Asian Journal- The Filipino-American Community Newspaper

1. King of the Ring: Pacman rules. After taking down Ricky Hatton and another win against Miguel Cotto, the pound-4-pound king Manny "Pacman" Pacquiao has further made his mark in international boxing. The Floyd Mayweather fight for next year is going through controversies, but whether or not it pushes through, Pacman’s standing as this decade’s greatest fighter.

2. Dancing with the (Fil-Am) stars - Natalie Coughlin, Mark Dacascos and Cheryl Burke. It was a first on US reality television—three stars of Filipino heritage in one show, Dancing With the Stars on ABC. After back-to-back wins on DWTS’ Seasons 2 and 3, dancer-choreographer Cheryl Burke is the only professional dancer to appear in the show three times. Olympic swimmer gold medalist Natalie Coughlin performed for five weeks before being voted out, while Iron Chef America host, martial arts expert and actor Mark "The Chairman" Dacascos danced his way until the seventh week.

3. The little bright star – Charice. After being discovered on YouTube, an appearance on Ellen, appearances on Oprah, joining the stage with diva Celine Dion in Madison Square Garden and other more noteworthy performances in the Philippines, the US and other parts of the world, this diminutive diva has made the Filipinos proud over and over.

4. Batter up - Tim Lincecum. The starting pitcher for the San Francisco Giants has more to show than his long stride, unorthodox mechanics and ability to generate high velocity. Lincecum has won the last two NL Cy Young Awards, the first second-year player to win the Cy Young since Dwight Gooden and Bret Saberhagen both won in 1985. The award is an honor given to the best pitchers in Major League Baseball.

5. Championing the Filipino youth - Efren Peñaflorida. What can a cart, a number of volunteers and determination can do? For Peñaflorida, it can change a young person’s life. Championing the cause of the Filipino youth by bringing education to them via pushcarts, Peñaflorida’s Dynamic Teen Company opened the world’s eyes and was proclaimed CNN’s Hero of the Year. As he said in his speech as he accepted the award, "you are the change that you dream as I am the change that I dream and collectively we are the change that this world needs to be."