Resilience
A YEAR ago, the Philippines welcomed an unwanted visitor. Super Typhoon Yolanda (international name Haiyan) with winds up to 235 kilometers per hour and a tsunami-like storm surge ravaged most…
Category: Opinion & Editorial Columnists
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Will the Republicans’ win over the Democrats in the Midterm Elections be good for America?
The 2014 Midterm Elections are over and the balance of power has tilted in favor of the Republicans. The Grand Old Party (GOP) now controls both the House of Representatives…
Social media, the New Roman Colosseum
The other day, I came upon a shocking news headline on FaceBook, “George W. Bush Arrested for Cocaine Possession.” It was datelined Dallas, Texas, July 24, 2014. Intrigued, I read…
Overlooked
IN most modern societies, politics depend on media for publicity, to encourage supporters and votes. On the other hand, journalists rely on politics to provide them with news to keep…
Remembering my late dad and the bayanihan that saved my family
ALL Saints’ and All Souls’ Days give us Christians the time to pause for a while, to be silent, and remember the people we love who have gone before us….
California’s climate policies put money in your pocket
Do you look closely at your electricity bill? If you don’t, you might have missed something important. California’s policies to clean our air and combat climate change literally put money…
Filipino American leaders debunk misconception that votes don’t count
JUST one week heading to the November 4 midterm elections, a new CNN/ORC international poll revealed that 70 percent of Americans are angry with the country’s direction, and 53 percent…
Make your voices heard on November 4!
In a few days, voters in California will exercise their democratic rights. This year, in addition to selecting political leaders, Californians will decide on no fewer than six statewide propositions…
Are you happy with how the teleserye ‘Ikaw Lamang’ ended?: The Fil-Ams’ verdict
KABABAYANS from all over the world shared one common experience last Friday, October 24: watching the finale of “Ikaw Lamang,” as this top-rating teleserye of ABS-CBN came “full circle,” and…
Kababayans' reactions to the alleged murder of Jennifer Laude by US Marine suspect
THE brutal murder of transgender Filipina Jennifer Laude has galvanized protests among kababayans from coast to coast here in the United States on two fronts: against the Visiting Forces Agreement…
Nognog vs. Utak-haciendero
THE trouble with hiring “creative” advertising and PR geniuses for one’s political campaign is that they can get carried away by their creativity. Take the Liberal Party’s demolition strategy against…
Profitable
WHEN IT comes to travel and leisure, politicking should be set aside. Tourism is an ideal, if not obvious, source of growth for a country teeming with natural resources, renowned…
Do you agree with PNoy who said despite Laude’s murder, VFA should not be scrapped?
THE murder of transgender Filipina Jennifer Laude in Olangapo City last October 11, allegedly by US Marine Joseph Pemberton, has added fuel to the fire of nationalist activists who continue…
The Untapped Asian American Swing Vote
WITH less than two weeks until the 2014-midterm elections, many races are still undecided. What many political leaders have failed to recognize is that there is a large, yet relatively…
Exasperated
IN any business, feedback is an essential tool in determining success. A good businessman would know that for his business to really succeed, he must know what his customer base…
Alay ng TFC: ASAP LIVE sa LA and a Balitang America Award
BLESSINGS continue to pour in for The Filipino Channel’s 20th year celebration with the opportunity to give back to all our kapamilyas in North America. Just last Tuesday, TFC’s daily…
Taken for granted
MY San Francisco Bay Area colleague and dear friend, Rodel Rodis, has just written an opinion piece in the Philippine Daily Inquirer entitled, “A sometimes clueless president.” It bewails what,…
Recognition
LAND of the free, home of the brave and a nation of immigrants. In one of his Independence Day speeches, Pres. Barack Obama said that immigration makes America stronger. “Immigration…
Protecting your family against Ebola: Handa ka na ba?
Kababayans in Texas have been feeling scared and vulnerable when the news broke about 100 people in Dallas were exposed to Ebola patient Thomas Duncan. There are about 35,000 Filipinos…
Demolishing Binay and the Erap phenomenon
WITH the September Pulse Asia survey on presidential preferences already hitting the papers, the ABB (Anyone But Binay) Brigade must be giddy with joy. I was furnished a copy of…
Kababayans respond to new immigration benefits for the undocumented
FILIPINOS have expressed mixed reactions over new bills enacted into law in California that will help undocumented immigrants be able to work and live in America without fear of imminent…
Negligence
AFTER weeks of ignoring reports of recruitment by the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) in the southern part of the country, the Philippines has heightened its security in…
With new benefits for undocumented immigrants in CA, should other states follow?
Gridlock in Congress may have stalled the passing of the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Bill, but undocumented immigrants in California will now enjoy immigration benefits despite their status. This has been…
Flip-flop, flip-flop, flip-flop
IN THE 2004 US presidential elections, the Republicans portrayed George W. Bush as a man of firm conviction, steadfast, decisive, the kind of leader America needed in fighting the war…
Dead weight
PRESIDENT Benigno Aquino III on Monday, Sept. 22 challenged his administration’s critics to file charges against his allies if they really believe that these officials have been corrupt. “The Ombudsman…