Who was Ninoy? Tarlac-born Benigno S. Aquino Jr. was the leading opponent of President Ferdinand Marcos. Ninoy would have been president had Marcos not declared martial law and forced him into exile in the US.

Even as family and friends who were worried over his safety discouraged him from returning home, Ninoy came back on August 21, 1983, and was assassinated. His killing struck a chord in the consciousness of Filipinos and became one of the pivotal points that led to history turning with the 1986 People Power Revolution.

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Angelo Mathay, an undocumented child brought to America by his mother, was never able to attend his father’s funeral in the Philippines because he would be refused entry to the US.

Los Angeles–A standing-room-only crowd filled Remy’s Place on Temple Art Gallery last week for a special book party in conjunction with the Smithsonian/University of Hawaii exhibition, Singgalot:  The Ties that Bind, on the history of Filipino immigration to the US that closes in October 2008.

The book, Underground Undergrads:  UCLA Undocumented Students Speak Out, profiles eight UCLA students, half of them Asian American, who describe the plight of undocumented college students who were brought as young children to the US and their struggle to complete their education.  They are unable to legally work, obtain drivers licenses in California, and are barred from many other rights afforded their classmates.

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• Our newest Innerview is on furniture designer Ann Pamintuan. Did you know this know the Davao-based artist never went to art school? Everything, she says, she learned the hard way. “I trust my creative instincts and my love for creating beautiful objects,” she adds.
• We love paper and notebooks, and we love this new notebook by designer Marge Defensor Manalaysay. Catch her at the Rockwell Urban Bazaar this weekend.
• Contributor Joan Lopez Flores shares this story of a Frenchman with a big heart, who provided shelter, clothing, and love to countless Filipino children who were abused, lost, or found in the streets.
• Jansport gathers a number of Pinoy artists who exemplify its indie roots.
• Coconut milk is a main ingredient in many Pinoy dishes. Singapore-based celebrity chef Lisa Leong says that a dash or a dose of coconut oil and coconut milk in everyday meals is a big step in a healthy lifestyle.
• Your cover on Art In Site magazine: this upcoming magazine for artists, by artists, and about artists is inviting 3,000 Pinoy artists to create a cover each.
• Artist Jonathan Olazo’s installation at the Lopez Museum is a lesson on restoration.

Image: “Dalaw kay Tatay” by Leon B. Dista
All rights reserved

They call it the “tree of life” and for a good reason: with its meat, juice, oil, and milk, the coconut has nourished generations the world over. In the Philippines, where 68 of 79 provinces are coconut areas, the coconut industry supports more than 25 million Filipinos and has more than 50 percent share of overall world exports in coconut. [Source: Philcoa]

From Aparri to Jolo, coconut milk is a regular in Pinoy kitchens. Bicol express, ginataan [tropical fruits stewed in coconut cream], biko [rice cake], even mongo soup, would never taste right without coconut milk.

Another of coconut’s byproducts, the coconut oil, has become a part of many Filipinos’ diet. Coconut milk is known for its healing properties. It retards aging and has natural antioxidants that reduce the risk of cancer. It also possesses antimicrobial and antiviral properties. Many people swear by its health benefits. What was once “an apple a day keeps the doctor away” has become “A teaspoon of coconut oil a day keeps the doctor away.”

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Contemporary artist Jonathan Olazo’s  installation work, “Healing Achilles,” takes off from the “Diaphanous Series” exhibit his father Romulo Olaza developed through printmaking in the late 1960s. The younger Olazo’s installation consists of large-scale paintings, light boxes, and mouse traps.

The paintings, borrowed from his father, were exhibited in the 1980s at the Cultural Center of the Philippines. Jonathan had found these stocked in his grandfather’s bodega [storeroom] in Pasay City for almost two decades.

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Artist Marge Defensor Manalaysay’s Design & Journal Book aims to “engage individuals, particularly Filipino children, in creative writing and illustration, to develop their compositional skills and enhance their imagination.”

The notebook (PhP550) has graphed, lined, and blank sketch pages made of high-quality paper. What we love most about it is its nature-inspired patterns: butterflies, birds, dragonflies, and flowers. Notebook lovers that we are, we just can’t wait to fill up these pages!

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