Feast or Famine

This June has been a momentous month, in both bad and good ways. The Philippines is about to begin a new era on July 1 and, depending on which side you're forecasting from, there's a "feast or famine" dichotomy involved. The incoming administration will either be the best of times or the worst of times.

What is undeniable is it's bogged down by an inherited ignominy that involves dictatorship, unprecedented corruption, and attempts to rewrite history. How will it govern effectively with these historical albatrosses weighing it down? At this point, one can only surmise; the President-elect is characteristically reticent about his plans and policies, hinting only through his choice of people to head key positions, and most of them are unknown.

Meanwhile, as the curtain closes on the Rodrigo Duterte administration, here's an objective look at what he has done: Read Again Prof. Patricio Abinales' analysis, "Duterte's Mixed Legacy." 

And if you're still gobsmacked by the results of the May elections, here's a controversial take by political analyst/defeated candidate Walden Bello: [Opinion] A Disaster Waiting To Happen: Marcos Jr. And The 2022 Elections

And yet, there are silver linings as always. The 2022 roster of National Artists is an impressive and deserving lot. Leading the pack is Nora Aunor, the long-hailed superstar who started out as a singer and evolved into one of the best actresses the Philippines has ever produced. Movie expert Mauro Feria Tumbocon Jr. wrote a story on Nora for PF and it's as timeless as its title: The Timeless Nora Aunor

Seltzer water with Filipino flavors, anyone? That's NY-based Fil-Am Sandro Roco's Sanzo brand, available through such giant retailers as Amazon, Whole Foods and Target, among others. Sanzo comes in mango, lychee, calamansi and yuzu with ginger flavors as PF Correspondent Anthony Maddela reports.

This Makes Us Smile: Mommy’s Brew

The actress Caridad Sanchez's love affair with coffee, as described by her unica hija, Cathy Sanchez Babao.

Another Read Again, this time a last hurrah for Pride Month and exquisite writing by early PF contributor, Migs Bassig: http://www.positivelyfilipino.com/magazine/2013/2/via-del-mar

And who can beat Filipino humor? Another sampling of Funny Signs: Forgive Us Our Signs 15

[Recipe of the Week] The Happy Home Cook: Bulanglang Batangas-Style With Crispy Tawilis And Calamansi Dipping Sauce

[Video of the Week] Halimaw

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In The Know

Ressa says Philippine courts to decide Rappler closure order
https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-hawaii-honolulu-3fab6d6081c5fc57ca0dd307bdf433eb 

‘The Punisher’: Rodrigo Duterte’s violent reign as Philippines president to end
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jun/28/the-punisher-rodrigo-dutertes-violent-reign-as-philippines-president-to-end?utm_term=62bae63b411cb8a3e2ab3a5d96cff1b7&utm_campaign=GuardianTodayUS&utm_source=esp&utm_medium=Email&CMP=GTUS_email

In the Philippines, Will Marcos Give the Media Hell Like Duterte Did?
https://niemanreports.org/articles/philippines-ferdinand-marcos-duterte/

Kumu Founder Roland Ros on How Social Media Can Spark Social Change
https://www.tatlerasia.com/power-purpose/technology/roland-ros-founder-kumu?utm_campaign=ASIA_DIG_FULL20220402&utm_medium=email&utm_source=tatlerasia.com

Liwayway magazine brings back physical circulation after changes due to pandemic
https://interaksyon.philstar.com/hobbies-interests/2022/06/21/219972/liwayway-magazine-brings-back-physical-circulation-after-changes-due-to-pandemic/?fbclid=IwAR0XdWL0uG6iuYCVt0A1JvYvNtIwXTOKr37FjlhqS_JdZ8a4bPt2KWTRK_4

It has the largest collection of late 19th century houses in PH, but the houses are fast disappearing
https://news.abs-cbn.com/ancx/culture/spotlight/06/21/22/why-manilas-san-nicolas-district-needs-to-be-rescued?fbclid=IwAR2jTkxTMzOZ8O9CimVR5g62RcpBxoVtGY98mk-21ij7AyFih5ZGYhRpgds

