Tensions in the Tenses

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Amidst the calm of Holy Week in the Christian world, let’s do some reflection on how the past informs the present and how we want the future to look like. The personal may not always be political but there's no ignoring politics this time. Our story lineup this week represents past, present and future in our Motherland's storied evolution.

The present: As the Duterte administration plods through its end run, it is a good time to look at the big picture and assess its mixed legacy objectively. As political observer and professor Patricio N. Abinales writes, while the poor got the brunt of its drug war, Duterte "also leaves the presidency with a remarkable record of serving the poor even as his police officers and hired assassins continue to kill their fathers, mothers, and children." This contradiction will be scrutinized and argued in the years to come so Abinales fires the first volley to "let the debates begin."

The past: Senatorial hopeful Samira Gutoc rang the memory bell as a Marcos Jr. presidency becomes a possibility. Remember the Jabidah massacre of 1968, she says. More than 20 Muslim recruits for a top-secret mission to reclaim Sabah were gunned down in Corregidor, the training site, when they started protesting their harsh training conditions. The military had since erased all traces of the mission but there were some who escaped death and told the story. The Jabidah massacre triggered the war of Muslim Mindanao against the Marcos regime and led to the founding of MNLF. We post excerpts from the book Under the Crescent Moon: Rebellion in Mindanao by ace journalists Marites Danguilan Vitug and Glenda Gloria.

The future: What we do today will determine how our future will look like. In political terms, "We are whom we choose," former COMELEC chief Andres D. Bautista contends as he looks at the many unprecedented actions  taking place throughout the Philippines right now. Will the future be rosy or blood red? We don't need a crystal ball, just fervor and dedication as we march toward May 9. Most importantly, we have to VOTE.

Read Agains:

Images of Semana Santa

Marinduque’s Mesmerizing Moriones by Wilma Consul

Art and Soul and Fr. Rey by Mona Lisa Yuchengco

[Recipe of the Week] Enjoy this YouTube video of actress Judy Ann Santos cooking her fave Holy Week dishes

[Video of the Week] Remy Martin - NCAA Champion

Philippine Elections 2022

Pulse Asia: 2 out of 10 voters change their minds on election day
https://opinion.inquirer.net/152042/pulse-asia-2-out-of-10-voters-change-their-minds-on-election-day

[Newsstand] Enough time for ‘Ro-mentum’
https://www.rappler.com/voices/thought-leaders/newsstand-enough-time-robredo-momentum/?fbclid=IwAR0rpeUHGU-uKi6hOvMaPw80H_6CRhMtYjVRowwzXh3wbmU6q4jBz-cXAus

Isko Moreno supporters group joins Robredo’s 'pink' wave after attempts of unification
https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2022/04/12/2174088/isko-moreno-supporters-join-robredos-pink-wave-after-failed-attempts-unification

Carpio tells voters: Keep demanding estate tax payment from Marcos Jr.
https://www.cnnphilippines.com/news/2022/4/8/Bongbong-Marcos-Carpio-estate-tax-payment-demand.html?fb&fbclid=IwAR2kHCpyP-MGAdD3R2bPKeN2DU86lDsD31T7juEGu6UXaoobSamCdbXqWSU

A dictator's son runs for Philippines president in a bid to revive his family's power
https://www.npr.org/2022/04/12/1090802987/philippines-elections-ferdinand-bongbong-marcos-junior?fbclid=IwAR2VNrQ8ZHd4BJzzkUvBsKesFQRzA7g8nalUw7rh4Ij1kDsMm7elzIdCK00

Philippine volunteers in door-to-door blitz for top Marcos Jr rival
https://news.yahoo.com/philippine-volunteers-door-door-blitz-021810361.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly9sLmZhY2Vib29rLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAFiv7B7QwjQj_86QCR-k3x8XaEvIhOp4chOIPrES_OphaH_UXSvyFNBN09_mP_sSgnSpzJRzbSTUG-SaPyFRCv3_S2XFNI5fPK7gB3c0fgoyEMqxmc8tBJ0dhjtPyzRN5sAVwDN1U_KjS02HBZQhj9gMw-29ARYLodRIbcRESufw

