We Will Always Have Angeles City

Philippine-American Friendship Day will always be a reminder of both the close relationship and love-hate tug-and-pull between our two countries. But there's no denying that the US will always have a place if not in Filipinos' hearts, at least in our consciousness. Today, let's revisit Angeles City, the place where Americans at their worst once wrecked havoc on the city's equanimity. Retired Ambassador Virgilio A. Reyes Jr. once again regales us with his story on "Angeles City's Mini-Renaissance in Heritage Restoration."

For a nostalgic trip into Manila's American history, Read Again Lou Gopal's "Yesterdays in Ermita," part 2 of his 2-part series on the city's once-genteel district. Part 2 features the American families who lived in the area.

Of course, you're also be enriched by part 1. "A Neighborhood of Yesterday: Malate/Ermita."

Australia's Uluru has been in the news lately, so w're reposting PF contributor Larry Ng's writeup about it: http://www.positivelyfilipino.com/magazine/climbing-uluru

If you missed these reports from various publications, here are the links:

They went to Pride with 'I'm sorry' signs and people are feeling all the feels.
http://www.upworthy.com/they-went-to-pride-with-i-m-sorry-signs-and-people-are-feeling-all-the-feels?c=upw1

Puting Pinoy's response to Fil-Am's discrimination in Daly City
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=REseGL0IYMw

Who was Epifanio De Los Santos?
http://opinion.inquirer.net/114241/epifanio-de-los-santos-2

What's next after that basketbrawl?
http://bleachersbrew.blogspot.com/2018/07/whats-next-after-that-basketbrawl.html

For our Happy Home Cook recipe, a most fitting July 4 treat: No-Bake Cheesecake from our resident foodie, Elizabeth Ann Quirino. 

For Video of the Week, we feature the next Filipino talent to be showcased by “America's Got Talent,” The Junior New System.

A Week To Remember

June 26, 2015. The day the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that same-sex couples can marry in all 50 states. I didn’t think I would see this in my lifetime. I cried just as I did when a black man assumed the presidency in 2008. Times are indeed changing, sometimes too fast for some of us, sometimes staggered, “two steps forward, one step back” as President Obama said, and for those who refuse to accept equality for everyone, then time stands still. In Now It Can Be Called Just Plain “Marriage,” writer and blogger, Rene Astudillo, talks about his own personal crusade on marriage equality and what this landmark decision means to him and many of his LGBT peers. “No longer may this liberty be denied,” wrote Justice Anthony M. Kennedy.

On the other side of our world, we uncover secrets. In The Lost Treasures of Corregidor, Larry Ng writes about one of the secrets of Manila Bay – when 425 tons of silver coins and 2,222 gold ingots were sunk into Caballo Bay just before the Japanese invaded Corregidor. The gold was never seen again.

When I first arrived in San Francisco, my children and I frequented Goldilocks for a taste of home. It was the only Filipino restaurant/bakery at the time. One of the dishes we liked but didn’t know how to cook was Brazo de Mercedes. In this issue, Goldilocks shares the secret for this dessert in Happy Home Cook. And if you’re traveling and miss home, Sasha Lim Uy lists 10 Filipino Restaurants Around the World. And speaking of traveling, artist Ivan Kevin Castro introduces us to Filipinos in Pinoyspotting: China. Finally, our Video of the Week showcases two talented Ilongo brothers, “The Gentlemen,” on America’s Got Talent.

July 4, 1776. The day the United States of America became an independent nation. As we celebrate this day, let us not forget the freedom we enjoy to live the way we want, without excluding those who may seem different from us. Happy 4th of July to all.