December 14, 2022

Celebration Time

December 14, 2022/ Staff

'Tis the season to be jolly but it's also the season to reflect on life's surprising twists and unexpected blessings, as our writers this week do.

Tokyo-based contributing writer Ian Layugan looks to the stars for wisdom and solace in "Star-crossed in Sagada."

Compleat writer Criselda Yabes puts her stamp on a generational friendship and her favorite writing place in "An Athens State of Mind."

Retired professor, author and cultural torchbearer Leny Strobel makes atchara for Christmas and allows her memories to intertwine with her grating and mixing in "Entangled with Atchara."

'Tis definitely a celebration for all seasons for the entire FilAm community as a record number of FilAms got elected to various posts all over the country. We repost the tally of NaFFAA on who recently took their seats in the American political firmament.

If you're still planning your Christmas feast, here are some timeless suggestions and recipes from culinary expert Elizabeth Ann Quirino: http://www.positivelyfilipino.com/magazine/the-happy-home-cook-christmas-recipes

[Video of the Week] Sharon Cuneta’s Christmas Surprise

In The Know

H.E.R. on playing Belle in 'Beauty and the Beast' anniversary special: 'I never thought I could be a Disney princess

https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/culture/story/playing-belle-beauty-beast-30th-celebration-94684983

Filipino Christmas Songs That Picture Pinoy Christmas

https://www.tatlerasia.com/culture/entertainment/filipino-christmas-songs-that-picture-pinoy-christmas?utm_campaign=PH_DIG_FULL20221020&utm_medium=email&utm_source=tatlerasia.com

In The Philippines Christmas Eve Includes A Late-Night Street Food Feast

https://www.tastingtable.com/1129413/in-the-philippines-christmas-eve-includes-a-late-night-street-food-feast/

Filipinos in Hawaii share their success by giving back ‘blessings’ to the homeland

https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/2022/11/30/filipinos-hawaii-share-success-by-giving-back-philippines/

Top Filipino Restaurants in the Bay Area

https://www.sfchronicle.com/projects/best-filipino-restaurants-sf-bay-area/

[Ilonggo Notes] 11 bridges over the Iloilo Esplanade

https://www.rappler.com/life-and-style/travel/ilonggo-notes-bridges-over-iloilo-esplanade/?fbclid=IwAR0B-hvhKOyBjHlO61jeXSpO6lS_PYji2ue2Wff7_xg5q96L6cOXT3eGvj8

S.F. couple accused of exploiting, trafficking woman from Philippines who cared for their child

https://12ft.io/api/proxy?ref=&q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.sfchronicle.com%2Fcrime%2Farticle%2FS-F-couple-accused-of-exploiting-trafficking-17635505.php

December 06, 2022

Relax and Smell the Fish Sauce

December 06, 2022/ Staff

The holidays are coming up fast and we know this is a busy and stressful (though joyful) time, so we'll just keep this short.

Everyone needs to take time for a break so we hope Positively Filipino will provide you some relaxation as you take a breather from the many tasks you have before you.

In this issue, a San Francisco Bay Area dance troupe brings some Filipino culture to the World Folklore Festival in Cannes, France.

A worthy gift for the young readers and literature lovers in your life: the third volume of Growing Up Filipino, a collection of short stories from writers of the diaspora.

And for the home cooks gearing up for a Filipino holiday cookfest, a bit of history behind a staple in a Filipino kitchen -- Rufina Patis.

If you're hungry for some food nostalgia or are in need of some ideas for your holiday feast, Read Again our features on two distinctive cuisines, both written by culinary expert Micky Fenix. The first on Ilocano food, the second about Batangas dishes.

Soup Tales And Big Breakfasts

Straightforward, Simple Batangas Cuisine

Not exactly for the health nut but a delicious, occasional treat (and what better time than the cold December holidays): Cook Again the favorite Ilocano dish, Igado: The Happy Home Cook: Igado — Positively Filipino | Online Magazine for Filipinos in the Diaspora

We end with a celebration of an extraordinary life, that of the Ultimate Entertainer, the Queen of Kundiman, the lovable Ibyang of TV sit-com fame, Sylvia La Torre who passed away last week at the age of 89. Our Video of the Week (in Filipino) pays tribute to her talent and her unmatched legacy in Philippine entertainment history.

In The Know

Medalla voices caution over plans to create $4.9B sovereign fund

https://www.bworldonline.com/top-stories/2022/12/02/490762/medalla-voices-caution-over-plans-to-create-4-9b-sovereign-fund/?amp&fbclid=IwAR3ehISkESEZO8Lm-avQM-F-tvQSya2E8MlJMAhLnw-NPniSSU0CTNSKwzM

Sylvia La Torre, Philippines’ Trailblazing Entertainer, from Radio to Cinema

https://www.goldenglobes.com/articles/sylvia-la-torre-philippines-trailblazing-entertainer-radio-cinema?fbclid=iwar1v1f_y1zv7cjsyjknm8jcusy_dj0ex8xyegl_-5gank7ilxex65cq4co4

Hawaiʻi students create Filipino Curriculum Project

https://www.khon2.com/local-news/hawaii-students-create-filipino-curriculum-project/

Philippines sees a pandemic boom in child sex abuse

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-63658818

Palm Springs Meets Morocco and New York in Mactan

https://www.pressreader.com/philippines/philippine-daily-inquirer-1109/20221130/282084870820850?fbclid=IwAR39ylNxOaXV0RsxfHeOjCtvgEtpVIEhDXQjDs0p_Sa1HVcTI0y9O2b0qqI

Why Is It Suddenly So Cool To Be Filipino?

https://sfstandard.com/arts-culture/is-it-cool-to-be-filipino/?fbclid=IwAR17SqaLHQMCoy8a3HHpESrCw1wCwmC-eHsmHuZeNUfA9UeoEO9EXTdGdoc

Raise your spoons and forks: 12 critically-acclaimed Filipino restaurants making their mark overseas

https://au.news.yahoo.com/raise-spoons-forks-12-critically-051117265.html

San Francisco couple accused of trafficking nanny from the Philippines

https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/sf-couple-allegedly-trafficked-nanny-17635685.php?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_content=briefing&utm_campaign=sfg_thedaily&stn=nf&sid=53bb0669fdd5ac0b52000049

November 29, 2022

Our Heroes Old and New

November 29, 2022/ Staff

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