I WAS quite touched by popular Showtime host Vice Ganda’s effort to use his celebrity status to help a 16-year-old student who has been a victim of bullying. As Balitang America reported, Kapamilya star Vice Ganda gave an inspiring advice to Pamela Reyes who came to the noon time program “It’s Showtime” to ask for…

THE United States has stepped up its support in favor of the Philippines in the escalating tension in the West Philippine Sea, amid China’s alleged bullying of smaller claimants in the disputed areas. The US’ message is clear: it does not recognize China’s claim over the area where it has reportedly reclaimed islands and built…

I HOPE you all have a happy Memorial Day weekend, and most especially to our World War II veterans and their families who have been waiting to receive what they believe they have earned through their service to the US military during the war. Pensions and benefits are important, but what has been most frustrating…

IN its latest effort yet to help qualified undocumented immigrants in America, which include many kababayans, the Obama administration asked the US Court of Appeals on Monday, May 18 to set aside a court order that blocks the implementation of the President’s executive order that aims to provide relief to about four million people unlawfully…

AFTER a successful state visit to Canada and a meeting with Fil-Am community leaders in Chicago, President Noynoy Aquino’s return to Manila has reignited the curiosity of many kababayans as to who PNoy will anoint in the May 2016 Presidential Elections, which will be happening in less than a year. For the longest time, many…

NO matter how much we Filipinos pride ourselves in being resilient and blessed with the unbelievable grace of moving on after a loss, there are just times when we seem to need more supernatural power to shake off our disappointment. Such is the case over the defeat of our Pambansang Kamao Manny Pacquiao to the…

BALITANG America shared with kababayans on The Filipino Channel the not-so-good news, especially for those who are hoping that President Barack Obama’s executive order on immigration will finally be given the green light for implementation. Just a day before its supposed implementation that would benefit up to five million immigrants who are living in the…

WHAT would you do if your own young son was forced by police officers to fight another inmate more than twice his size, gladiator style, just so they have a source of cheap entertainment in their place of work? What would you do if this son was threatened not only to be deprived of food,…

HAPPY EASTER! May the following collection of quotes and verses inspire you to live a new life in the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ! “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do…

THIS season of Lent, we as Christians are once again made to introspect and answer as honestly as possible: Do we really believe in God? Do we really believe with all our heart that we should just put all our trust in Him to make all things work together for the good? It is easy…

EVERY now and then we hear horrible stories of kababayans who put their trust in another Filipino only to find out that their trust, — and yes, desperation for many — had caused them to be victimized by the very people they thought would help them give their families a better life by working in…

MONTHS after the botched terror mission in Mamasapano that claimed the lives of at least 65 people, including 44 Special Action Force (SAF) troopers, the trust and approval rating of President Benigno Aquino III has fallen to its lowest level yet. The President’s addition to the confusion about the issue could have contributed to this,…

Is the President and Commander-in-Chief Benigno Aquino III “ultimately responsible” for the botched Mamasapano anti-terror operation that claimed the lives of at least 60 people, including 44 elite Special Action Force troopers last January 25? This was the question that begged to be answered throughout the investigations conducted on Oplan Exodus, the mission to neutralize…

ONLY a month left before the deadline for filing taxes! While many kababayans may have already filed their tax returns, others tend to procastinate, or worse, have not been fulfilling this obligation dutifully and honestly. Unfortunately, you MAY be among those who can be easy targets for this tax scam. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS)…

THE debate as to whether Former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo’s human rights are violated, or if her arrest for alleged plunder has once again been re-ignited by the news that Attorney Amal Clooney (also known as Mrs. George Clooney) is now defending Arroyo, and has reportedly requested the United Nations to release the former president…

FEAR cripples many undocumented immigrants in America, especially after a federal judge in Texas blocked the implementation of President Barack Obama’s executive orders on immigration, which aims to protect about five million qualified undocumented immigrants from deportation. This fear also makes those who stay and work in America illegally become susceptible to scammers who capitalize…

THE deal has been done, the vote is over, and the bill is now delivered to President Barack Obama’s desk for his signature. The Department of Homeland Security will not run out of money anymore. With a vote of 257-167, the House cleared legislation last Tuesday, March 3 that will keep the agency operating through…

FORMER NBA player Daniel Orton should have known this a long time ago: Pambansang Kamao Manny Pacquiao should not be openly and publicly criticized if you do not want to suffer the consequences of “insulting” the Philippine icon from the hands of his legions of fans in the name of Pinoy pride. Forget about free…

AFTER six years of waiting and speculations, swinging from hope to despair among fans, fiesty jabs on social media between both camps — the dream boxing bout will finally come true on May 2, 2015. Our Pambansang Kamao Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr. will fight in the ring to answer the nagging question among…

About 5 million undocumented immigrants, including many kababayans, will now have to wait again after a federal judge from Texas ruled to stall the implementation of President Barack Obama’s executive orders on immigration, pending the decision of the court on its constitutionality. “I disagree with the Texas judge’s ruling and the Justice Department will appeal,”…

FOR many undocumented immigrants in America, to finally be granted the privilege to drive with a state-issued license is a step closer to their dream of living in America without fear. This dream possessed by undocumented immigrants in California, including many kababayans, has become possible through AB 60. This development in the state with the…

I CONFESS. I am a hopeless romantic. I love romantic comedies. I cry watching love stories — whether the ending is a happy or a sad one. Today is Valentines’ Day. Let me be cheesy and mushy. Here are some of the “kilig” love quotes I found in different sources that want to share with…

“THE use of the air waves is not a right, but a privilege.” This was one of the things I learned as a student and later on as an Instructor at the University of the Philippines College of Mass Communication which has stayed with me all through the more than two decades practicing my profession…

THE resurgence of measles in the past year has revived the debate over the need and the urgency for the government to use its police power and  require parents to have their kids be vaccinated. Even as far back as 2008, the Yale Journal of Biology and Medicine has been warning: “The United States is…

IN light of the current measles outbreak in the United States, Americans are debating: Should children in the nation be required to be vaccinated? What should prevail – parental choice or public health and welfare? While in the Philippines, measles (or “tigdas” as we call it back home) continues to be a problem among the…

#NasaanAngPangulo has been a trending topic among Filipinos all over the world on social media, asking where Philippine President Benigno Aquino was, and why he was not at Villamor Airbase last Thursday, Jan. 29 to welcome and honor the remains of the 44 Special Action Force commandos brutally killed in a botched mission against terrorists…

THE thought that hundreds of poor street children in Manila could have a once-in-a-lifetime experience of having a vacation at a resort — complete with comfortable lodging facilities, good food and fun activities— even just for a few days sounds really great. Not in their wildest dreams, perhaps, would they even think this would be…

IN his sixth State of the Union address delivered to the American people before the joint session of Congress last January 20, President Barack Obama declared that after coming from a recession and being engaged in two wars when he first assumed office in 2008, “the verdict is clear.” “America, for all that we’ve endured;…

PRESIDENT Barack Obama must be feeling upbeat and positive ahead of his State of the Union Address (SOTU) on Jan. 20, 2015. After a dip in the polls following major challenges in the past two years, the Washington Post-ABC news Poll results show that Obama now enjoys a 50 percent approval rating — the highest…

WE may be thousands of miles and an ocean away from the Philippines, but many Filipinos in America share the excitement and the blessedness as the beloved Leader of the Catholic Church, Pope Francis, visits our Motherland. As Filipinos in Los Angeles kept the tradition alive as they celebrated the “Sinulog” — the Feast of…