Characters

When Positively Filipino was just two months old in 2013, we asked our friends and readers to name the most awesome Filipino woman they would like or would have liked (if she is already dead) to have a long conversation with. I chose two, both famous writers and colorful characters -- Carmen Guerrero Nakpil, whom I never met in person, and Gilda Cordero Fernando whom I've met but never had the chance to be close to. Here's what I wrote: http://www.positivelyfilipino.com/magazine/2013/3/awesome-women-carmen-guerrero-nakpil-and-gilda-cordero-fernando

I was reminded of this post because in this week's issue, we feature two colorful characters: Tita Aida (real name Nicky Calma), a popular transgender trailblazer/activist in the San Francisco Bay Area (profiled by Rafaelito V. Sy in "Listen to Your 'Tita Aida'") and Jaime Picornell, writer/raconteur/bon vivant whose recent death left many among Cebu City's alta sociedad bereft (Cecilia Manguerra Brainard writes about him fondly in "The Jolly Spaniard of Cebu."

Of course our ongoing series on Fil-Ams Among the Remarkable and Famous have a whole list of them, with part 26 featuring 13 Fil-Ams in a variety of professions who have made their mark in their respective fields.

Our Baguio-based correspondent Rene Astudillo sent a recipe for the Happy Home Cook who wants to cut down on rice: Thai-style Basil Pork with Chinese Pearl Barley.

And here's another Read Again: my fascination with backyards was renewed during our road trip across America. http://www.positivelyfilipino.com/gemma/backyards

For Video of the Week, we feature the six Filipinos who were honored in Ontario for their manufacture and distribution of face masks during the pandemic.

Be safe and get vaccinated.

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Trauma and Survival

We commemorate once again Bataan Day, honoring those who survived and those who did not make it during the Bataan Death March of 1942. Here is an excerpt from a book entitled Cadet, Soldier, Guerrilla Fighter written by a Death March survivor and US Army Bronze Star awardee Antonio A. Nieva. "Death of An Army" tells the story of those days of extreme hardship and desperation. 

A fitting Read Again is Jon Melegrito's narrative on the first time he joined the re-enactment of the Bataan Death March in New Mexico to honor is late father, Gregorio, and other survivors. 
http://www.positivelyfilipino.com/magazine/re-enacting-the-bataan-death-march-a-personal-journey

Surviving trauma of a different kind is the underlying theme of Fil-Am author Grace Talusan's memoir, The Body Papers, winner of the 2017 Restless Books Prize for New Immigrant Writing. Patty Enrado, herself a novelist, reviews the book.

And, ICYMI, here are links to interesting stories from other publications:

Filipinos Are Beginning To See The Ugly Side Of Chinese Investments
https://www.forbes.com/sites/panosmourdoukoutas/2019/03/21/filipinos-are-beginning-to-see-the-ugly-side-of-chinese-investments/?fbclid=IwAR3IyFe5wkXR6PE-VmH8S24A5xC-ImtvZwezNv5oynvAUHoSIIn8eahJwOI#1bf8b57054f0

Marawi still a ghost town 2 years after siege ended
https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1101741/marawi-still-a-ghost-town-2-years-after-siege-ended?fbclid=IwAR0gUm-dr2oxcsNbnRAe6B7mGiINeFyMXLGirbpqCY0WKHGM1HdJSiB9VWY

The gene doctor will see you now
https://www.up.edu.ph/index.php/the-gene-doctor-will-see-you-now/?fbclid=IwAR2z6d2BiJrQwTF3GNiwXmC57C2s9Dzxxj22tE5L3kpj_k6YsTlsm4zjf34

Why I Fight 
https://www.philstar.com/lifestyle/sunday-life/2019/03/24/1903779/why-i-fight?fbclid=IwAR0Q3h3u_cet6fTWf0eTJMLqudm4RE4MxUTSSa2vJ47AMernvgdhZfaoyWw

Enjoy Pork Humba, our Happy Home Cook recipe this week from regular contributor, Rene Astudillo.

And our Video of the Week is Janina Vela (who has about 600,000 followers) talking about the books that have changed her life or, at the very least, her thinking. A bit long but a fascinating episode from an impressive Filipino millennial. 

Anniversaries of Political Violence

Yesterday, August 21, we marked the anniversaries of two cataclysmic events that changed the course of Philippine history:

* 47 years ago, August 21, 1971, the Liberal Party political rally in Plaza Miranda was bombed, killing some and permanently disfiguring some of the well-known legislators at that time. Public sentiment blamed President Marcos, then already increasing unpopular, who then declared the suspension of the writ of habeas corpus (leading a year later to the declaration of martial law). Decades after, some members of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) revealed (and this was later confirmed by other insiders) that the Plaza Miranda bombing was ordered by the CPP leadership. Read Again journalist/author Gregg Jones account: The Ghosts of Plaza Miranda

* 35 years ago, August 21, 1983, opposition leader Benigno Aquino Jr. was assassinated upon arrival at the Manila International Airport. The heinous crime resulted in an upheaval so massive that for the next three years, the Philippines was like a cauldron just waiting to explode. Read Again, journalist Ken Kashiwahara's story of Ninoy's last minutes: Ninoy's Final Journey

This year, August, a shroud of sorrow envelopes the Filipino American community with the sudden passing of a beloved historian/author and community leader Dawn Bohulano Mabalon. Her friend, Mariel Toni Jimenez, tells us why Dawn's death is heavy as a mountain.

On a brighter note, PF Correspondent Elizabeth Ann Quirino profiles Cathy Feliciano Chon, Captivating Communications Influencer, in her continuing series of outstanding young Filipinos.

And here's a look on the evolution of the cherished mythical figure, Ibong Adarna, by PF Correspondent Myles A. Garcia.

Among our In The Know links this week is AARP's announcement that Washington DC-based community leader Jon Melegrito won the AARP AAPI Hero Award.

Jon Melegrito, AARP AAPI Hero Awardee
https://www.facebook.com/AARPAAPI/posts/1412613422208026

Typhoons and Tycoons: Disaster Capitalism in the Philippines
https://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/typhoons-tycoons-disaster-capitalism-philippines-180816065729201.html

Ninoy Aquino Remembered
http://opinion.inquirer.net/115456/ninoy-aquino-remembered

These are The Really Crazy Rich Asians
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g01YnqH-2ek

Where I Come From South Bay | Mix of Cultures
https://video.kpbs.org/video/where-i-come-from-south-bay-mix-of-cultures-ejnyqy/

In the midst of summer in the Western hemisphere, how about cooking a traditional favorites: Inihaw na Baboy (Grilled Pork). Our Happy Home Cook recipe for the week.

And for Video of the Week, a rare footage unearthed by the Associated Press from its archives that shows a scene from the 1976 trial of Ninoy Aquino.