June 29, 2022

Feast or Famine

June 29, 2022/ Staff

This June has been a momentous month, in both bad and good ways. The Philippines is about to begin a new era on July 1 and, depending on which side you're forecasting from, there's a "feast or famine" dichotomy involved. The incoming administration will either be the best of times or the worst of times.

What is undeniable is it's bogged down by an inherited ignominy that involves dictatorship, unprecedented corruption, and attempts to rewrite history. How will it govern effectively with these historical albatrosses weighing it down? At this point, one can only surmise; the President-elect is characteristically reticent about his plans and policies, hinting only through his choice of people to head key positions, and most of them are unknown.

Meanwhile, as the curtain closes on the Rodrigo Duterte administration, here's an objective look at what he has done: Read Again Prof. Patricio Abinales' analysis, "Duterte's Mixed Legacy."

And if you're still gobsmacked by the results of the May elections, here's a controversial take by political analyst/defeated candidate Walden Bello: [Opinion] A Disaster Waiting To Happen: Marcos Jr. And The 2022 Elections

And yet, there are silver linings as always. The 2022 roster of National Artists is an impressive and deserving lot. Leading the pack is Nora Aunor, the long-hailed superstar who started out as a singer and evolved into one of the best actresses the Philippines has ever produced. Movie expert Mauro Feria Tumbocon Jr. wrote a story on Nora for PF and it's as timeless as its title: The Timeless Nora Aunor

Seltzer water with Filipino flavors, anyone? That's NY-based Fil-Am Sandro Roco's Sanzo brand, available through such giant retailers as Amazon, Whole Foods and Target, among others. Sanzo comes in mango, lychee, calamansi and yuzu with ginger flavors as PF Correspondent Anthony Maddela reports.

This Makes Us Smile: Mommy’s Brew

The actress Caridad Sanchez's love affair with coffee, as described by her unica hija, Cathy Sanchez Babao.

Another Read Again, this time a last hurrah for Pride Month and exquisite writing by early PF contributor, Migs Bassig: http://www.positivelyfilipino.com/magazine/2013/2/via-del-mar

And who can beat Filipino humor? Another sampling of Funny Signs: Forgive Us Our Signs 15

[Recipe of the Week] The Happy Home Cook: Bulanglang Batangas-Style With Crispy Tawilis And Calamansi Dipping Sauce

[Video of the Week] Halimaw

In The Know

Ressa says Philippine courts to decide Rappler closure order
https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-hawaii-honolulu-3fab6d6081c5fc57ca0dd307bdf433eb

‘The Punisher’: Rodrigo Duterte’s violent reign as Philippines president to end
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jun/28/the-punisher-rodrigo-dutertes-violent-reign-as-philippines-president-to-end?utm_term=62bae63b411cb8a3e2ab3a5d96cff1b7&utm_campaign=GuardianTodayUS&utm_source=esp&utm_medium=Email&CMP=GTUS_email

In the Philippines, Will Marcos Give the Media Hell Like Duterte Did?
https://niemanreports.org/articles/philippines-ferdinand-marcos-duterte/

Kumu Founder Roland Ros on How Social Media Can Spark Social Change
https://www.tatlerasia.com/power-purpose/technology/roland-ros-founder-kumu?utm_campaign=ASIA_DIG_FULL20220402&utm_medium=email&utm_source=tatlerasia.com

Liwayway magazine brings back physical circulation after changes due to pandemic
https://interaksyon.philstar.com/hobbies-interests/2022/06/21/219972/liwayway-magazine-brings-back-physical-circulation-after-changes-due-to-pandemic/?fbclid=IwAR0XdWL0uG6iuYCVt0A1JvYvNtIwXTOKr37FjlhqS_JdZ8a4bPt2KWTRK_4

It has the largest collection of late 19th century houses in PH, but the houses are fast disappearing
https://news.abs-cbn.com/ancx/culture/spotlight/06/21/22/why-manilas-san-nicolas-district-needs-to-be-rescued?fbclid=IwAR2jTkxTMzOZ8O9CimVR5g62RcpBxoVtGY98mk-21ij7AyFih5ZGYhRpgds

What Manila Looked Like in Its Heyday
https://www.esquiremag.ph/culture/lifestyle/manila-glory-days-a1729-20190408-lfrm?utm_source=Facebook-Esquire&utm_medium=Ownshare&utm_campaign=20220622-fbnp-culture-manila-glory-days-a1729-20190408-lfrm-fbold&fbclid=IwAR2L3Yj2Vky2__-RIGlY0eQukYp7rfZdSfjTdoGyhaJqiyjTANbqAcYAADw

June 22, 2022

What Makes Us Smile?

June 22, 2022/ Staff

What makes us smile?

Acts of kindness, heartwarming stories, lost loves found, music and food and the sweet memories that they bring forth, old photographs, family gatherings, heroes in our midst, remembrances of pets and experiences, etc. etc. Each of us have our own smile triggers. What's yours?