What Manila Looked Like in Its Heyday
https://www.esquiremag.ph/culture/lifestyle/manila-glory-days-a1729-20190408-lfrm?utm_source=Facebook-Esquire&utm_medium=Ownshare&utm_campaign=20220622-fbnp-culture-manila-glory-days-a1729-20190408-lfrm-fbold&fbclid=IwAR2L3Yj2Vky2__-RIGlY0eQukYp7rfZdSfjTdoGyhaJqiyjTANbqAcYAADw

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ABS-CBN Shutdown: Once More, the Trauma

One Saturday morning in September 1972, I left for work early because it was going to be a busy day -- we were going to shoot a promo announcing the first nationwide broadcast of ABS-CBN, then as now, the Philippines' largest network. The sight that confronted me was chilling: Metrocom soldiers in full battle gear were guarding the gates of the sprawling complex in Bohol Avenue, Quezon City. Across the street, my fellow employees gathered, faces perplexed and fearful. It took a while before the collective whisper reached me: martial law had been declared, and just like that we lost our jobs, our personal stuff in our offices inside, and our freedom.

I didn't realize how deeply embedded that trauma is in my psyche until I woke up this morning to the news that ABS-CBN, the network that has since expanded tenfold since our time, has been ordered closed by the Duterte administration's National Telecommunications Commission. Once again, I felt shivers down my spine. The end was just as dramatic as 1972 -- one minute viewers were watching a regular news program; the next, the screen just went dark.

Beyond the legalese and the sycophantic justifications, we know that ABS-CBN has once again fallen prey to political vindictiveness that goes all the way to the top. It was that way in 1972, albeit under different circumstances; it is the same reason now. Talk about ill-timed and ill-conceived. With the country reeling from a pandemic and its subsequent economic turmoil, when information dissemination is vital, the nation's largest broadcast network is silenced. 

This story of course is just beginning. It took 14 years and a dictator's ouster for ABS-CBN to rise again. Will history repeat itself?

Our stories this week:

US Marines veteran and military brat Alex G. Fabros Jr. tells a cautionary tale of how an epidemic victimized his childhood friends in "Do You Remember Polio?"

Retired Philippine ambassador Virgilio Reyes Jr. relates his Covid-19 story in "Living with Corona, a New Yorker's Perspective."

For those in search of good books to read in quarantine, history professor Vicente L. Rafael shares his "Lockdown Reading List: Filipino Fiction (Mostly)."

To celebrate Mother's Day, I wrote down my thoughts on motherhood, "Love, Patience and Renewal."

Read Again Carolyn Prasad's touching tribute to her "mail-order bride" mother, "The Making of a Matriarch." 

And Cathy S. Babao's story about "A Lesson My Mom, the Actress Caridad Sanchez, Told Me" 

For the Happy Home Cook, treat yourself to a repeat of Elizabeth Ann Quirino's Mango Refrigerator Cake, because it's May and mangoes are in season. Plus, hopefully, you've been good in quarantine. 

Here are this week's links to stories you have to read: 

Commentary: Racism is the other virus sweeping America during this pandemic
https://www.chicagotribune.com/opinion/commentary/ct-opinion-coronavirus-asian-americans-morita-20200420-ep3bmn3tincczfihw3qvl64boa-story.html?fbclid=IwAR3G9NjNjFhxwBKVTWFSZWMbo5XjmyezMeB7APFYs4LGQ-QxirXK-6KwZ5s

Philippine nurses, long treated like exports, now told to stay home to fight coronavirus
https://news.yahoo.com/philippine-nurses-long-treated-exports-013256696.html

The Philippine Peso’s Resilience Is a Risk to the Economy
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/philippine-peso-resilience-risk-economy-221454976.html

'Second tragedy': Cremation traumatises in virus-hit Philippines
https://news.yahoo.com/second-tragedy-cremation-traumatises-virus-hit-philippines-043849393.html

