Real History, Real Heroes
/In her commencement address at Kenyon College which honored her with a doctorate, honoris causa, Columbia U journalism professor Sheila Coronel was painfully honest about the failures of our generation to protect the earth and preserve the gains of democracy. Yet her speech was inspirational and motivational to the class of 2022, part of the generation that has to deal with the quadruple whammy of the pandemic, racial unrest, natural disasters and the rise of populism.
In such a topsy-turvy world, the natural human tendency to search for heroes is palpable. Thus the emergence of authoritarian figures that present themselves (dangerously) as saviors. Coronel offers a blunt warning against these false gods: "They are hyper-masculine and larger than life. Propelled to power by myth and lies, they do not live in the world of facts. They use our broken information system to deny their crimes and to propagate false narratives of victimhood."
A real hero, however, as ace journalist/editor Jo-Ann Q. Maglipon contends in her tribute to the late National Artist for Literature Bienvenido Lumbera, is selfless, devoid of self-proclaiming bravado, yet unflinchingly brave when time and circumstance call for it.
We are not without genuine heroes past and present. What we need to do is make sure their stories are preserved and that real history remains free of distortion for generations to come. These tasks are ours; in the face of orchestrated disinformation, we can no longer afford to fail.
This Week’s Stories
Democracy – A Promise To Keep by Sheila Coronel
For My Hero, Doc Bien by Jo-Ann Q. Maglipon
Bongbong Marcos’ Bid For Legitimacy by Randy S. David
Longganisa, Jazz Variations On A Theme by Jose Ma. Lorenzo Tan
[Partner] ALLICE 2022 “A-List” Honors Front-Liners by Cherie M. Querol Moreno
[Cook It Again] The Happy Home Cook: Longganisa With Apples And Asian Pear by Voltaire Gungab
[Video of the Week] Libingan ng Alaala
In The Know
Hello Dolly! This Filipina went from decades of playing bit roles to Cannes sensation
https://news.abs-cbn.com/ancx/culture/movies/05/26/22/dolly-de-leon-from-bit-player-to-cannes-sensation
Speedy and Upbeat, Leylah Fernandez Is Going Deep at the French Open
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/29/sports/tennis/fernandez-gauff-stephens-french-open.html?fbclid=IwAR0jBdnKD2s3_b-estpEMIJ-7jsoI05KIUO7kL77KOu7Vq_F0FsheC5o7Yk
The Bloody History of Balangiga and the "Howling Wilderness" It Turned Into
https://www.esquiremag.ph/long-reads/features/balangiga-massacre-howling-wilderness-history-a2212-20180819-lfrm?utm_source=Facebook-Esquire&utm_medium=Ownshare&utm_campaign=20220516-fbnp-long-reads-balangiga-massacre-howling-wilderness-history-a2212-20180819-lfrm-fbold&fbclid=IwAR3xKAtOMa-FaejgxIlUlNSwPPBErAfjO_jqUapLpRpsfwWuOiJF1W7j-Jg
[Ilonggo Notes] Why Iloilo should be the museum capital of the Philippines
https://www.rappler.com/voices/thought-leaders/ilonggo-notes-why-iloilo-museum-capital-philippines/?utm_medium=Social&utm_campaign=Echobox&utm_source=Facebook&fbclid=IwAR1nS70NaNuNSWp5-TUf_h_odMHYJHvQiws7oTPKKoOB7SdDqBQKdRS_nZo#Echobox=1652796378
How Philippine Education Contributed to the Return of the Marcoses
https://thediplomat.com/2022/05/how-philippine-education-contributed-to-the-return-of-the-marcoses/?fbclid=IwAR2VGJjjS3VfdU7TPxYsu7YB34wSMIaEMGIf1IAuByDPQ3majT0ti4ac3yA
'I Am Filipino': A Son Gives Us a Glimpse Into the Private Life of National Artist Federico Aguilar Alcuaz
https://www.esquiremag.ph/culture/books-and-art/national-artist-federico-aguilar-alcuaz-a00203-20211110-lfrm2?utm_source=Facebook-Esquire&utm_medium=Ownshare&utm_campaign=20220522-fbnp-culture-national-artist-federico-aguilar-alcuaz-a00203-20211110-lfrm2-fbold&fbclid=IwAR1G6WQwwwKE-lvlnkX9Ncg_uQM-ffRK_t5lf06qxXsDI6GijAYR-jCBj-s
The Man Who Wrote The Greatest Filipino Christmas Carol Ever
https://www.esquiremag.ph/culture/music/levi-celerio-and-the-greatest-pinoy-christmas-carol-ever-a1707-20171222?utm_source=Facebook-Esquire&utm_medium=Ownshare&utm_campaign=20220515-fbnp-culture-levi-celerio-and-the-greatest-pinoy-christmas-carol-ever-a1707-20171222-fbold&fbclid=IwAR13b5U30hKeDi3xLsVqiF9mOzULW680XFrOqW3sZCnqj_DQAmT2fWRoZek