[OPINION] Rallies, ‘hakot,’ and hope
https://www.rappler.com/voices/thought-leaders/opinion-rallies-hakot-hope/?fbclid=IwAR21sCNZuXJntuscIheoTq0YADyXy-0ZN7TXxQ5pKMz0grqMj2LYkqPvz0o

Why Leni is picking up huge endorsements
https://inqm.news/xqht

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Gemma Nemenzo

Editor, Positively Filipino

Not for the Faint-Hearted

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Recent reports about the rise in the number of assaults on Asian Americans, particularly the elderly, in 47 states is seriously concerning. It's not just happening here in the US; some countries in Europe have also had incidents. And if you think that only Chinese are affected (owing to the previous administration's anti-Chinese rhetoric regarding the virus), think again. A Filipino, Noel Quintana, was slashed in the face while in a New York subway a few weeks ago and required almost 100 stitches. Just yesterday, an elderly Filipina was punched in the face in San Diego. These are not isolated cases. Time and again, Fil-Ams have been victimized by racist tirades during this pandemic. The twin scourges of hatred and ignorance do not after all distinguish among Asians; to them we all look alike.

So be careful out there. If you want to be updated on the situation, check out the Stop AAPI Hate web site (stopaapihate.org). And make sure you yourself do not do the hating.

If you missed our webinar last night on Philippine-American "Relations"-- Romance and Heartbreak Among Filipino and American Celebrities in  Washington, D.C., 1898-1946, here's the link to the recording: http://www.positivelyfilipino.com/magazine/webinar-video-philippine-american-relations-romance-and-heartbreak-among-filipino-and-american-celebrities-in-nbspwashington-dc-1898-1946

Our issue this week introduces the FilAms who won their races in the 2020 elections, and it's a record number. ["Empowerment: Fil-Am Winners in the 2020 Elections"]. We also feature Kanlungan, a web site that honors Fil-Am covid frontliners who gave up their lives so others can live ["Kanlungan Honors Unsung Health Care Heroes"]. International travel during this pandemic is not for the faint-hearted as our First Person story describes ["Journal of a Pandemic Traveler"].  Finally, our Partner post brings good news to H1-B visa applicants.

For those harsh winter blues, how's about treating your love ones to Triple Chocolate Champorado, a repost of Judy Ann Santos-Agoncillo's own recipe.

For our Video of the Week, here's a feature on Baybayin, the ancient Filipino writing that's being revived. 

Our Stories This Week

[Webinar Video] Philippine-American “Relations”-- Romance And Heartbreak Among Filipino And American Celebrities In  Washington, D.C., 1898-1946

Empowerment: Fil-Am Winners In The 2020 Elections By Mona Lisa Yuchengco

Kanlungan Honors Unsung Health Care Heroes By Cherie M. Querol Moreno

Journal Of A Pandemic Traveler By Bella Bonner

[PARTNER] H1B Visa Registration To Start On March 9, 2021 By Lourdes Santos Tancinco

Triple Chocolate Champorado By Judy Ann Santos-Agoncillo

Video of the Week: Baybayin

In The Know

Ube: The Filipino Tuber That’s Taking Over the World
http://www.bbc.com/travel/story/20210203-ube-the-filipino-tuber-taking-over-the-world?ocid=ww.social.link.facebook&referer=https%3A%2F%2Fl.facebook.com%2F

How South Korea's 'CLOY' can help Filipinos create a better future
https://asia.nikkei.com/Opinion/How-South-Korea-s-CLOY-can-help-Filipinos-create-a-better-future?fbclid=IwAR35Ma0AZ-PdXtoD_79p2Wwa4MpF1HKo7Iv46iBzG1lVdKiy40ZdgZ2JxOY