The Heartbreaking ‘Last Shift’ of a New York City Nurse
https://ph.news.yahoo.com/heartbreaking-last-shift-york-city-170412559.html

Which ABS-CBN businesses can still operate after NTC's cease and desist order?
https://news.abs-cbn.com/business/05/05/20/which-abs-cbn-businesses-can-still-operate-after-ntcs-cease-and-desist-order?fbclid=IwAR1w8Z5dLemXle9LzpyL28VeNw0VTv3vuoX0xlYzQi9h4l9LCMC7iVNJTYM 

For video of week, the Filipino-American Airmen community of the US Air Force put together their version of the “Don’t Rush Challenge” on social media

Tough Ladies

Before anything else, we would like to congratulate our colleague in the journalistic profession, Maria Ressa, the embattled but undaunted CEO and editor in chief of Rappler, for the string of international awards and accolades she has been receiving. The latest one, just announced yesterday, comes from Time magazine whose year-end issue includes Ressa on the cover as one of "The Guardians" of press freedom. In this era of fake news, unbridled trolling and political intimidation, Positively Filipino stands alongside those who courageously fight for truth, honesty and the rule of law.

A welcome break from the frenzy of the season is first-time contributor Pia Guballa's feature on some movie stars of yesteryear. "The Muses of LVN Pictures" spotlights Caridad Sanchez, Marita Zobel and Luz Valdez who "grew up" under the wing of the formidable Doña Sisang de Leon, the grand matriarch of the movie studio.

In Chicagoland, a Filipino singer named Ester Hana, has been making waves, as attested to by PF Correspondent Rey E. de la Cruz in "A Cebuana Songbird in the Windy City." 

In keeping with the holiday spirit, Read Again Elizabeth Ann Quirino's "Lulu's Fifty-Peso Christmas Gift," her tribute to her mom, Lulu Reyes Besa who was awarded the US Medal of Freedom in 1947 as one of the heroines of WWII.  

Here are some of the stories from other publications that you may have missed:

Time Person of the Year, Maria Ressa: She Reported From War Zones. But Covering Philippine President Duterte Might Be Her Most Dangerous Job Yet
http://time.com/5475492/maria-ressa-rappler-person-of-the-year-2018/?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=social-share-article&utm_content=20181211&fbclid=IwAR00b5bvenymv1aT3LRaNCpyu2h7O-I1cDCz_aSu2Gk5KbueRSX6QtCw8Ko

Vallejo-Raised Singer H.E.R. Snags 5 Grammy Nominations
https://www.kqed.org/arts/13846668/vallejo-raised-h-e-r-snags-5-grammy-nominations?fbclid=IwAR2xgaCXoXpQm6vmaanfWgcu43MI5orZX2EtAvJuFMSbrHsF_5shasBmMHI

This Tribe Saved My Family and US Soldiers Decades Ago – Miles and Points Made It Possible to Say Thank You
https://millionmilesecrets.com/inspiration/this-tribe-saved-my-family-and-us-soldiers-decades-ago-miles-and-points-made-it-possible-to-say-thank-you/?fbclid=IwAR3SwZ4kGDqwXJsbBZ0DcyqHKd5-Xt4DbsbGYMoN_rpa02tWadKv6yR7H3U

Rolando Peña: portrait of a rock scientist as a rare gem
https://news.abs-cbn.com/ancx/culture/spotlight/12/10/18/rolando-pea-portrait-of-a-rock-scientist-as-a-rare-gem?fbclid=IwAR1FAnuN-9yOYpmGUq0iP0kfxumoSCYAAtKsFJC-KJl3nwGdoFvAZyukyU0

Before we indulge the annual food gorging that is Christmas, take time for a lean, healthy recipe from PF Correspondent Rene M. Astudillo, Chilled BroCauli Salad.

 “Forgive Us Our Signs” makes a comeback for its 12th edition. More funny Pinoy signs and memes.

For Video of the Week, the BBC News Service features Nanie Guanlao, who opened  the Reading Club 2000, a community library with no rules, open 24 hours a day and children can bring home the books if they wanted to.