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(News Agency Here) Previously, I wrote about the food chronicled by Antonio Pigafetta, the Italian historian who was with Ferdinand Magellan when he landed in the Philippines. Wanting to learn more about this, Fr. Kevin Crisostomo of St. Joseph the Parish-Tambo interviewed me on his online show Kape at Kampay on the topic, “500 Years of Food, 500 Years of Faith.”

One of the viewers asked about pandesal, the quintessential Filipino bread. A viewer, whose comments the host read online, claimed that the Portuguese also have pandesal.

The traveler in me—I have been to Lisbon and Fatima and went to the corner bakery every morning—wondered if this was true and perhaps I just missed it.

In fact what the Portuguese have is not pandesal but something similar called papo seco or Portuguese rolls. These are light and airy, with a crusty outer layer. Like pandesal, these are served as dinner rolls, used for sandwiches, or dunked in soup or stew.

A popular Portuguese sandwich that uses this bread is called bifanas. Marinated pork slices simmered in a sauce of white wine, garlic and paprika are placed in the papo seco with either mustard or piri-piri sauce… Read More

(Manila Times) It’s interesting, and makes one proud to be a Filipino, how the younger generations are developing an interest for Baybayin, the ancient Tagalog script that our pre-Hispanic ancestors used in their writings.

Some people interchangeably use Baybayin and Alibata. But the two terms are different and according to Baybayin scholar Norman delos Santos, Alibata is different and refers to the one invented in the early 20th century by Paul Versoza.

In an article by modernfilipina.ph, it was pointed out that historians refer to the script as Baybayin. William Henry Scott, in his book “Barangay: Sixteenth-Century Philippine Culture and Society,” described Baybayin as the indigenous Tagalog script. Meanwhile, the online version of the UP Diksiyunaryong Filipino also does not acknowledge Alibata, which it defines as “alpabetong Arabic tulad ng pagkakakilala sa Silangan,” as the official name of the script, while mentioning that Baybayin, is the “sinaunang alpabeto ng mga Filipino,” the article written by Renee Marsha Babao noted… Read More

(Manila Bulletin) Pinoy parents ranked third lowest among 16 countries as they fared poorly across sectors including high levels of pressure and low financial resilience, but they are confident about their parenting decisions, skills and the upbringing of their children, according to a new Parenting Index.

The Parenting Index, a first-of-its-kind study into parenting experiences in 16 countries including the Philippines, for the first time identifies universal factors that impact on ease of parenting across the world. The survey was commissioned by Nestlé headquartered in Switzerland, the Index is a component of the Nestlé Parenting Initiative as a part of the company’s commitment to support new parents in raising their children. The study was conducted by Kantar, an evidence-based insight and consulting global company.

These eight universal factors are absence of pressure (internal and external), financial resilience, support for working life, an easy baby, health and well-being resources, a supportive environment, shared parenting, and parenting confidence… Read More

(PhilStar) MANILA, Philippines — Team Philippines will begin its quest for an impressive outing in the Asian Weightlifting Championships in Tashkent, Uzbekistan on Saturday.

Mary Flor Diaz, cousin of 2016 Rio Olympics silver medalist Hidilyn Diaz, will tip off the action for the Pinoys when she competes in the Women’s 45kg Final later today at 4:00 p.m. (7:00 p.m., Manila time).

She will be followed by Ellen Rose Perez when she clashes with her opponents in the 49kg Final at 7:00 p.m. (10:00 p.m. in Manila).

Hidilyn, who is set to formalize her entry to the Tokyo Olympics with this tournament, will see action Sunday at 4:00 p.m. (7:00 p.m., Manila) as she seeks to rule the Women’s 55kg Final.

Earlier on Sunday, John Fabuar Ceniza will compete in the Men’s 61kg B Groups at 9:00 a.m. (12:00 nn, Manila time).

Five other Filipino weightlifters will also see action in the competition after this weekend.

Margaret Colonia (59kg), Elreen Ando (64kg), Vanessa Sarno (71kg), Kristel Macrohon (76kg) and John Dexter Tabique (96kg) wrap up the Philippine contingent in the Uzbekistan tilt which will run until April 25… Read More

(Manila Standard) We are in the age of entertainment overload. And whether that makes you occupied or overwhelmed, these TV shows, online programs, and podcasts are a welcome distraction during those bleak and boring and bad news-ridden days.

