BILATERAL ties between the Philippines and China have begun to warm up as soon as President Rodrigo Duterte stepped into office. Following his early anti-American outbursts, Duterte vowed to carry out an independent foreign policy, one that seeks to distance Manila from Washington, but makes overtures toward Beijing. True enough, Chinese investors are lining up…
LOS ANGELES – Health officials from Los Angeles County, Long Beach, Pasadena, and Orange County, unveiled new survey findings regarding the availability and marketing of tobacco, alcohol, and food products in local corner stores and food markets across the Los Angeles region. The survey results found that stores located near schools still promoted and sold…
DESPITE her predicament, a defiant Senator Leila De Lima denounced the recent move by government prosecutors to prohibit all parties from discussing the senator’s cases in public. “I refuse to be gagged. Gagging me would be a violation of my rights. They cannot continue violating my rights. I shall continue to speak up on issues…
SOME say that a governance needs a good opposition to bring out the best in itself. Will this hold true for a government that is marred by a political rumble where supremacy is tested and egos are displayed? The three great departments of the Philippine government—the Executive (President), Legislative (Senate and House of Representatives) and…
AS Filipinos commemorate the 31st anniversary of the EDSA (People Power) revolution this year, they are not called to dramatize the wrongdoings of the past. Instead, they should do so with a critical understanding of the aspirations and the historical realities that made this movement the catalyst for a democracy that most Filipinos enjoy today….
POLITICAL reform in the Philippines is hounded by high public expectation because of untold amounts of corruption and law-breaking by public officials for years. It is like a mirage that never truly materializes; it recedes the closer we try to get to it. There are those who maintain a level of cynicism toward the political…
THE relationship between government and religion has always been a complicated matter in the Philippines, one that is both a desensitized and hardly discussed issue. As a predominantly Catholic nation, where 86 percent of its population is Roman Catholic, it has become a Filipino’s moral obligation to live by the Church’s teachings—or at least respect…
A FAREWELL mass was held on Wednesday, February 1 at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in Los Angeles, in honor of Bishop Oscar Solis, who was recently appointed as bishop of the Diocese of Salt Lake City, Utah by Pope Francis. Solis will be installed on Tuesday, March 7, making him the…
IN recent months, when the Philippine government ushered in a new leadership under President Rodrigo Duterte, members of the police seemed to be invincible. Because they’re the government’s first line of defense—and offense—against the war it waged on illegal drugs and criminality, the police managed to remain unscathed, despite mounting poor public perception and criticisms…
A NEW dawn awaits as the United States is perceived to undergo dramatic changes in its political, economic and social arenas under Donald Trump’s presidency. The coming change is also expected to impact not just its people, but America’s relationship with other nations, including with the Philippines. Under the rapprochement between the U.S. and the…
THE Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is turning 50 years old this year. The 10-member organization will celebrate a milestone, from starting as a loosely constructed regional association at the height of the Cold War to becoming a stable organization that has overcome a myriad of challenges that have come its way. Perhaps the…
HOW is it like being on Broadway? It’s so exciting here, there are so many opportunities. And to somehow represent the Filipino community on Broadway is really cool, too. Was it how you imagined it to be? And more. To make my Broadway debut in a principal role is really awesome. I keep saying it…
Among the top resolutions people make when the new year comes around is getting their finances on the right track. The promise of new beginnings and the burden of self-improvement help people look back to a year’s worth of regrets. Aside from spending more time with family or trying to be healthy, we all certainly…
DESPITE efforts by President Rodrigo Duterte to vociferously fight the drug crisis in the country, many still refuse to see its success. Whether they are guilty or not, the staggering numbers of people who have been killed cannot hide the growing level of violence and impunity in the country. The gruesome photographs of blood-soaked corpses…
“I WILL continue to fight against things I do not believe in. If being an opposition leader entails that, then I will be an opposition leader,” Vice Pres. Leni Robredo told the media after she resigned from Pres. Rodrigo Duterte’s Cabinet last week. Robredo quit being the chairperson of the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating…
