SINCE March, 74 health care workers of Filipino ancestry have died of COVID-19 in the United States. The number is nearly double the fatalities of individuals working in the same sector back in the Philippines. In the United Kingdom, where around 20,000 Filipinos are employed in the national health care system, 41 deaths have been…
LOS Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti recently honored a Filipina American registered nurse who died of COVID-19 after coming out of retirement to rejoin the front lines once the outbreak hit the city. During his daily briefing on Friday, May 22, the mayor spoke about Rosary Celaya Castro-Olega, 63, the first health care professional to succumb…
MORE Los Angeles County residents can get checked for the coronavirus as the area’s largest testing site opened on Tuesday, May 26 at Dodger Stadium. Up to 6,000 people are now able to go through the drive-thru process on a daily basis, allowing the county to test more individuals than it has in the past…
Asian Americans are the leading consumer segment in the United States in favor of digital devices and streaming platforms as alternatives to traditional television consumption, according to a new report released by Nielsen this week. The report entitled, “Engaging Asian American Consumers at the Dawn of a New Decade,” found that Asian Americans are spending…
LOS ANGELES County is easing more restrictions ahead of the long weekend, despite reaching over 2,000 coronavirus deaths earlier this week. The county Department of Public Health confirmed 35 new deaths and 1,072 additional cases of COVID-19 on Friday, May 22, bringing the totals to 2,049 deaths and 43,052 positive cases. Of the latest deaths,…
Parts of Nevada are back in business, but the fate of casinos and gaming stations remains in limbo. Governor Steve Sisolak announced the first phase of reopening the state at the end of April, however, missing was guidance on the hospitality and entertainment industries that draw over 40 million visitors to Las Vegas each year….
ERIN Entrada Kelly is a product of 1980s pop culture, from having names for each Cabbage Patch doll to collecting sticker books to rewatching “E.T.” countless times. But what the author — who was born in Lake Charles, Louisiana to a Filipina mother and a white father — remembers the most from her elementary school…
From denouncing anti-Asian sentiments to explaining economic relief options, several Filipino American elected officials in California came together in a recent town hall to share resources available to the community during the coronavirus pandemic. Hosted by the Pilipino American Los Angeles Democrats (PALAD) on Saturday, May 2, the conversation included officials on the federal, state…
The Filipino American student from Jacksonville, Florida who was accepted to all eight Ivy League schools will be part of Yale University’s class of 2024. Craig McFarland, 18, has committed to the prestigious university in New Haven, Connecticut, he revealed in a recent interview with the Asian Journal. In total, 17 colleges and universities across…
As California Governor Gavin Newsom announced a plan this week to begin loosening some restrictions, Filipino American business owners whose retail stores have been closed for the past two months are mulling whether to reopen under new modifications. Newsom on Monday, May 4 unveiled stage two of reopening lower-risk workplaces — which were previously deemed…
For the past 16 years, Celia Lardizabal Marcos was a telemetry charge nurse at a Hollywood area hospital — the same hospital where she died of complications related to the novel coronavirus on Friday, April 17. Two days before her death, the 61-year-old Filipina nurse was admitted to CHA Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center, where she…
At 81 years old, Dr. Arthur Tayengco had no plans of retiring and continued seeing patients at his private practice along Charleston Blvd in Las Vegas. An obstetrician-gynecologist for over 50 years, Tayengco practiced until he physically couldn’t anymore after he contracted COVID-19, the disease linked to the novel coronavirus. “He loved medicine. He just…
WITH the city of Los Angeles’ stay-at-home order that took effect nearly two months ago, restaurants have been limited to take-out and delivery, or faced the decision to close. Opening a restaurant would seemingly be among the last things to do in this climate, but a new Filipino American takeaway spot has pushed ahead with…
Angelo and Marilou Cortes planned to celebrate their 30th wedding anniversary with a trip to Europe in June. However, the coronavirus took Angelo’s life, and along with it, their travel plans. Cortes, a 58-year-old design engineer and father of two from La Habra, California, died on April 10 from complications related to COVID-19. “My dad…
More Filipino American restaurants in Southern California are joining the effort to feed local front-liners as well as families affected by the coronavirus pandemic. Filipino fusion restaurant Silog in Torrance — which temporarily closed its physical location in late March following safer at home orders — launched a $5,000 GoFundMe campaign this month to bring…
