Our Heroes Old and New

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November 30 is National Heroes' Day among Filipinos. Let's take the time to honor our national and personal heroes who came before us, recognize the heroes that live among us and bring out the hero within us.

As the World Cup grabs the world's attention and passions, here are some football history trivia with Philippine roots:

Did you know that...

* before the legendary Lionel Messi of Argentina established the record for number of career goals in world football, the record that went unchallenged for 87 years was held by Paulino Alcantara, a Spaniard born in Iloilo, who wowed as the star player in the Barcelona team (1912-1927?)? His Barcelona football career was interrupted for two years when he returned to the Philippines with his parents to settle personal matters between 1916-1918. While in Manila, Paulino joined the Philippine Commonwealth National (Football) Team which he steered towards the championship of the Far Eastern Championship Games in Japan in 1917. That feat remains unmatched in Philippine football history. 

* Filipino-French Alphonse Areola, a backup goalie for the 2018 World Cup champion French team, is the only footballer of Filipino descent with a true World Cup victory and medal to his name? 

PF Correspondent Myles Garcia regales us with Paulino Alcantara's story and more in "Bend It Like Paulino...and Friends."

In the predictable arena of beauty contests, an outlier has created waves by being herself. Such a strange concept, this refreshing authenticity, as noted by first-time PF contributor Ian Layugan who profiles one of the Binibining Pilipinas winners, Herlene Budol. 

They were the soft power that provided the counterpoint to a basically brutal US colonial conquest of the Philippines at the turn of the 20th century. They were the American teachers largely responsible for shaping the Philippines and Filipinos in America's image. From the US-Philippines Society, a report on a new book that tells the story of the Thomasites. 

And when we speak of heroes, we look at our own.

Read Again about our other National Hero, Andres Bonifacio:

http://www.positivelyfilipino.com/magazine/andres-bonifacio-the-other-national-hero

Read Again about some less-celebrated but no less worthy ones:

http://www.positivelyfilipino.com/magazine/six-profiles-five-in-valor-one-in-villainy

For the Happy Home Cook, here's a dish that can delight any day.

Cook Again: http://www.positivelyfilipino.com/magazine/the-happy-home-cook-chicken-curry

Video of the Week: Maria Ressa Talks About New Book

In The Know

The rise and false ‘sacking’ of Cardinal Tagle

https://opinion.inquirer.net/159074/the-rise-and-false-sacking-of-cardinal-tagle?fbclid=IwAR1SJtTQZfhZFLZ4vsCikB4JSNuS3wT-EVODnYSRyamK4E6HgcPy4tcgf9w

Filipino fast food chain lauded for having menu for blind, visually impaired

https://interaksyon.philstar.com/trends-spotlights/2022/11/23/235516/filipino-fast-food-chain-lauded-for-having-menu-for-blind-visually-impaired/

There’s No Jollibee In Montreal, But A Hip Filipino Spot Has Recreated Its Menu

https://www.mtlblog.com/montreal/theres-no-jollibee-in-montreal-but-a-hip-filipino-spot-has-recreated-its-menu?fbclid=IwAR3bq6ZDCARWOmQcMb3Yt7YLLyxZVeCspJpJQU7coaaVKdMWiATEGfoS9EY

Don’t call him ‘Next Jo Koy’—this rising Filipino comic has humor, style, story all his own

https://news.abs-cbn.com/ancx/culture/spotlight/11/27/22/everything-we-know-about-rising-comedy-star-jr-de-guzman?fbclid=IwAR07DvhgpdlJO9AUS8mNNqG8tXvXbrPHaKVKWxyAh7h6U_MNF5LfMzHjf_k 

The first Filipino movie star in Hollywood is a woman

https://news.abs-cbn.com/ancx/culture/spotlight/11/25/19/the-first-filipino-movie-star-in-hollywood-is-a-woman?mibextid=Zxz2cZ&fbclid=IwAR2u7J0A5nOZzgdkyUKpi8VUKCudr0-c-81TcOxzx_e0gfuuF64wHSrRRdw

Marking Santa Barbara’s Filipino Legacy

https://www.independent.com/2022/11/16/marking-santa-barbaras-filipino-legacy/

Jose Mari Chan reacts to Pentatonix-Lea Salonga cover of 'Christmas in our Hearts'

https://news.abs-cbn.com/entertainment/11/16/22/jose-mari-chan-reacts-to-pentatonix-lea-salonga-cover?fbclid=IwAR3zKFRjgGjH__C6v9Tlg1DCOcylJ2dQylO2JCG-WN0ybSufiIy6hWg83Yw

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Staff

History In Our Hearts

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Happy Thanksgiving Day to our US-based readers. We have a lot to be grateful for, foremost of which is that we're still around. Quite a blessing after three years of living through a raging pandemic. 

In the California Museum of Sacramento, an exhibit called "California is in the Heart" recognizes and celebrates the history and contributions of FilAms in this state where our presence is biggest. The exhibit, a joint project of UC Davis' Bulosan Center for Filipino Studies and the Filipino American National Historical Society (FANHS) Museum, runs until April 9, 2023 so it's a good reason to plan a trip to the state capital.

