Heartbreaks

Can you imagine same sex marriage becoming legal in the Philippines? Me neither, at least in our lifetime. But the times are certainly a-changin' as a legal case filed by a young, gay lawyer named Jesus Falcis III that pushes for the legalization of same-sex marriage in a mostly Catholic country gets a hearing as far up as the Supreme Court. That alone is an achievement, as PF Correspondent Rene M. Astudillo, reports in "Quo Vadis, Philippine Same Sex Marriage."

Hardly controversial is the innate talent of Noel Trinidad, the artist profiled by another PF Correspondent, Rey E. de la Cruz. 

Forty one years ago this month in San Francisco, one of the most heartbreaking conflicts took place -- the eviction of elderly Filipinos from the International Hotel. Read Again Veronica Versoza's account of what really happened that crucial night from which an entire generation of activists earned its chops. http://www.positivelyfilipino. com/magazine/the-last-night- of-i-hotel

Have you ever wondered how your family got its surname? Read Again cultural historian and PF Correspondent Penelope V. Flores' research on the genesis of Filipino surnames.
http://www.positivelyfilipino. com/magazine/how-filipinos- got-their-surnames

Quite a number of interesting Filipino-related stories were published in various media outlets recently. In case you missed them, here are some links in our In The Know section:

Carmen Guerrero Nakpil: The Greatest National Artist for Literature We Never Had
http://lifestyle.inquirer.net/301505/carmen-guerrero-nakpil-greatest-national-artist-literature-never/

Eating while immigrant: The bitter taste of assimilation and the joy of 'stinky' food 
http://www.chicagotribune.com/dining/ct-food-immigrant-food-and-childhood-0801-story.html

Philippines Raises Concern over Chinese Radio Warnings
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/philippines-raises-concern-over-chinese-radio-warnings/2018/07/30/a50ec7ee-93fe-11e8-818b-e9b7348cd87d_story.html?noredirect=on&utm_term=.055854687a61

Filipina Chef Introduces Boodle Fights to the French Culinary Scene and the Europeans love it.
https://www.wheninmanila.com/filipina-chef-introduces-boodle-fights-to-the-french-culinary-scene-and-europeans-love-it/

Six Filipinos Indicted for Domestic and International Money Laundering and Conspiracy for Multi-Year Bribery and Fraud Scheme
https://www.justice.gov/usao-cdca/pr/six-filipinos-indicted-domestic-and-international-money-laundering-and-conspiracy-multi

For our Happy Home Cook feature, incarcerated military officers (now freed) share their recipe for Calderetang Kambing (goat stew), a favorite of Filipino beer drinkers. 

For our video of the week, AARP nominates FilVetRep's Executive Director Jon Melegrito as one of its AAPI Community Hero Award finalists for his work in honoring the Filipino World War II Veterans. If you wish to support Jon, visit AARP's AAPI Hero Award facebook page. https://www.facebook.com/AARPAAPI/videos/1391794597623242/