Into 2020, Darkly

Uncertainty and heartbreak. Not a good portent of things to come as we start a new decade, but we slog on.

In the US, a source of tension (or one of them anyway) in immigrant communities is the forthcoming Census, a nationwide count that happens every ten years. PF Correspondent Cherie Querol Moreno talks to FilAm community advocates of Census 2020 to assuage fears of those who are worried that the Census will lead to their deportation. The assurance: under the law the Census Bureau is prohibited from sharing data with law enforcement. More importantly, to stand up and be counted means your communities will benefit from the distribution of government services and funding. Read "What Fil-Ams Should Know About the 2020 Census" to understand the full, positive benefits of participating.

We've seen the heartbreaking photos and videos of what could be the worst fire to happen on earth, in Australia. Veteran journalist/columnist Paulynn P. Sicam, who is right now in Penrith, New South Wales visiting her family, writes a personal account of how it is in "Australia: The Fire This Time."

Switching to a more pleasant topic, PF contributor Titchie Carandang-Tiongson writes about the art of Filipina Spanish artist Maria Mari Murga, whose recent exhibit in Washington DC was hailed by art lovers. Read "All The Light That She Can See" and marvel at her works. 

After all the holiday food tripping, time for a vegan meal. Here's our Happy Home Cook recipe from Richgail Enriquez for Mushroom Pusit.

And our In The Know links, ICYMI:

A Chinese crime wave hits Duterte’s Philippines as Pogos grow unchecked
https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3043542/chinese-crime-wave-hits-dutertes-philippines-pogos-grow?utm_content=article&utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook&fbclid=IwAR3k-ZFhCFy86dJzJoW8lRwYdKMHMFlNVjRhqtGC5N72N6IiKiA-Kl_eqFA#Echobox=1577411423

Sexism in the Philippines: In the Line of Fire
https://southeastasiaglobe.com/in-the-line-of-fire/?fbclid=IwAR1NRNusxZttR3IvY47Xb_173JcvSITygbr9t_-kXm-5t-H54GCVyYnkgss

#FilAmDecade: 10 Years of Filipino American History
https://www.facebook.com/notes/dr-kevin-nadal/filamdecade-10-years-of-filipino-american-history/10157817886364696/

Philippine Expressions Bookstore Owner Linda Nietes Honored By The Community
https://balitangamerica.tv/philippine-expressions-bookstore-owner-linda-nietes-honored-by-the-community/?fbclid=IwAR3BDvB3_KAj1RIxsSJbLWjDjhmtKmiYbJMzc1eb_JHJdPvufaFCLKK3EcI

For our Video of the Week, the Black Eyed Peas, along with the Voice Philippines’ Jessica Reynoso, perform at the closing ceremony of the recent Southeast Asian Games in New Clark City, Tarlac.

A Lot Like Christmas

Fourteen more days before Christmas and Filipinos worldwide are gearing up for Simbang Gabi, the annual tradition of dawn masses starting December 16 that, of course,  includes food afterwards (traditionally bibingka, puto bumbong, salabat and tsokolate -- all served fresh and hot -- in churchyards). While the weather in the northern hemisphere is not friendly to outdoor activities, that doesn't stop Filipino communities from replicating these traditions indoors. PF contributing writer BJ Gonzalvo relates how his Pacific Northwest community prepares in a big way for Simbang Gabi in "Getting Ready for Simbang Gabi, Even Before the 'Ber' Months."

"Every writer draws on one's own past for material, and at such a young age, Bayani's history was already an armory of dramatic ammunition...", thus author/essayist Rafaelito Sy profiles Jason Bayani, a FilAm poet who has already published three anthologies. Read "Jason Bayani's Fire Within" for a compelling introduction.

As filmmaker Lauren Greenfield's documentary ‘The Kingmaker’ winds its way to theaters in the US, former-student-activist- now-a-professor Patricio N. Abinales tells us how the ghosts of traumas past came haunting back as he watched the film. ["Why The Kingmaker Sparks Memories of Terror and Defiance"]

If you're in the midst of Christmas meal planning, here's a unique dessert recipe for Warm Ensaymada Flan with Dulce de Leche Cream, as perfected by San Francisco-based foodie, Voltaire Gungab.  

Our In the Know links, ICYMI. 

