Barotac Nuevo, a town on the outskirts of Iloilo City, has seen better times. Described as "obscure and hardly prosperous" by PF Correspondent Criselda Yabes, a recent visitor, the town nonetheless has a claim to fame that no other place in the Philippines can dispute -- the football capital of the country. Soccer football to this otherwise undistinguished municipality is the lifeblood, the legacy, the source of pride and the driver of ambitions of its citizens. For decades it has supplied the national team with star players, coaches, federation officials and yes, next-generation athletes who, like their counterparts in Europe, Africa and South America, worship soccer as its sports religion. Why/how does Barotac Nuevo defy the country's basketball obsession and embrace soccer as its One True Thing? Read our lead story this week.

Fides Cuyugan-Asensio's proclamation last month as 2022 National Artist for Music was a cause for celebration among the country's culturati, among them the writer Pablo Tariman who writes this week's feature on this beautiful woman who was not only a foremost coloratura but also a revered librettist, music teacher, and actress on stage, TV and the movies. As her former students attest, Cuyugan-Asencio was their guide and inspiration in their musical careers, a lasting legacy that truly deserves the National Artist designation.

We're now on list 34 of Fil-Ams Among the Remarkable and Famous, and still counting. If you know someone who should be included, please send the name and links to supporting information to our publisher, Mona Lisa Yuchengco, who painstakingly updates the list. Send email to PFpublisher@yahoo.com.

While soccer remains an "emerging" sport in the Philippines and basketball dominance internationally will forever be a pipe dream for Filipinos, there is one sport where Filipino grit and size have been a winning fit: boxing. Meet the boxing star who first put the Philippines on the world map, Luis Logan. http://www.positivelyfilipino.com/magazine/before-elorde-and-pacquiao-there-was-luis-logan

And if you're braving a Philippine beach vacation, here are some suggestions beyond Boracay: http://www.positivelyfilipino.com/magazine/11-great-beaches-you-probably-havent-been-to

Don't forget to check out our In Brief section, for capsule news on Filipino things that matter.

For a savory summer treat: The Happy Home Cook: Buko-Pandan Gelatin (Young Coconut-Pandan Gelatin)

Video of the Week: Decolonizing Leche Flan