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/

A Week To Remember

June 26, 2015. The day the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that same-sex couples can marry in all 50 states. I didn’t think I would see this in my lifetime. I cried just as I did when a black man assumed the presidency in 2008. Times are indeed changing, sometimes too fast for some of us, sometimes staggered, “two steps forward, one step back” as President Obama said, and for those who refuse to accept equality for everyone, then time stands still. In Now It Can Be Called Just Plain “Marriage,” writer and blogger, Rene Astudillo, talks about his own personal crusade on marriage equality and what this landmark decision means to him and many of his LGBT peers. “No longer may this liberty be denied,” wrote Justice Anthony M. Kennedy.

On the other side of our world, we uncover secrets. In The Lost Treasures of Corregidor, Larry Ng writes about one of the secrets of Manila Bay – when 425 tons of silver coins and 2,222 gold ingots were sunk into Caballo Bay just before the Japanese invaded Corregidor. The gold was never seen again.

When I first arrived in San Francisco, my children and I frequented Goldilocks for a taste of home. It was the only Filipino restaurant/bakery at the time. One of the dishes we liked but didn’t know how to cook was Brazo de Mercedes. In this issue, Goldilocks shares the secret for this dessert in Happy Home Cook. And if you’re traveling and miss home, Sasha Lim Uy lists 10 Filipino Restaurants Around the World. And speaking of traveling, artist Ivan Kevin Castro introduces us to Filipinos in Pinoyspotting: China. Finally, our Video of the Week showcases two talented Ilongo brothers, “The Gentlemen,” on America’s Got Talent.

July 4, 1776. The day the United States of America became an independent nation. As we celebrate this day, let us not forget the freedom we enjoy to live the way we want, without excluding those who may seem different from us. Happy 4th of July to all.