July 13, 2022

Alive and Kicking

July 13, 2022/ Staff

Barotac Nuevo, a town on the outskirts of Iloilo City, has seen better times. Described as "obscure and hardly prosperous" by PF Correspondent Criselda Yabes, a recent visitor, the town nonetheless has a claim to fame that no other place in the Philippines can dispute -- the football capital of the country. Soccer football to this otherwise undistinguished municipality is the lifeblood, the legacy, the source of pride and the driver of ambitions of its citizens. For decades it has supplied the national team with star players, coaches, federation officials and yes, next-generation athletes who, like their counterparts in Europe, Africa and South America, worship soccer as its sports religion. Why/how does Barotac Nuevo defy the country's basketball obsession and embrace soccer as its One True Thing? Read our lead story this week.

Fides Cuyugan-Asensio's proclamation last month as 2022 National Artist for Music was a cause for celebration among the country's culturati, among them the writer Pablo Tariman who writes this week's feature on this beautiful woman who was not only a foremost coloratura but also a revered librettist, music teacher, and actress on stage, TV and the movies. As her former students attest, Cuyugan-Asencio was their guide and inspiration in their musical careers, a lasting legacy that truly deserves the National Artist designation.

We're now on list 34 of Fil-Ams Among the Remarkable and Famous, and still counting. If you know someone who should be included, please send the name and links to supporting information to our publisher, Mona Lisa Yuchengco, who painstakingly updates the list. Send email to PFpublisher@yahoo.com.

While soccer remains an "emerging" sport in the Philippines and basketball dominance internationally will forever be a pipe dream for Filipinos, there is one sport where Filipino grit and size have been a winning fit: boxing. Meet the boxing star who first put the Philippines on the world map, Luis Logan. http://www.positivelyfilipino.com/magazine/before-elorde-and-pacquiao-there-was-luis-logan

And if you're braving a Philippine beach vacation, here are some suggestions beyond Boracay: http://www.positivelyfilipino.com/magazine/11-great-beaches-you-probably-havent-been-to

Don't forget to check out our In Brief section, for capsule news on Filipino things that matter.

For a savory summer treat: The Happy Home Cook: Buko-Pandan Gelatin (Young Coconut-Pandan Gelatin)

Video of the Week: Decolonizing Leche Flan

In The Know

Techpreneur Sheila Lirio Marcelo Opens New Doors Into the Metaverse
https://www.tatlerasia.com/power-purpose/technology/techpreneur-sheila-lirio-marcelo-metacrafters?utm_campaign=PH_MAG_FULL20220712&utm_medium=email&utm_source=tatlerasia.com

LOOK! This 10-story state-of-the-art theater is new home of world-class Filipino talent
https://news.abs-cbn.com/ancx/culture/spotlight/07/06/22/sneak-peek-the-new-samsung-performing-arts-theater?1=1&fbclid=IwAR3drgVIrBXCiui_XHoY1a6Hs0C-5_xUWqJHy_gL8kuhapaTOY8Tnyk6a7c

At an Isolated Boarding School, a Culture of Sexual Abuse Thrived for Decades
https://www.vice.com/en/article/3adzw5/philippines-high-school-for-the-arts-sexual-abuse?fs=e&s=cl&fbclid=IwAR1Lp49G9uMBPPKu2kRFOZmTgs-4gzUApVO6NfWb1dyCVH5PPON9JmAa8AI

Tapayan, Gusi, or Martaban: Tales of Stoneware Jars in the Philippines
https://verafiles.org/articles/tapayan-gusi-or-martaban-tales-of-stoneware-jars-in-the-philippines?fbclid=IwAR3qMhcjwe7GBqLLFwhNdu59_SkvezsgGsCkXzHw2DjQfgU4qeso2-TYF74

Anna bought abortion pills via social media. Now, like thousands of other Filipinas, she is dead
https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2022/jul/04/abortion-pills-facebook-filipina-women-philippines?utm_term=62c2cf3917e26940d8746561663ecda9&utm_campaign=GuardianTodayUS&utm_source=esp&utm_medium=Email&CMP=GTUS_email

CFNet presents Outstanding Filipinos in Canada for 2022 to combat Filipino Invisibility in Canada
https://www.canadianfilipino.net/opinion/commentary/cfnet-presents-outstanding-filipinos-in-canada-for-2022-to-combat-filipino-invisibility-in-canada?fbclid=IwAR0Jh806DVHyl4TfDHR_T7FmEN2hf9nXs54c7p7mh1LlRKzjtIlazXWtQdE
SF Filipino Community Mobilizes to Preserve Unique Elementary School Language Program
https://www.kqed.org/news/11918252/sf-filipino-community-mobilizes-to-preserve-unique-elementary-school-language-program

July 06, 2022

American Tapestry

July 06, 2022/ Staff

Fermin Tobera, a 22-year-old Filipino farmworker, was asleep for the night when a mob of white men fired shots at the bunkhouse where he and other Filipino laborers were billeted. The lone bullet that pierced his heart inflamed what was already a powder keg between whites vs Filipino workers, and led to the infamous Watsonville riot of 1930.

