The Story of a Life

Fifty years ago this month, thousands of Filipino youth gathered in various places in Metro Manila at various times to protest a variety of issues such as the emerging Marcos dictatorship and American imperialism. That period in our homeland's history has been immortalized as the First Quarter Storm, an apt description of the political upheavals yet to come.

One of the prominent leaders of that era was Edgar Jopson, the chair of the moderate student group, the National Union of Students. As authoritarian rule became inevitable, EdJop was quickly radicalized and he became a leading figure in the leftist National Democratic Front until his death by military bullets. His awe-inspiring life story has also been immortalized in veteran journalist Benjamin Pimentel's book U.G. An Underground Tale: The Life and Struggle of Edgar Jopson. Author/journalist Criselda Yabes reviews this third iteration of Pimentel's bio of EdJop in "The Story of a Life."

Filipinx poet Eileen Tabios shares with us her memories in poetic prose of growing up in Baguio City in "My City of Baguio, A Meditation." 

From PF Correspondent Elizabeth Ann Quirino comes a review of the new cookbook of Missouri-based chef Malou Perez-Nievera ("Connecting the Pots, Food from the Philippines to America"). And for those eager to know more about the First Quarter Storm of 1970, Read Again an excerpt from poet/journalist Jose "Pete" Lacaba's immortal Days of Disquiet, Nights of Rage:  

https://www.positivelyfilipino.com/magazine/the-first-quarter-storm-was-no-dinner-party-part-1

https://www.positivelyfilipino.com/magazine/the-first-quarter-storm-was-no-dinner-party-part-2

For our recipe of the week, we feature Perez-Nievera’s Lomo Lomo A La Papa Diddi (pork loin in anchovy and ginger reduction).

Here are our In The Know links this week:

‘Like a Scene From a Movie.’ What I Saw Photographing the Taal Volcano Eruption in the Philippines https://time.com/longform/taal-volcano-philippines-eruption/?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=social-share-article&utm_content=20200116&fbclid=IwAR0j29elLA8tKDluJlxnC7pOjVjtL_9sjC1HZRrrlxJZYiglKMG0D7wQoi4

What Cardinal Tagle's Appointment as "The Red Pope" Means For Him and the Catholic Church
https://esquiremag.ph/long-reads/cardinal-tagle-red-pope-a00293-20191212-lfrm?fbclid=IwAR3UwOfVVm-ljhafTINycelYx0vE2QAJel5L-ifWo_B10X9Oh70XQhQ6I9w

This Scenic Spot in Rizal Sits Above a Sea of Clouds
https://www.spot.ph/things-to-do/the-latest-things-to-do/80443/treasure-mountain-tanay-sa1177-20200104-src-sp?utm_source=Facebook-Spot&utm_medium=Ownshare&utm_campaign=20200104-fbnp-things-to-do-treasure-mountain-tanay-sa1177-20200104-src-sp-fbfirst&fbclid=IwAR34yrWCvohkH4IS8vclbRZiQiquheBGT94H7tnK1q405oP8DwSnNxFlMMM

The Story of the Exhibit: Manila Shawl
https://www.fashionmuseumriga.lv/eng/kaleidoscope/manila/?fbclid=IwAR1MJJaFt21mX1sFULVRINhEBO83ON0TWN_BE7N3JozZzODYDozovi6JpBk

Dr. Joven Cuanang: Forever young at 80 (or how art made him a better doctor)
https://lifestyle.inquirer.net/354858/dr-joven-cuanang-forever-young-at-80-or-how-art-made-him-a-better-doctor/?fbclid=IwAR3ojC3vBnR6WVkvAkbXy5jskRqnDX7VorXwqtl94TpQRvVr5g3Kn7mXu4k

For Video of the Week, Youtube’s The Endless Adventure features this year’s Sinulog Festival.

Passion and Romance

Passion -- or the ability and persistence to pursue what your heart wants, no matter the odds -- separates genius from ordinary mortals. His passion for music made Ryan Cayabyab break his promise to his late mother, an opera singer, on her deathbed; it was also what drove him to drop out of business school and lie about his age in order to pursue his music. Of course, there's also talent -- and no doubt Ryan, now acknowledged as The Maestro -- has an inordinate share of that. But how did his music career begin? PF contributor and Ryan's sister-in-law Bella Bonner dug up family stories and shares them with us in "Music Man Ryan Cayabyab Came Up the Hard Way." Read it and be inspired.

Passion of the romantic variety enabled our Toronto-based contributor Corito Fiel to embrace all the good things and bad in a love affair with someone who made the earth move for her. In "Love and Magic in Baguio," she shares the story of her One Great Love, with whom she spent only two years before he passed on. 

And from our Seattle-based contributor Gia R. Mendoza, her curiosity and delight on her "First Glimpse of Cuba."