Meet the artist/activist behind UP’s much talked about barricade
https://news.abs-cbn.com/ancx/culture/art/01/29/21/meet-the-artist-slash-activist-behind-ups-much-talked-about-barricade?fbclid=IwAR2GfTKkt-KQIbV1goIMfiVahZDGxv1v6RuQAOlq2pwEJ7KTELmQndltK_s

WATCH: The Story Behind Spain's Infamous Zoo That Featured Philippine Animals... And Then Filipinos
https://www.esquiremag.ph/long-reads/features/filipino-human-zoo-madrid-spain-crystal-palace-a00293-20201006-lfrm?ref=article_featured&fbclid=IwAR1lX6JzXN01IZzeVTU3s4mVdKP7qtMkHfKP5oFnKThvO_8vqm-eIN1TNxE

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Gemma Nemenzo

Editor, Positively Filipino

Stimulants, Magic and India

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Have you ever wondered how coffee, a non-native crop, and cacao reach Philippine shores? Did you know that the Philippines was once one of the world's top coffee exporters and cacao was so prevalent that many households had their own homegrown supply of chocolate?  Cultural historian Felice Prudente Sta. Maria takes us on a historical trip, "From Coffee to Pollo con Chocolate," that reminds us of the intertwined histories of our homeland and Mexico.

Magical realism is not the exclusive domain of Latin American authors as a new novel, The Book of Pedro Bautista by Dr. Mary Jane Guazon-Uy, attests. Veteran journalist/author Sylvia L. Mayuga reviews this new book from the prolific Ateneo de Naga University Press.

India, the land of mystery and contradiction, was the latest destination of PF Correspondent Myles A. Garcia, who channels E. M. Forster in "A Passage to India, 2019." The country, Garcia states, is an "acquired taste," a feast for the senses, and requires some physical and mental preparation to visit. 

And if reading about tsokolate stirred up your craving, here's a recipe for Triple Chocolate Champorado from Judy Ann Santos-Agoncillo, our recipe of the week for the Happy Home Cook.

Here's our ICYMI listing of stories from other publications for this week:

[ANALYSIS] How the Marcos-World Bank partnership brought PH economy to its knees
https://www.rappler.com/thought-leaders/227198-analysis-how-marcos-world-bank-partnership-brought-philippine-economy-to-knees?fbclid=IwAR1XflcNwCkq4X5hbWarcUIL768qt0P7STcOO50cdlMeRiR5Uzdxus_UDQs

The Duterte wealth: Unregistered law firm, undisclosed biz interests, rice import deal for creditor
https://www.rappler.com/newsbreak/investigative/227315-pcij-report-rodrigo-sara-paolo-duterte-wealth?utm_medium=Social&utm_campaign=Echobox&utm_source=Facebook&fbclid=IwAR2ek03rBAi-1v15JlgfOqTS5_a5TSW_NrZ7FeVhYTgT1y740gyFAunt6RE#Echobox=1554285268

Don Jacinto: the Filipino American managing the iconic Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel
https://www.asianjournal.com/magazines/mdwk-magazine/don-jacinto-the-filipino-american-managing-the-iconic-hollywood-roosevelt-hotel/?fbclid=IwAR1aDWN1rz3HqsDCuQzz-HJyEqXn9DOnWVGJxbUZz0NARjP8sNARaCkKOac

15 Heritage buildings that need to be rescued
https://news.abs-cbn.com/lifestyle/02/11/14/15-heritage-buildings-need-be-rescued?fbclid=IwAR0K9b_grKt4A7KNY5DMxxVIyubVHG4HlcXHnFuse28ZCDOQnYQp7Xt4WHo

For our video of the week, we present Rappler’s “Defend Press Freedom,” a video featuring journalists from the Martial Law years to today’s campus reporters.

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Gemma Nemenzo

Editor, Positively Filipino