A FilAm carving her place in the theater arts, Alexandra Palting created and performed her one-woman musical 0874: A Filipino-American Love Story on social media and is now preparing for its full theater production with a grant from the Kennedy Center in Washington DC. Why 874? That was the number of love letters Alex's lolo and lola wrote to each other when they were separated by the Pacific Ocean between 1958-1963.

And if you've ever craved lanzones, here's something that will trigger your nostalgia some more.

As the days get nippier and the holiday emotions heat up (ok, it's already in full throttle in the Philippines), it's a good time to reacquaint ourselves with Jose Mari Chan, long-time purveyor of sentimental OPM Christmas songs. http://www.positivelyfilipino.com/magazine/joe-mari-chans-enduring-heart-songs

In The Know

The school with 18,000 students: educating the Philippines’ booming population

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/nov/17/the-school-with-18000-students-educating-the-philippines-booming-population?utm_term=6376305611f213bda61335b9cd8de38f&utm_campaign=GuardianTodayUS&utm_source=esp&utm_medium=Email&CMP=GTUS_email

40 Other Important Filipino Visual Artists Who Are Not Yet National Artists

https://www.tatlerasia.com/culture/arts/filipino-visual-artists-not-yet-national-artists?tool=addthis&fbclid=IwAR03-cSx1nUJOUc6eMy7T0Pj9t1uLqNY3oll4GOfJkTP0O1-HuiaBkGzzo4#.Y3PQPyDgFzs.facebook

Kapos sa budget, batang Pinoy na chess champion sa Thailand, 3 days natulog sa airport

https://www.pep.ph/lifestyle/extraordinary/169710/bince-rafael-operiano-chess-thailand-a4888-20221116?utm_source=Facebook-PEP&utm_medium=Ownshare&utm_campaign=20221116-fbnp-lifestyle-bince-rafael-operiano-chess-thailand-a4888-20221116-fbfirst&fbclid=IwAR2adH9g9GynsBULHhxyzX3OwVDf2oSIWwAKyPwqd2ZeHsISygItxb9iI6s

SB19, a boy band with a K-pop connection, wants fans ‘immersed in Filipino culture’

https://datebook.sfchronicle.com/music/sb19-a-boy-band-with-a-k-pop-connection-wants-fans-immersed-in-filipino-culture?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_term=headlines&utm_campaign=sfc_datebook&sid=53bb0669fdd5ac0b52000049

How a Philosophy Graduate From Ateneo Became Bohol's Premium Blademaker

https://www.esquiremag.ph/long-reads/features/bohol-blades-a00289-20221114-lfrm?utm_source=Facebook-Esquire&utm_medium=Ownshare-Photo&utm_campaign=20221115-fbnp-long-reads-bohol-blades-a00289-20221114-lfrm-fbnew&fbclid=IwAR0McqOxmx9-o770oGNv5vUGhoTiEGUkZxcIItb3T9PK9AbBJoT1n9AohfA

The Wheel contestant 'speechless' as he wins show's biggest ever jackpot

https://www.msn.com/en-us/entertainment/tv/the-wheel-contestant-speechless-as-he-wins-show-s-biggest-ever-jackpot/ar-AA14kjAK?ocid=msedgntp&cvid=6dc096a0561640cc82cdafdffa9b5aaa

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Staff

A Filmmaking Legend

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There's no doubt about it -- Mike de Leon is up there in the pantheon of all-time great Filipino movie directors. The scion of movie industry royalty -- his grandmother was Dona Narcisa de Leon, the head honcho of LVN Pictures, his father Manuel de Leon was another directorial icon; Mike grew up watching movies made, surrounded by stars and crew alike -- his movies are classics. Think "Kisapmata," "Itim," "Sister Stella L," "Kakabakaba Ka Ba," "Batch '81," the unforgettable "Kung Mangarap Ka't Magising." It's but fitting that De Leon has become the first Filipino director to have a retrospective at the MoMA (otherwise known as New York's Museum of Modern Art). PF contributing writer Claire Mercado-Obias was there and filed this report.

Are septuagenarians still able to walk the Camino pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela? If you're healthy and practiced and determined, you definitely can, as PF contributing writer Michael Gonzalez and his wife Patricia proved. Read about their adventures in Portugal and Spain as they walked the 170 miles for their hard-earned compostela (official certificate of completion). 

A proposal in the fascinating city of Istanbul? Dreams of romance swirled in PF Correspondent Criselda Yabes' mind as she roamed this Turkish city of glorious history and a tortured present. 

An art-inclined mother and her neurodivergent son bond through art, an inspiring story for parents of children with neurodevelopmental disabilities.

One of the FilAms who won in the recent US elections is Justin Jones (D), a civil rights activist with a string of political arrests to his name. Jones, 26, was elected as State Representative for District 52 of Tennessee, the youngest lawmaker of the current General Assembly. Read Again his story about his Filipino roots:

http://www.positivelyfilipino.com/magazine/justin-jones-black-filipino-civil-rights-activist

And what does a freshman legislator do on his first day on the job? Watch Rep. Justin Jones as he introduces himself to his (much older) colleagues.

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Staff