This week we start a new series that we hope will inspire you to share your happy space. Send us a story that makes you smile, be it a vignette or an anecdote, a picture with an extended caption, even a screenshot.

PF Correspondent John Silva's brief Facebook post for Father's Day that celebrates his dad and Pride Month is one such story.

Another post that went viral (so widely shared that we can no longer identify the original author) is that of a local hero, Delfin Angeles, a retired teacher who has started an informal school in his barangay in Laguna.

PF will of course continue to introduce you to people of Filipino heritage who are worth knowing, like a Bridge Generation Fil-Am jazz musician Michael Montano who is profiled by another Bridge Generation stalwart Peter Jamero, and our ongoing list of Fil-Ams among the Notable and Famous.

We likewise celebrate Pride Month with stories from our archives:

Read Again:

A Love Letter To My Dad And “Mom” by Nikki Villas
Listen To Your ‘Tita Aida’ by Rafaelito Sy

Now that summer is officially here in the western hemisphere and temperatures are breaking records, here's a treat for the Happy Home Cook's family http://www.positivelyfilipino.com/magazine/the-happy-home-cook-mango-refrigerator-cake

Our Video of the Week: Pre-Colonial Adobo

In The Know

Exploited, displaced: Filipino truck drivers from EU come home to uncertainties
https://www.rappler.com/newsbreak/investigative/filipino-truck-drivers-from-european-union-come-home-uncertainties-philippines-part-2/?utm_medium=Social&utm_campaign=Echobox&utm_source=Facebook&fbclid=IwAR3QzH_PYZN4vFdfPmApgJ49FDr1fljbFsPv41WhTm_XGRvIOt-oSBcnPjY#Echobox=1655647959

The surprising story of how the Philippines came to Virginia
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/article/how-the-philippines-came-to-virginia

The History of Makati City: The Country's Major Financial Hub
https://www.tatlerasia.com/power-purpose/wealth/the-history-of-makati-city-the-countrys-major-financial-hub?utm_campaign=PH_DIG_FULL20220614&utm_medium=email&utm_source=tatlerasia.com

Read, sleep, repeat: Former students look back on memories of UP Library in Diliman
https://news.abs-cbn.com/ancx/culture/spotlight/06/17/22/past-up-students-look-back-on-memories-of-main-library/?utm_campaign=sharedpost&fbclid=IwAR1fVl6Ips3CjpTpSVGyX5pxEvFJyyeYGqOrMJOF_mQKar6iJo-gBWuV6fI

Filipino Restaurant Gugu Room Opens in New York City
https://www.tatlerasia.com/dining/journeys/filipino-restaurant-gugu-room-opens-in-new-york-city?utm_campaign=PH_DIN_FULL20220615&utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter

With Pregnant Wife in Coma, Virginia Man Fights to Save Her and Their Baby-to-Be: 'Miracles Can Happen
https://people.com/human-interest/with-his-pregnant-wife-in-a-coma-virginia-man-fights-to-save-his-wife-and-son/

June 15, 2022

Tonic for Post-Election PTSD

June 15, 2022/ Staff

Fourteen years after he won the Man Asian Literary Prize for his book Ilustrado, Filipino author Miguel Syjuco has come out with a new one: I Was the President's Mistress!!, hailed by Salman Rushdie as a "brilliant black comedy" and by David Mitchell as "A super-typhoon of a novel." This wild satirical romp into the (imagined) inner sanctum of the rich and powerful might just be the tonic to lingering PTSDs from the recent elections. University of Hawaii professor Patricio N. Abinales gives us a peek.

In the hands of a capable writer, a story about a day, an event, a historical moment can be compelling reading. In the hands of a master, a writer of National Artist caliber as Jose "Pete" Lacaba, Jr. surely is, it becomes literature, history and magic all at once. Lacaba's reportage on the First Quarter Storm of 1970 (collected into a timeless book, Days of Disquiet, Nights of Rage) remains unsurpassed among the historical accounts of that restless era. Here, in his recollection of the late, lamented movie director Lino Brocka's last day on earth (he was killed in an auto accident in 1991), Lacaba does it again: tells a story in words and it comes out more vivid than actual photos. In this age of Instagram, that's a monumental feat.

As Father's Day approaches, lawyer Paul-Philippe Reyes writes in awe of his granddad, the late journalist/editor/Press Secretary Rex Reyes who quite literally died while typing a story.

The month of June is rich in celebrations so here are some stories that you can Read Again to mark this month's passage. (We'll have more next week.)

A daughter commemorates her father who was a manong: https://www.positivelyfilipino.com/magazine/2013/6/the-ardor-of-my-father

Our publisher's father was a titan in the true sense of the word: https://www.positivelyfilipino.com/magazine/my-dad-a-daring-dreamer

On Jose Rizal's 161st birthday, we are still amazed by his myriad talents:

https://www.positivelyfilipino.com/magazine/jose-rizal-martial-arts-warrior

https://www.positivelyfilipino.com/magazine/rizals-kiss

Recipe of the Week: The Happy Home Cook: Sinigang na Paella

Video of the Week: O Bayan Ko