Crony capital: How Duterte embraced the oligarchs
https://asia.nikkei.com/Spotlight/Cover-Story/Crony-capital-How-Duterte-embraced-the-oligarchs

Arnis, Philippines martial art that evokes Magellan's nemesis
https://news.yahoo.com/arnis-philippines-martial-art-evokes-magellans-nemesis-024509649.html?soc_src=hl-viewer&soc_trk=fb

Gwendolyn Pascua - Cordilleran physicist working as a mission controller for astronauts in Europe
https://www.wowcordillera.com/2017/03/gwendolyn-pascua-cordilleran-physicist.html?fbclid=IwAR21axIbU4NCxU2PreTFgrqtF-ElqD3ZRCcvST3eCXGb4bnVgz9jxm9pb80

Tech For Good: A Plant Breeder’s Journey
https://www.forbes.com/sites/bayer/2019/11/27/tech-for-good-a-plant-breeders-journey/?fbclid=IwAR2pQaktuHtQSHacDqmQL-mq0yaTVCscwZPWMOrgPAYE9sZpdGju84Dseoo#3ab9d9ce6402

For video of the week, we feature the University of Santo Tomas flashmob ushering in the Christmas season at the Philippines oldest university.

More Dispatches from the Diaspora

Filipinos are all over the world, we know, but it's still a pleasant surprise to find out that in such exotic places like Tbilisi, Georgia (once a country within the USSR), there is a nondescript Filipino restaurant called Little Manila Grill and Restaurant that serves comfort food to visiting OFWs mostly from Mideast countries. Quite a brave entrepreneurial move in a country that only has 25 Filipino households, but owner Nante Marilag and chef Don Palmero, OFWs themselves, were willing to take the risk, if only to provide kababayans based in pork-banning countries with their fave pork dishes. Intrepid PF contributor Jennifer Fergesen smokes out this little-known Tbilisi restaurant in "Surprise! A Filipino Table in Tbilisi."

From Don Palmero, chef of Little Manila Grill and Restaurant, comes our Happy Home Cook recipe this week for Lemon Peel Papaitan. 

In New York, the Ma-Yi Theater company celebrates its pearl anniversary (30 years) by staging "the first musical created by Filipino Americans to open Off Broadway.” Author and theater expert Walter Ang relates the evolution of this innovative troupe in "Ma-Yi Theater: A Pearl in the Big Apple."

Speaking of OFWs, a book called A Good Provider Is One Who Leaves by New York Times reporter Jason DeParle documents the very complicated journeys of a Filipino OFW family over a 30-year period. Perhaps the most detailed and up close account of the travails and triumphs of overseas workers, the book is reviewed by first-time PF contributor Lily Chua O'Connor.

ICYMI, here are links to stories that you might find interesting:

Filipino American actor Dante Basco details successes and sacrifices in new memoir
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/asian-america/filipino-american-actor-dante-basco-details-successes-sacrifices-new-memoir-n1076541?fbclid=IwAR1qltckJmOFetRllH0k7mT1BlytsrXqc5hCckBzUwaW9_JhELPliveYfA8

#MagandangMorenx: How Asia Jackson is igniting a mission to end colorism and challenge Filipino beauty standards
https://www.asianjournal.com/magazines/mdwk-magazine/magandangmorenx-how-asia-jackson-is-igniting-a-mission-to-end-colorism-and-challenge-filipino-beauty-standards/ 

Arnis: The Philippines' National Sport and Martial Art
https://theculturetrip.com/asia/philippines/articles/arnis-the-philippines-national-sport-and-martial-art/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=share&_branch_match_id=719483218834507064&fbclid=IwAR24e5Q1rest9nQWpXQPiFzxBuAq_ROfGwB6clH-BH2a6VgL_GxPfe

The Mysterious Curse of the Manila Film Center
https://www.esquiremag.ph/long-reads/features/manila-film-center-haunted-a1729-20191107-lfrm2?utm_source=Facebook-Esquire&utm_medium=Ownshare&utm_campaign=201911107-fbnp-long-reads-manila-film-center-haunted-a1729-20191107-lfrm2-fbfirst&fbclid=IwAR1QpRE4Hf-PuFu5QxrrBstyqu01kRvIO0TcTv8y6bX-NyVmrcm2_Gt4Mb8

For Video of the Week, National Graphic presents “The Nightcrawlers,” a documentary on the ongoing drug war in the Philippines.