Maligayang Pasko sa Inyong Lahat!

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Maligayang Pasko sa inyong lahat mula dito sa San Francisco, California, kung saan kami naka-base.

We know you're busy tomorrow so we won't take up much of your time, but when you want to take a breather from the holiday hustle and bustle, enjoy reading once again this year's round-up of our most popular stories. Plus two feel-good ones about two projects worth supporting, one in LA and the other in Batangas.

And don't forget to check out our curated links to significant and informative stories from other publications in our In The Know section below.

Stay safe and happy.

Lisa, Rene, Gemma and Raymond

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Staff

What a #@**! Year. Breathe.

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What in the world is going on with the world?

Just this weekend alone, a series of shocking news of mass shootings and a family murder assaulted our equanimity and made us pause our holiday spirit.

In our homeland, the exposés of unmitigated greed and growing tensions in our seas continue unabated.

This week, the shootings, assaults and the mudflow of hate continue (fanned unfortunately by people in the news who should know better), putting a damper on what should have been a season of peace, goodwill and all the good things that the holidays used to bring.

We thought the parade of deaths that we mourned during the pandemic has toughened us from grieving over the deaths of people we don't personally know.

We expected that the almost daily outrage we felt from the beginning of this year has numbed us into just letting things go, with nary a care.

How wrong we are, and fortunately so. The recent shockers have brought our sensibilities back to where it should be: caring, angry (but productively) and unaccepting of current-day maladies like bigotry, lies, crassness and mental breakdowns. So let's not waste this period of clarity.

Be careful out there but be vigilant against falling (back) into the abyss of hatred and indifference. 

This Week’s Stories

Teacher Gigi Can Make You Love Math by Claire Mercado-Obias

Stephanie Syjuco’s Wall of Hidden Histories by AJ Fox

Behind the documentary ‘The Road to Sydney’ by Esther M. Chavez

[Read It Again]

Holiday Dishes with Ilocano Flavors by Elizabeth Ann Quirino

Delicious Dishes for Your Christmas Table

[Video of the Week] The Forgotten Cebuano Recipes

In The Know

‘They attacked my religion, my faith’: Muslim photojournalist detained by ICE speaks out
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/dec/12/photojournalist-detained-ice-social-media

Can Jollibee Beat American Fast Food at Its Own Game?
https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/2026/01/jollibee-fried-chicken-american-fast-food/684949/?utm_source=apple_news

Filipino who reported medical neglect in ICE facility to be deported from US
https://www.rappler.com/philippines/greggy-valerio-sorio-deportation-usa-ice-medical-neglect/?

The power of alternative media
https://malaya.com.ph/entertainment/the-power-of-alternative-media/

Philippines says Filipino fishermen were hurt after Chinese Coast Guard fired water cannons
https://www.instagram.com/reels/DSSnTxbEe93/

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Staff

Teleserye Politics

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Filipinos love drama.

From the radio serials of the '50s and '60s (Eddie Ilarde's "Kahapon Lamang" and Dely Magpayo's "Mga Liham kay Tiya Dely" dramatizations come to mind), to the telenovelas of the recent decades, and the current rage over K-dramas and the daily "Batang Quiapo," ours is a homeland enchanted by high emotions, fairy tales and voyeurism.

This year, the biggest drama that befell our nation was the arrest and continuing detention at the International Court of Justice (ICC) prison at The Hague of former president Rodrigo Duterte. The riveting elements are all there: an 80-year-old lead character known to fake his demeanors, his immediate family of colorful (some say unsavory) characters that include the vice president of the country; a big army of trolls that hound social media spreading lies and fake news; and loyal supporters physically present outside the detention center that shatter the peace and equanimity of the usually staid The Hague. Add to the mix the Caucasian lawyer of the accused, obscenely paid a humongous amount of money to file legal petitions that he knows are dead in the ICC water even before the last paperwork is submitted.

On November 28, the ICC judges rendered Duterte's petition for interim release unacceptable, ironically using the convoluted and noisy arguments of his supporters as reasons for saying NO. PF's France-based correspondent Criselda Yabes travelled to The Hague to witness the drama of denial and disappointment at the actual courtroom. "High Drama in a Low Country: Duterte Watch in The Hague" would have been more distressful had saner minds not prevailed.

And so we shift back to the unresolved dramas in Manila, which are plentiful. And we're not even talking about the very public and disgraceful mental breakdown of a former high government official, yet. 

As the radio scriptwriters of yore would say: Abangan ang susunod na kabanata. 

This Week’s Stories

High Drama in a Low Country: Duterte Watch in The Hague by Criselda Yabes

Crime and Comfort Food by Claire Mercado-Obias

‘Holesome’ Low-Carb Treats Selling Like Hotcakes by Anthony Maddela

[Read It Again]

On the Arrest of an Autocrat by Sheila Coronel

My Soldier Dad and the 1989 Coup Attempt Against President Cory Aquino by Buddy Cunanan

Tocino del Cielo: A Sweet Reward for Human Kindness by Elizabeth Ann Quirino

The Happy Home Cook: Tocino del Cielo by Elizabeth Ann Quirino

[Video of the Week] Best Coffee in the Philippines

In The Know

New US immigration policy
https://www.philstar.com/opinion/2025/12/07/2492418/new-us-immigration-policy

‘My legacy is not Charlie Kirk’: the university president building a culture of peace after violence
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/ng-interactive/2025/dec/06/utah-valley-university-president-charlie-kirk?

10 Hidden Cafés in Makati You Might Miss—But Shouldn't
https://www.spot.ph/eatdrink/the-latest-eat-drink/10-hidden-cafes-in-makati-you-might-miss-but-shouldnt-

[Vantage Point] The P500 Noche Buena: Rewriting math, economics, and the laws of physics
https://www.rappler.com/voices/thought-leaders/vantage-point-noche-buena-budget-controversy-2025/

Filipino facing deportation from US pulled off flight to PH after protests
https://usa.inquirer.net/185201/filipino-facing-deportation-from-us-pulled-off-flight-to-ph-after-protests

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Staff