Honesty pays
FOR returning $300,000 to its rightful owner, Las Vegas-based and 55-year-old Filipino cab driver Gerardo Gamboa has made his kababayans in the US proud. Yet, despite being lauded and rewarded,…
Category: Opinion & Editorial Columnists
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First Filipina receives same-sex fiance visa in Manila, marries long-time partner in the US
WITH the US Supreme Court’s decision last June — effectively ruling that marriage in America isn’t just a union between a man and a woman — gays and lesbians are…
A faulty concept of right and wrong
WE still have to hear the last word about the Culture of Impunity that is said to pervade our government and the bureaucracy, and there I was, the other day,…
Six Hundred Billion Pesos ($13 Billion) to Prevent Future Typhoon ?and Earthquake Damage in the Philippines
President Aquino is correct that Typhoon Haiyan demonstrates that our efforts to prevent future similar damage should focus on fundamental reforms and “build back better.” However, the price President Aquino…
Make 2014 a great year
As we start a new chapter in our lives, both as individuals and as a community, allow me to share with you these beautiful quotes that I hope will help…
A year of highs and lows
AS 2013 comes to a close, Asian Journal would like to look back into the most significant events that have ensued in this Year of the Snake. 2013 had its…
Different perspectives on the Mayor Junjun Binay issue
NOT even the festive and joyful spirit of the holidays could stop kababayans from sharing their sentiments, in response to the CCTV video that has become viral online. Such video…
‘Balitang America Yearend Report 2013’
Maligayang Pasko po sa inyong lahat! I hope you are having a great time creating wonderful moments and memories with the people that matter most in your life, despite the…
Season of giving
THE Philippines has the longest Christmas season in the world, beginning from December 16 (the start of the Simbang Gabi) until the first Sunday after New Year’s Day, also known…
Season of impunity
WITH Christmas and the new year only a few days away, the overall mood should be festive and celebratory. But with the spate of killings involving journalists and most recently,…
DHS response to TPS petition for Pinoys in America
JUST a few days before Christmas, Filipinos in America (who may have expired visas) are hoping to be permitted to work in the US and travel to the Philippines through…
PNoy finally requests for TPS for Pinoys in the US
I HAVE been reporting about Migrant Heritage Commission’s (MHC)advocacy, calling on the Obama administration to grant Temporary Protected Status (TPS) to Filipinos in America, in the wake of Super Typhoon…
Yolanda: Horror Stories and Heart-Warming Tales
We will continue to hear horror stories in the wake of the devastation inflicted by typhoon Yolanda on Eastern Visayas, particularly Tacloban in Leyte and Guiuan in Samar. Riza, a…
Uncle Sam now after Pacquiao for unpaid taxes?
JUST weeks after the Philippine Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) froze some of boxing icon Manny Pacquiao’s assets for allegedly owing P2.2 billion ($50 million) in taxes, now, our Pambansang…
Anti-Corruption Day
“IT is difficult to overstate the profoundly negative impact that corruption has on society. The abuse of entrusted power for private gain does violence to our values, our prosperity, and…
Readers’ feedback on Obama heckler
LAST week, I wrote about undocumented college student Ju Hong, who heckled President Barack Obama while he was making a speech on immigration reform in San Francisco. Hong also wrote…
A heckler’s open letter to Obama, on the deportation of the undocumented
LAST week, I wrote about how a young undocumented college student heckled President Barack Obama, as he was making a speech about immigration reform in San Francisco. Along with other…
Rehabilitation czar
AFTER almost a month of rescue and relief operations, uncertainty still looms in the Visayas region due to the devastation caused by Typhoon Haiyan. Since last week, multinational forces dispatched…
Manny Pacquiao: An icon should also be a role model
YES, the supporters of Manny Pacquiao are right — the freezing of some of his bank accounts couldn’t have come at a worse time, just days after the Pambansang Kamao…
‘The Convergent Approach’ to chaos
I SINCERELY believe the entire country (particularly my home province of Leyte) should thank Department of Interior and Local Government Secretary Mar Roxas and Social Welfare Secretary Dinky Soliman, as…
Public hero
AS Benjamin Franklin once said, there are only two things certain in life: death and taxes. And no one, not even the great Manny Pacquiao, can escape these certainties. The…
Obama can’t and won’t stop deportation of undocumented immigrants
THANKSGIVING Day for most Americans is THE day for family to be together. It is an important family holiday, perhaps even more important to some, than Christmas day. Leading up…
The big comeback
WITH his explosive punches and dynamic movements, Manny Pacquiao has proven once again that when it comes to boxing, he is still one to beat. “I’m so happy,” Pacquiao said…
When giving thanks is hard to do
THE Thanksgiving tradition of coming together as one family, praying together while holding hands in a circle of faith before enjoying a sumptuous holiday dinner can be a sad and…
Not forgotten
IT HAS been four years since the massacre of 58 individuals (32 of whom were journalists) happened in Ampatuan, Maguindanao province in Mindanao. Yet, justice still has not been served….
Temporary Protected Status for PH gains support in US Senate
THE relentless push of the Fil-Am organization Migrant Heritage Commission (MHC) and other immigrant advocates for the Obama administration to grant the Philippines the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) is gaining…
Maraming salamat po!
WHEN there is despair, it is easy to dwell on the bad news. But from the rubble of tragedy, the best of humanity finds ways to bring back hope–especially for…