Podcasts for nights you can’t sleep

Spotify recently launched eight new Filipino podcasts accessible to both free and premium users.
The newly signed Spotify Exclusive Podcasts made for Filipinos by Filipinos include true crime and horror genres—both up-and-coming categories of storytelling in the Philippines. They are now part of the more than 2.2 million podcast titles available on the platform today.

Gabi ng Bading – LGBTQ advocates and good friends AC Soriano and Yani Villarosa provide a fresh perspective on topics, stories, and current events that matter to the LGBTQ community in the Philippines.

Lecheng Pag-ibig ‘To! – Sam YG and DJ Chacha cover conversations on love, relationships, and everything in between, while giving listeners honest advice that they can apply to their own love lives.

Wag Kang Lilingon – Grace Marcellana and Mimai Cabugnason, two girls with an enduring fascination for the weird and strange, dive deep into a world of hair-raising and spine-tingling tales of horror, mystery, true crime, and suspense.

Creepsilog – Hosted by Gideon Mendoza and Glenn Tabarejos, this podcast tackles a series of strange phenomena including creepy paranormal events and disturbing occurrences with a dash of true crime and classic Filipino light humor… Read More

(Rappler) MANILA, PHILIPPINES – Coach Tab Baldwin preaches patience to Filipino fans aching to see the 7-foot-3 Kai Sotto become the next Pinoy basketball superstar.

Like many other renowned coaches and players in the Philippines and abroad, Gilas Pilipinas program director Tab Baldwin has nothing but glowing reports for Filipino wunderkind Kai Sotto.

And like many other basketball pundits, the decorated tactician also preached patience to the Filipino fans aching to see the next big Pinoy basketball superstar emerge.

“Basketball knowledge and his skill were the areas we probably saw the biggest improvements. His intensity, he’s training better each day, [but] he still has work to do, and every young player does,” Baldwin told Rappler in an interview.

“But there were very positive signs and there’s no reason to feel pessimistic about anything. He certainly is on the path to be a very good professional basketball player.”

Sotto, and most notably, his camp, were met with mixed reactions following a controversial exit with NBA G League Ignite, the NBA’s pioneering endeavor for alternative paths to the world’s best basketball league… Read More

(ING Southeast Asia) For many of us Southeast Asians, developing video games was not considered a viable career option until recently. A decade ago, most of us would have probably settled with the career paths chosen by our parents. One solo developer in the Philippines, however, is proving that passion can still shine through despite it all.

The upcoming turn-based RPG, Lawmage Academy, is a passion project made by solo developer Verinius who works as a full-time lawyer. Through online tutorials, Verinius has made it so far as to create a playable demo for the game and is targeting a full release in 2022.

Lawmage Academy is made via RPG Maker MV, so it carries a lot of hallmarks of that engine, particularly its turn-based combat and 16-bit inspired visuals.

Acting as a sort of hybrid between the world of Harry Potter and the gameplay of classic Final Fantasy games, Lawmage Academy has you playing as a student of the Magisterium for wizards.

As a Lawmage, students must learn to defend the world from the threat of magical creatures. This begins with the students being enrolled in one of four houses, where they will learn how to invoke spells, brew potions, and more… Read More

(AsianJournal) LEADING U.S. IMMIGRATION ATTORNEY MICHAEL J. GURFINKEL (TOP LEFT) ANSWERS MORE QUESTIONS FROM KAPAMILYA ABOUT THEIR IMMIGRATION CONCERNS ON A BRAND-NEW CITIZEN PINOY!

Hazel from Virginia Beach, Virginia (bottom left) wants to know the best way to bring her sister to the U.S., when she was initially petitioned by her mother in 2010 as single, but got married in 2011.

Perly from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (bottom right) asks about her daughter who applied for a tourist visa and was denied twice. The reason for denial is because the daughter has an existing petition. However, that petition has already been revoked. What is the best way to get Perly’s daughter to the U.S. when she is now 35 years old and married?

Mary Grace from Bocaue, Bulacan in the Philippines (top right) was petitioned by her parent in 2009, and it will be current soon. The petition includes her daughters. The eldest now has a daughter of her own. Can Mary Grace bring her granddaughter to the U.S. under the same petition?

Get the answers to these questions on a brand-new episode of “Citizen Pinoy” this Sunday, April 18 at 5:30 pm PT (8:30 pm ET thru select Cable/Satellite providers)… Read More