THE Philippines has been a victim of drug abuse. This is why Pres. Rodrigo Duterte personally waged war on illegal drugs during his campaign. He promised to rid the country of drugs and crime not only at the streets but also at the higher echelons of society. In doing so, he warned that 100,000 people…
BEING able to get a driver’s license is an enormous step in a person’s life, whether the new driver is a teen or older. Once the ability to drive is earned, a car and the freedom to travel without the help of others symbolize independence for many, regardless of age. However, a driver’s license should…
AS soon as she took a stand against the rising cases of alleged extrajudicial killings in the Philippines, Sen. Leila De Lima put a target on her back. When she criticized the government’s bloody war on drugs, she was chastised. Some lawmakers are now hell-bent on linking the senator to the illegal drug trade at…
WHEN it comes to bioscience, the state universities that flank downtown Los Angeles—Cal State LA to the east and UCLA in the west—are teaming up. A new training program between the two schools will provide recently graduated UCLA doctoral students doing postdoctoral research with experience in integrating lab work with innovative teaching in the fields…
WHEN news broke out on Friday, November 18 that former Pres. Ferdinand E. Marcos has interred at the Libingan ng mga Bayani (Heroes’ Cemetery), it lit a fire. Public opposition is at high as more people mounting protests and unfurling banners saying that the former president “is no hero.” For some, the LNMB hold’s the…
What happens in Vegas, doesn’t always stay in Vegas. For Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief Director General Ronal “Bato” Dela Rosa, his recent sojourn to Las Vegas, Nevada could have easily been a trip of a lifetime. He was there last November 5, to witness Sen. Manny Pacquiao slug it out with Mexican-American boxer Jessie…
Thanksgiving is a particularly American holiday. The word evokes images of football, family reunions, roasted turkey with stuffing, pumpkin pie and, of course, shopping. However, the holiday is much more than that. In 1609, a group of Puritans fleeing religious persecution in England moved to Holland. They -lived in Holland for a number of…
Prevalent peace and order, unperturbed nature and ecological wonders, world-class accommodations, and the genuine hospitality of the people boost up the prospects for tourist influx into Davao City and surrounding areas. A group of major travel operators and media representatives from Japan literally made the discovery of Davao City’s best-kept secrets during a four-day visit…
THE burial of Former Pres. Ferdinand Marcos at the Libingan ng mga Bayani (Heroes’ Cemetery) was given a go signal by the Supreme Court on Tuesday, Nov. 8. Voting 9-5, the high court has put an end to the highly contested and heavily debated issue, dismissing the petition filed by human rights groups, and victims…
NO more cussing. This was promised by President Rodrigo Duterte as he narrated how God has put a stop to his verbal rants upon his arrival from a state visit to Japan. “I was looking at the skies as I was coming over here. Everybody was asleep snoring. A voice said that you know ‘If you…
LOS ANGELES City Councilmember Mitch O’Farrell, the Board of Public Works (BPW), Bureau of Street Lighting, and community stakeholders on Wednesday, October 26 officially unveiled a streetlight project that improves pedestrian safety, and transforms the look and feel of one of the busiest commercial corridors in the 13th District. O’Farrell and BPW Commissioner Joel Jacinto…
AS the saying goes, it only takes one rotten apple to ruin the whole bunch because the decay can quickly spread to the good ones. Such is the case of police officers, whose indiscretion left at least 50 individuals hurt as the dispersal of protestors in front of the United States Embassy in Manila turned…
By: Luisa Blue, BSN As a nurse, I have had the privilege to care for patients and help them get better. Few things are more rewarding, which is why so many of us who want to help others are drawn to a career in healthcare. My nursing code of ethics calls for me to “practice with…
ON Monday, Oct. 17, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) reported that money sent home by Filipinos living and working abroad reached $2.319 billion—growing at its fastest pace in over two years. This resulted in a 4.6-percent expansion in the amount of money sent home by Filipinos abroad to $17.64 billion in the first eight…
Hordes of Filipino Americans flocked to Echo Park Lake in Los Angeles for the 25th anniversary of the Festival of Philippine Arts and Culture (FPAC) on Saturday, October 8. FPAC is the longest-running Filipino cultural celebration in Southern California, originating in 1992 shortly after the LA riots. It was created to not only unite the…