Let's not let up on romance this month, with our worthy Read Agains:

Manuel L. Quezon and his American fiancee: http://www. positivelyfilipino.com/ magazine/the-untold-story-of- nina-thomas?rq=Nina%20Thomas

Hilda Koronel and Becca Godinez and their new, happier lives: http://www. positivelyfilipino.com/ magazine/second-springs?rq= Hilda%20Koronel

Here are the links to the In The Know lineup this week:

In the Philippines, political trolling is an industry – this is how it works
https://www.opendemocracy.net/digitaliberties/jonathan-corpus-ong-jason-cabanes/in-philippines-political-trolling-is-industry-this

In an Anchorage professor’s letters to his family, the reality of racism is revealed
https://www.adn.com/arts/books/2018/02/17/in-an-anchorage-professors-letters-to-his-family-the-reality-of-racism-is-revealed/

Where heroes and kin used to tread
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/969562/where-heroes-and-kin-used-to-tread

Figure skating: Filipino skater got call to Olympics less than a month ago
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-olympics-2018-figs-m-phl-martinez/figure-skating-filipino-skater-got-call-to-olympics-less-than-a-month-ago-idUSKCN1G00AQ

If you feasted on Valentine's Day, here's a recipe to bring you back to a sensible diet: Richgail Enriquez's Vegan Arroz ala Cubana.

For Video of Week, upcoming comedian Jeppy Paraiso recently posted his latest for Valentine's. Paraiso broke out last Thanksgiving with his Filipino Tita videos on social media.

Comforting the Afflicted, Afflicting the Comfortable

When I was in journalism school at the University of the Philippines (UP) many decades ago, our professors -- all giants in the field -- imprinted into our consciousness two basic tenets that every decent journalist should take to heart: first, that an independent, unfettered press is vital to good government, and second, it is not the role of the press to comfort the comfortable. On the contrary, the role of the press is to make those in power uncomfortable, by being the guardian and the disseminator of truth and decency. Such principles were tested sorely during martial law, and they are again being tested now.

To paraphrase Oprah, the press is currently under siege, not just in the US but more so in the Philippines. Upholding press freedom has become a bruising challenge these days; its suppression has taken many forms -- from outright harassment, legal cases, trolling and imprisonment, even killing of journalists. The latest case is the revocation of the license to operate of Rappler, an online publication in Manila. With our In The Know links this week, we keep you updated on the issue:

Rappler Registration Revoked
https://www.rappler.com/nation/193687-rappler-registration-revoked

SEC revocation of Rappler’s registration explained
http://verafiles.org/articles/vera-files-fact-sheet-sec-revocation-rapplers-registration-e

Three things Duterte got wrong about Rappler
http://verafiles.org/articles/vera-files-fact-check-three-things-duterte-got-wrong-about-r

In time of slaughter and lies, Rappler is a beacon of hope
http://usa.inquirer.net/9322/time-slaughter-lies-rappler-beacon-hope

Of PDRs and 'foreign ownership' of PH media
https://www.rappler.com/thought-leaders/176774-pdrs-media-ownership

Media, human rights groups slam SEC closure order vs. Rappler
http://cnnphilippines.com/news/2018/01/16/media-groups-on-SEC-closure-order-rappler.html

Our lineup for this week takes us to Vancouver, Canada as PF contributing writer Sandie Gillis chronicles the visit of National Artist BenCab and his drawing session with Filipino-Canadian artists who belong to the Dimasalang III artist collective in that area. 

It also takes us back in time to the construction of the railroad to Baguio in the early part of the 20th century by our American colonizers. Historian/academic Michael Gonzalez writes about the progress and folly of the ambitious project to provide the Americans in the Philippines an easy way to vacation in the land of pines.

PF publisher Mona Lisa Yuchengco attended for the first time and writes about the annual event of Bantayog ng Mga Bayani in Quezon City. Bantayog is a memorial site for the gallant men and women who resisted martial law and last year, the Bantayog heroes included the late Ambassador Alfonso Yuchengco, who turned out to be a secret supporter of some "subversive" activities against Marcos.

And in the same spirit of resistance, let's revisit what is now immortalized as the First Quarter Storm of 1970. Read Again journalist Jose "Pete" Lacaba's riveting account of that period, from his classic book Days of Disquiet, Nights of Rage. We posted it in two parts:

http://www.positivelyfilipino.com/magazine/the-first-quarter-storm-was-no-dinner-party-part-1

http://www.positivelyfilipino.com/magazine/the-first-quarter-storm-was-no-dinner-party-part-2

Our Happy Home Cook recipe for this week: Bangus Sisig by Chef Niel Salvatera of Kusina de Manila in Des Plaines, Illinois.

For our Video of the Week, TV Journalist TJ Manotoc opens up on a taboo topic in Philippines: Living with Depression.