Reflect and Refresh

However and wherever you choose to celebrate this week, we wish you the space for meaningful reflection, the comfort of rituals and the joy of community.

Jose Garcia Villa and Nick Joaquin -- literary giants known for sardonic humor and acerbic wit -- apparently had affection and respect for each other, as PF contributing writer Virgilio Reyes Jr. gleans from a valuable poem Joaquin wrote for the internment of his friend, Garcia Villa. The latter's colorful life is at the center of this tribute to the friendship between two great Filipino writers.

Hardly anyone has been untouched by grief these past three years. Certainly not PF Correspondent Criselda Yabes who mourns and honors her "three mothers" in this week of solemnity and contemplation.

To Cha-cha or not to cha-cha? The issue of Charter change comes up once again in the Philippines, and Netherlands-based lecturer/activist Jacob Apostol weighs in.

Once upon a time, in the '70s decade, when political turmoil was prevalent and Filipino Americans were struggling to be heard, a rock band named Dakila made waves by recording what is now considered the first Asian American rock album. With permission from KQED, we are posting this story about the revival of Dakila's important musical legacy.

In time for this Holy Week, Read Again about the art and soul of Redemptorist priest, Fr. Rey Culaba: 

http://www.positivelyfilipino.com/magazine/art-and-soul-and-fr-rey

Always a good Lenten dish, guaranteed: 

http://www.positivelyfilipino.com/magazine/pesang-salmon-filipino-fish-stew-in-ginger-broth-with-tomatoes-spinach

[Video of the Week] 6 Decades of American Fashion Turned Filipino

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In The Know

The best Filipino restaurants in Los Angeles

https://www.timeout.com/los-angeles/restaurants/best-filipino-restaurants-in-los-angeles

[Only IN Hollywood] 2 Filipinos among key talents behind ‘John Wick 4’s’ dazzling fight scenes

https://www.rappler.com/entertainment/movies/only-in-hollywood-filipinos-talents-behind-john-wick-4-fight-scenes/?utm_medium=Social&utm_campaign=SocialFlow&utm_source=Facebook&fbclid=IwAR2iy6mRfnRcptLx7XcVfGjpev9_Hcdzl9PeHZ1n-CzGwP30-mxH3sxdX5w

Rich Rodriguez honors Filipino spirit through Masaya store

https://www.manilatimes.net/2023/03/19/the-sunday-times/filipino-champions/rich-rodriguez-honors-filipino-spirit-through-masaya-store/1883301?utm_term=Autofeed&utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook&fbclid=IwAR3cpRWwVAHGasL_6GpQrau9xNUIJFDtqT2Ie-01mofbMMEV0Ys4cY0zLQY#Echobox=1679777836

Child actor singing ‘Happy Birthday’ in Filipino on ‘Barney’ 3 decades ago has left an indelible impression

https://nextshark.com/pia-jasmine-hamilton-happy-birthday-filipino-barney

Local Filipino American players pave way for baseball’s growth in Philippines

https://www.latimes.com/sports/highschool/story/2023-03-26/filipino-american-baseball-players-pave-way-for-growth-philippines

Pinay Nurse In US Transforms Backyard Into Garden, Conducts “Talipapa Days” To Sell Her Produce

https://www.businessnews.com.ph/pinay-nurse-in-us-transforms-backyard-into-garden-conducts-talipapa-days-to-sell-her-produce-20220928/?fbclid=IwAR31cjQOHoXmoZxnJ3GBOz1ZS-SO4w8LRHhVyrxxdrXvOj-JKxl5JfWaBes

Apo Whang-Od And The Indelible Marks Of Filipino Identity

https://vogue.ph/magazine/apo-whang-od/

Taylor Swift surprises Filipino fan by doing his viral dance during concert

https://nextshark.com/taylor-swift-filipino-fan-viral-dance

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Angsty August

The death of a highly esteemed environmentalist and philanthropist coupled with the possible release of a triple life sentenced criminal made for an unsettled August week in the Philippines.

Many mourned the passing of Gina Lopez, the nemesis of miners and other ecological criminals. Veteran journalist Paulynn P. Sicam paid tribute to this complicated and committed earth warrior in “Gina Lopez: Rich Girl, Kind Heart, Woman Warrior.”

August won't end without commemorating the assassination of another outstanding Filipino, Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino Jr., and our publisher Mona Lisa Yuchengco shares with us her speech for the occasion, delivered at the Philippine Consulate in San Francisco (“Ninoy Changed My Life”).

And speaking of that earth-shaking assassination, one of those who were prominently mentioned in the investigations that followed was the late Arthur Custodio, then an Air Force colonel, who brought in the late Rolando Galman to take part in the crime of the century. Our Canada-based contributor Albert J. Lesaca writes about his infamous high school classmate in “Memories Are Made of This – My Friend, Arthur Custodio.”

Ahh, Coron. When things go awry, we imagine ourselves in this slice of Palawan paradise, although as PF contributor Willie Vergara writes in “Coron, Once Is Not Enough,” paradise could be too optimistic a word. 

For our Happy Home Cook, here's a Read Again recipe from our resident foodie Elizabeth Ann Quirino, that has been part of my meal menu for quite a while now (read: easy and delicious): Pesang Salmon aka Filipino fish stew.

Our In The Know links that you shouldn't miss:

The Uncounted Dead of Duterte's Drug War
https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2019/08/philippines-dead-rodrigo-duterte-drug-war/595978/?fbclid=IwAR3L29HpKIJsFNqNhdDx67NM4Pu9q3cP1sQjPBPm2evhz7yybooA1R5Zvp4

This impressive collection of Philippine religious imagery finally sees the light of day
https://news.abs-cbn.com/ancx/culture/art/05/01/19/the-intramuros-collection-of-religious-imagery-finally-sees-the-light-of-day?fbclid=IwAR19xhrUxYpHB6wiP5GnRw4kZ-Ozd_giGp_Fvi9ZJtNvqx0dcaHZTYHO4jc

‘Brutalist’ martial law museum to rise in UP Diliman 
https://www.philstar.com/nation/2019/08/25/1946123/brutalist-martial-law-museum-rise-diliman?fbclid=IwAR0_0hwM4TdbCVUCHEbjl9kEGIlyWerTj0iHC84MPGDF1g9WFWz3WnGGPNU

My Grandfather, A Killer 
https://www.npr.org/2019/08/18/749810572/my-grandfather-a-killer?te=1&nl=california-today&emc=edit_ca_20190820?campaign_id=49&instance_id=11769&segment_id=16314&user_id=a6813a01d20d50942afadad6c6f1e549&regi_id=47563992

For Video of the Week, GMA Public Affairs’ I-Witness features a documentary on the estuaries of Manila.