F0FsheC5o7Yk

The Bloody History of Balangiga and the "Howling Wilderness" It Turned Into
https://www.esquiremag.ph/long-reads/features/balangiga-massacre-howling-wilderness-history-a2212-20180819-lfrm?utm_source=Facebook-Esquire&utm_medium=Ownshare&utm_campaign=20220516-fbnp-long-reads-balangiga-massacre-howling-wilderness-history-a2212-20180819-lfrm-fbold&fbclid=IwAR3xKAtOMa-FaejgxIlUlNSwPPBErAfjO_jqUapLpRpsfwWuOiJF1W7j-Jg

[Ilonggo Notes] Why Iloilo should be the museum capital of the Philippines
https://www.rappler.com/voices/thought-leaders/ilonggo-notes-why-iloilo-museum-capital-philippines/?utm_medium=Social&utm_campaign=Echobox&utm_source=Facebook&fbclid=IwAR1nS70NaNuNSWp5-TUf_h_odMHYJHvQiws7oTPKKoOB7SdDqBQKdRS_nZo#Echobox=1652796378

How Philippine Education Contributed to the Return of the Marcoses
https://thediplomat.com/2022/05/how-philippine-education-contributed-to-the-return-of-the-marcoses/?fbclid=IwAR2VGJjjS3VfdU7TPxYsu7YB34wSMIaEMGIf1IAuByDPQ3majT0ti4ac3yA

'I Am Filipino': A Son Gives Us a Glimpse Into the Private Life of National Artist Federico Aguilar Alcuaz
https://www.esquiremag.ph/culture/books-and-art/national-artist-federico-aguilar-alcuaz-a00203-20211110-lfrm2?utm_source=Facebook-Esquire&utm_medium=Ownshare&utm_campaign=20220522-fbnp-culture-national-artist-federico-aguilar-alcuaz-a00203-20211110-lfrm2-fbold&fbclid=IwAR1G6WQwwwKE-lvlnkX9Ncg_uQM-ffRK_t5lf06qxXsDI6GijAYR-jCBj-s

The Man Who Wrote The Greatest Filipino Christmas Carol Ever
https://www.esquiremag.ph/culture/music/levi-celerio-and-the-greatest-pinoy-christmas-carol-ever-a1707-20171222?utm_source=Facebook-Esquire&utm_medium=Ownshare&utm_campaign=20220515-fbnp-culture-levi-celerio-and-the-greatest-pinoy-christmas-carol-ever-a1707-20171222-fbold&fbclid=IwAR13b5U30hKeDi3xLsVqiF9mOzULW680XFrOqW3sZCnqj_DQAmT2fWRoZek

May 25, 2022

We win some, we lose some

May 25, 2022/ Staff

Five days ago, the US Secretary of the Navy Carlos del Toro announced that a still-to-be-built Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer, the type considered the backbone of the US Navy's surface fleet, will be named after Telesforo Trinidad, the Navy fireman 2nd class whose extraordinary heroism also made him the only Filipino in the US Navy awarded the Medal of Honor. In January 1915, Trinidad was aboard the USS San Diego when an explosion occurred and the ship quickly caught fire. Even as he was injured, Trinidad braved the flames to rescue two of his fellow crew members.

Why did it take more than a century to garner this honor for this Filipino serviceman? It was through the combined efforts of various individuals, and civilian and military groups in the US and the Philippines (among them the Bataan Legacy Historical Society which started the ball rolling in this campaign) that the Navy bigwigs took notice of this historical lapse. The number of Filipinos who have served in the US Navy for a century can fill up an entire US city, and this win is theirs as well. A good reminder that change can happen when there's unity.

The death of a beloved icon of Filipino movies, Susan Roces, this week brought a flurry of tributes from many who grew up idolizing her. But there was more to her than being "the face that refreshes." Following the questionable "defeat" (remember "Hello Garci?") of her husband, movie king Fernando Poe Jr. in the 2004 presidential elections and his subsequent sudden death, Susan Roces became a feisty, outspoken critic of then-President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. To pay tribute to the wholeness of her presence in Philippine cultural history, we are reprinting a story on her from Filipinas magazine.

Also featured in this issue: an expansion of a historical landmark in Quezon City, our continuing series on remarkable Fil-Ams, and profiles of a Filipino priest who worked among the Amazon tribes and a Fil-Am cultural historian in Seattle.

And if you haven't yet, do sign up for PF's next webinar on June 2. It will be an interesting discussion on an intrinsic Filipino trait that has been both boon and bane to our culture.