Dispatch from Iraq

This week we begin a new series, Dispatches From The Embassies, which will feature stories about Filipinos in various countries. We start the series with a dispatch from the Philippine Embassy in Iraq, a harrowing story that nevertheless ended well with the successful return to the Philippines of an OFW who was a victim of unscrupulous labor recruiters and an abusive employer. "Tears of Fear Then Joy in Iraq" is shared by Vice Consul Jomar T. Sadie. Along with the story, we also post a warning from the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) to Filipinos seeking work abroad on how to detect recruitment frauds. With this series, we hope to encourage Philippine Embassies to tell us stories of our kababayans and the good work of their stations.

And to our series on Martial Law Stories, we add ace journalist Jo-Ann Q. Maglipon's memories of going underground and being detained with some of the biggest names in Philippine literature. "Remembering" is worth reading in its entirety.

PF Correspondent Elizabeth Ann Quirino reviews Somewhere in the Middle: A Journey to the Philippines In Search of Roots, Belonging, and Identity by Deborah Francisco Douglas, a Filipino American who was stayed three years in the Philippines as a Peace Corp volunteer.  The title of the book sums up its author's intent and our writer elaborates on the insights Ms. Douglas gleaned from her rich experiences.

Author/writing guru Cecilia Manguerra-Brainard's talents are not limited to literature. She's also a good cook and here she shares her personal recipe for Beef Bourguignon, complete with a secret ingredient you'll have to ask her for.

In case you missed them, our links to stories that may interest you:

[EXPLAINER] Vote-buying is not just giving or taking cash
https://www.rappler.com/thought-leaders/228193-explanation-vote-buying-not-just-giving-taking-cash?utm_source=Rappler%20Subscribers&utm_campaign=6236aa21a2-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2019_04_21_10_37&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_d18b1557b8-6236aa21a2-96744625&mc_cid=6236aa21a2&mc_eid=5b1f08a2af&fbclid=IwAR1Zlspo-k9FWNLWWbsTfCiSXAA0CzVE0lw__1XsdgkwhPLjRbIBfKdSz0c 

Ruined by War, a Stricken Philippine Town Starts to Reawaken
https://www.asiasentinel.com/society/philippines-marawi-starts-reawaken/?fbclid=IwAR2xrHNDN6mgPcVTzUiFLdiQ36YJ8lt2i2TmcJdzW15OTR7WjoYFKYUoM5U

Moscow's Filipino Domestic Staff: No Longer An Expat Preserve
https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2015/11/13/moscows-filipino-domestic-staff-no-longer-an-expat-preserve-a50725

'Turontastic’: Filipino snack making waves in San Francisco
https://news.abs-cbn.com/overseas/04/19/19/turontastic-filipino-snack-making-waves-in-san-franciso?fbclid=IwAR2oRJzSKFKFh3RO62bwqkG87kNwBMLQS1FHqB-ubExOLjn6ngmWmge4UK0

For Video of the Week, we feature a tinikling performance by the US Naval Academy Filipino Midshipmen’s Club during their 2016 International Ball.

El Rey Del Knockout and Reimagined Tinikling

As we await another Pacquiao fight on November 22, allow us to regale you with the little-known story of a Spanish-Filipino boxer who was the world welterweight champ in the 1920s-1930s and whose winning record was only broken by Manny Pacquiao in 2013.

Luis Logan, “El Rey del Knockout,” was that rare breed of boxer who didn't have to fight his way out of poverty. He was heir to an international perfume business; the world-famous "Tabu" was the family product. That Luis chose to be a professional pugilist makes for a riveting story that our regular writer Myles A. Garcia painstakingly unearthed. "Before Elorde and Pacquiao, There was Luis Logan" indeed.

Another fascinating historical piece this week is Penelope V. Flores' "Gemelli Carreri, An Italian in Manila 1696," about the first travel writer who wrote about his one-month visit to Las Islas Filipinas and introduced the islands to the world.

Back to the present, Daniel Griffith, a Filipino American, writes about his three-month eye-opening, life-changing immersion in the Philippines and poses a challenge to his co-millennials to learn more about their parents' homeland. Daniel is part of the Kaya Collaborative, which coordinates immersion trips.

A tribute to the late Fernando "Jerry" Barican, well-known youth leader, businessman and once presidential spokesman, comes from his bosom friend, Nelson Navarro, who witnessed the ups and downs of Jerry's life. 

My blog is about the process of whittling down one’s life to the bare essentials: Rightsizing.

For our Videos of the Week, we bring you three amusing ways the national folk dance, the Tinikling, has evolved.