With health care workers fighting on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic, several Filipino American restaurants and groups are expressing their appreciation by delivering meals and other essential supplies. Kabisera, a cafe in Manhattan’s East Village, has been doing “coffee runs” — serving caffeinated beverages and merienda (snacks) — for the past 10 days…
In a season five episode of NBC sitcom “Superstore,” Cloud 9 employees Mateo (Nico Santos) and Marcus (Jon Barinholtz) get into a heated argument in Tagalog, surprising many Filipino viewers to hear the language on American television. Mateo: “Tarantado ka talaga!” Marcus: “Narinig ko ‘yon, gago!” Mateo: “Kapal ng mukha mo, alam kong ikaw kumuha…
A Filipino American father of three from the Inland Empire was laid to rest on Wednesday, April 15, a week after succumbing to complications related to the novel coronavirus. Jorel Alfonso, 38, died of COVID-19 on April 7, according to his family. A resident of Eastvale in Riverside County, he is survived by his wife…
Adrien Salazar knocked on hundreds of doors ahead of the New Hampshire primary and organized #FilipinosforBernie gatherings in Oakland and Los Angeles leading up to Super Tuesday this past March. Salazar was one of the thousands of Filipino Americans across the country who rallied behind Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, actively shared his platform on social…
In light of the coronavirus pandemic, Filipino Americans around the country — particularly small business owners and those in the health care field — are trying to navigate how to survive on a daily basis. Fil-Am restaurants, which have been staples in their communities for years and have even garnered awards and mainstream attraction, are…
For several Filipino American designers, the spring season usually brings in orders for wedding dresses, debutante gowns, and outfits for other special occasions. But amid the coronavirus pandemic, cities like Los Angeles have ordered the closure of nonessential businesses and put large gatherings on hold. Instead of sitting idly by, designers are re-shifting their focus…
Nevada Senator Catherine Cortez Masto recently released a guide for residents seeking assistance, from unemployment insurance to health care services, during the coronavirus pandemic. The senator’s guide came alongside the passage of the historic $2.2 trillion relief bill last Thursday, March 26, which was subsequently signed by President Donald Trump. The plan will send direct payments…
A Filipina American detective of the Santa Rosa Police Department, who became California’s first line-of-duty death related to the novel coronavirus, was honored with a procession of patrol cars through the North Bay on Friday, April 3. Marylou Armer, 43, was a 20-year veteran of the department and succumbed to the illness on Tuesday, March…
CALIFORNIA Senator Kamala Harris denounced the rise of anti-Asian violence and discrimination in the United States and called on more protections for vulnerable populations, including front-line workers. Harris, the first South Asian American senator, said she’s confronted members of the Trump administration on its usage of calling the coronavirus, the “Chinese Virus” or “Wuhan Virus,”…
Filipino American media professionals are paying tribute to veteran CBS News journalist and talent executive Maria Mercader who died over the weekend from the coronavirus. Born and raised in New York, Mercader, 54, spent over 30 years at CBS as a producer and most recently was a director of talent strategy. The Filipina American journalist…
As hospitals across Southern California run low on supplies for front-liners fighting the coronavirus outbreak, a Filipina American medical professional is using her connections to TV shows for donations to fill those needs. Mel Oliver, a cardiovascular perfusionist and emergency medical technician in Los Angeles, has helped secure boxes of masks, gloves and other gear from…
Kyle Navarro, a Filipino American school nurse, was unlocking his bike on a San Francisco sidewalk after delivering prescription glasses to a student when he noticed an older white man staring at him. He initially brushed off the glare, until the man walked past him, looked back and yelled a derogatory term used against people…
LOOKING to unleash your inner chef and finally master some Filipino dishes during this stay-at-home period? There’s a new cookbook with the premise of “easy” savory and sweet recipes from pork sisig to ginataang bilo bilo (rice balls in sweet coconut milk). “The Easy Filipino Cookbook: 100 Classics Made Simple” — released on March 24…
A Filipina American pastry chef and entrepreneur from Southern California won a recent episode of Food Network’s “Chopped Sweets.” Ginger Lim-Dimapasok, the owner of ube-centric bakery Café 86, triumphed during the Monday, March 16 episode of “Chopped Sweets” entitled “Carnival Crunch Time.” “Chopped Sweets,” a spinoff of the network’s popular show “Chopped,” features four bold…
ONLY two hospitals in the city of Los Angeles received the highest five-star rating from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) this past January — and one of them is in the heart of Historic Filipinotown and is run by a Filipina American. Formerly known as the Silver Lake Medical Center, the Los…