[Here's more about the anti-Filipino riots in Central California: In the Heat of the Night: The Exeter and Watsonville Riots 1929-1930]

Ninety two years later, Tobera, largely unacknowledged in the annals of Fil-Am history, is being honored with a mural in the California town (now a city) where he lost his life. The Tobera Project, steered by Roy Recio Jr. and other community leaders, got a boost in 2020 when the Watsonville City Council issued an apology to the Filipino community for the 1930 race riots. Since then, an exhibit titled "Watsonville is in the Heart" has been set up to show Filipinos' pivotal role in shaping the history of the city.

It's never too late to correct historical omissions and mistakes. PF contributing writer Harvey I. Barkin reports on "Fermin Tobera: From Historical Footnote to the Big Picture."

Two Filipino Americans are staking their claim in the American tapestry. Averie Danielle Bishop wowed judges with her articulateness and her community-oriented vision to win the Miss Texas title, the first Asian American to hold the title. Next stop: the Miss America contest in December. Texas resident Gus Mercado reports.

Recent Yale grad Reina Bonta completed her first film, LAHI, which pays homage to her Filipino and Hawaiian ancestries, and dedicates the film to her grandmother, Cynthia, a long-time community activist. PF Correspondent Cherie Querol Moreno tells us more.

From across the pond, the future of the West Philippine Sea, specifically the Ayungin Shoal, is at stake as a new Philippine administration takes over. Retired editor of the Philippine Daily Inquirer Rosario A. Garcellano shares with us her piece on this issue.

Florentino Peñaranda was a revolutionary leader in Leyte during the Philippine-American War at the turn of the 20th century. More than a century later, his grandson, the writer/professor Oscar Peñaranda, by a lucky stroke of serendipity found the actual revolutionary flag of his lolo. Here's how it happened: http://www.positivelyfilipino.com/magazine/a-reunion-of-strangers

Fifty six years ago this month, the Beatles performed in Manila. Marra PL. Lanot was there and here is her story: http://www.positivelyfilipino.com/magazine/the-beatles-in-the-philippines

[Cook It Again] http://www.positivelyfilipino.com/magazine/the-happy-home-cook-nora-dazas-humba

[Video of the Week] Igorot Stone Kingdom

In The Know

Drug killings leave agony, savage facet to Duterte’s legacy
https://apnews.com/article/religion-philippines-manila-rodrigo-duterte-government-and-politics-9bf4c87a395f6f0d90ebd4637e74c1ea?fbclid=IwAR26u4LW7WF1_TjtP8Rkea2_A9SNlclYiyxUmIr6uoF3fO0CB8y2PadxGu0#l533g1wla7upnglq9b8

Manila bakeshop says it’s anticipating ‘long fight ahead’ after advisory goes viral
https://interaksyon.philstar.com/trends-spotlights/2022/07/01/221086/manila-bakeshop-anticipating-long-fight-ahead-after-viral-advisory/?fbclid=IwAR24AzNdhxUG9BEQzxgoQgT2cAIDQJYTK1catTG4HS613lV3Q3ZBL2kkz20

A New Generation of Filipino American Chefs Is Finding Joy and Community in Cooking Their Heritage
https://www.foodandwine.com/chefs/new-generation-filipino-american-chefs

'Kayo ang himala': Nora Aunor dedicates National Artist honor to fans
https://www.philstar.com/entertainment/2022/06/30/2192050/kayo-ang-himala-nora-aunor-dedicates-national-artist-honor-fans?fbclid=IwAR0bD11TxuomfW_Bf8Lnm9uEbOF4ex7mDnL1YfUPiL-Jqr25Gms2SFcgwA4

This Filipino sneaker brand is leaving footprints of positive change and growing a fandom of creatives
https://news.abs-cbn.com/ancx/style/necessary-style/06/21/22/pinoy-sneakers-proudly-made-with-sustainable-practices?fbclid=IwAR38bhSM3I9PU0P5zQB9u2XwhyM2UeVyH3r6nGd8bbVNsTxvnl9HW1_C9kA

"See and Missed": New York artist brings attention to Filipino history of Morro Bay
https://www.kcbx.org/arts-and-life/2022-06-28/see-and-missed-new-york-artist-brings-attention-to-filipino-history-of-morro-bay

‘Whether It’s Charice or Jake Zyrus, I’m a Singer’
https://www.gq.com/story/jake-zyrus-profile?utm_source=facebook&utm_brand=gq&utm_social-type=owned&mbid=social_facebook&utm_medium=social&fbclid=IwAR0B_J8_4V0pgEjgHTh8aCzTmMjuNSF47s4ZucWp9abalDaBuVlV0splXM0

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