AFTER vetoing the proposed Magna Carta for the Poor, Pres. Benigno S. Aquino III faced the ire of The Catholic Bishops of the Conference (CBCP) — including the proponents of the said bill. Executive Secretary of the CBCP–National Secretariat for Social Action Fr. Edu Gariguez expressed disappointment over the president’s decision. “If this government will…
President Obama has nominated a prominent and generally well-qualified civil rights attorney for Secretary of Labor, Thomas Perez. Mr. Perez is presently Assistant Attorney General in charge of the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) civil rights division. He is being attacked by Republicans who may block his confirmation because of his contentious civil rights positions. Although…
IN THE Central American Republic of Santa Banana, public opinion polls are routinely conducted to determine how candidates for political office rank, ostensibly based on the preferences of the voters. But the way the surveys are conducted is pretty much like the system used by the most popular photographic studio in the country, the Santa…
CATHOLICS all over the world celebrate Holy Week with a new pope: His Eminence, Pope Francis I. Chosen by a conclave of 115 cardinals on March 13, Jorge Mario Cardinal Bergoglio, a 76-year old Jesuit priest from Argentina, is now the leader of more than 1.2 billion Catholics in the world. He has made history…
BEFORE we look forward to Easter Sunday, we are given a week-long final reminder of the implications of Christ’s Resurrection, from the cross to our daily lives. Far more than the happy ending is the journey we must all share with God’s only begotten son. Last Sunday, newly installed Pope Francis encouraged Catholics to be…
LAST Wednesday, I wrote about the plan being discussed in the Senate to decrease the number of family visas to give priority to employment-based petitions, specifically for highly-skilled workers. Although there is no final proposal yet, the petitions that may likely be eliminated are those by US citizens on behalf of adult, married children and…
SMOKING kills, as advertisements would say it, but it remains a choice. If you smoke, you know that cigarettes are harmful to your health, but you still choose to do it, no matter how society tries to stop you. This week, professionals in the international tobacco industry, visitors and exhibitors are all looking forward to…
POOR Jun Magsaysay and Dick Gordon must be agonizing over what they should do to improve their rankings in the current senatorial race. Should they learn to dance Gangnam style like some lady candidates? Should they appropriate a movie star girlfriend? Should Dick be more likeable? Should Jun wave the “Magsaysay is my Guy” flag,…
ONE of the more compelling reasons why many kababayans are pushing for the passing of a comprehensive immigration reform is to facilitate the speeding up of family reunification. This is especially true for those who have been waiting for many years for their ates or kuyas (with their spouses and kids) to finally re-join the family, after being left behind in…
Habemus Papam. “We have a pope.” The Vatican has finally chosen its new pontiff in 76-year-old Argentine Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, who has been named as Pope Francis. As the symbolic white smoke clears and rejoicing among Catholics linger, expectations from the new pontiff remain high — will he be able to revive the Catholic…
I HAVE been following and writing about the conclave and the election of Pope Benedict XVI’s successor. But I was pleasantly surprised by my own emotions, when I saw white smoke coming out of the chimney of the Sistine Chapel. I was glued to the TV screen just before I drove to the TFC studio…
THE joke among so-called undocumented Mexicans in California is that they did not illegally cross the US border. The US border crossed them. The other joke is that Europeans were the original TNTs in the New World. The Sultan of Sulu, Jamalul Kiram III, might have a better appreciation of his chances to reclaim Sabah…
VOTING in American Idol. Campaigning for Archbishop Luis Antonio Tagle for the Papacy. Voting for a Pinoy to be CNN Hero of the Year. Participating in the Philippine and US Presidential elections. What compels Filipinos to momentarily drop what they are doing and deviate a little from their everyday routine in life (be it work, household chores, their…
And so the conclave begins. 115 cardinals, representing all Roman Catholics from all over the world, have gathered in Vatican City to elect the Church’s new pope. Only when a cardinal receives at least 77 of the votes and accepts the new position will the white smoke come out from the Sistine Chapel chimney-signaling that…
AS THE world awaits the Cardinals in the Vatican to start the conclave and elect the next Pope, Catholics debate on the qualities they wish to be embodied by the next leader of the Roman Catholic Church. Before the Cardinals were ordered not to speak out about the impending election of Benedict XVI’s (who resigned…
MARCH 8 is International Women’s Day. Historically, this day has been observed since the early 1900’s — “a time of great expansion and turbulence in the industrialized world that saw booming population growth and the rise of radical ideologies,” saysInternationalWomensDay.com. “In accordance with a declaration by the Socialist Party of America, the first National Woman’s…
AS THE world awaits the Cardinals in the Vatican to start the conclave and elect the next Pope, Catholics debate on the qualities they wish to be embodied by the next leader of the Roman Catholic Church. Before the Cardinals were ordered not to speak out about the impending election of Benedict XVI’s (who resigned…
TODAY, the world has 1,426 billionaires (people with personal wealth of $1 billion as of January) accounting to a total net worth of $5.4 trillion. 11 of them are Filipinos. “Resurgent asset prices are the driving force behind the rising wealth of the super-rich around the globe. While last year almost as many fortunes fell…
AFTER the Pope Benedict XVI’s resignation on February 28, the Roman Catholic Church may have a new leader before the beginning of Holy Week (on March 24, Palm Sunday). St. Peter, the first leader of the Catholic Church, was believed by Catholics to be selected by Jesus when He told him: “Come with me and…
ON TUESDAY, March 5, Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander communities are urged to exercise their right to vote for the 2013 Primary Municipal Elections in the City of Los Angeles. The Asian Pacific American Legal Center (APALC) is advocating for these communities’ active participation in the municipal elections, through the Your Vote Matters!…
THIS week, the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) confirmed that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) started releasing undocumented immigrants being held in immigration jails around the country — days before mandatory budget cuts go into effect across the government. The White House was reportedly never consulted, but the Associated Press reported that President Obama’s spokesperson…
IS NOYNOY Aquino the Moses of the Philippines, leading our country to the Promised Land? Not by any measure of Charleton Heston’s walking stick. For sure, Aquino has repeatedly declared that he is intent on trekking the Straight Path towards institutional reforms. And there are indications that he is determined to do so. But the…
EVERY year, millions of Pinoys go to great and in some cases, drastic lengths to work abroad, in order to pursue better lives for themselves and their families. Many overseas Filipino workers (OFW) are often compelled to work despite unfair and harsh working conditions — enduring long hours, low pay and human rights abuses. We’ve…
DO YOU wish to support the cause of our kababayans, who will benefit from the passage of a true comprehensive immigration reform? Do you email? Are you on Facebook, Twitter, or other social media platforms? Then, there is something you can do. As we reported on The Filipino Channel’s Balitang America last Monday, high-tech leaders…
IN response to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) inquiry on the $5-million reimbursement check released to the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), the United Nations (UN) has denied releasing such a payment. The inquiry was requested by the House of Representatives to the DFA, following the revelations made by former government auditor Heidi…
ON MONDAY, the Philippines will be commemorating the 27th anniversary of EDSA 1 — The 1986 People Power Revolution which freed us from the clutches of a tyrannical ruler. To mark the momentous occasion, President Benigno Aquino III will likely sign a landmark bill that would provide just compensation to thousands of human rights victims…
CALIFORNIA is home to the biggest number of Filipinos in America. It is also the biggest state in the nation in terms of population. According to the new findings released by the Asian American Center for Advancing Justice based on the 2010 US Census, Filipinos have now become the largest Asian American group in California….
DON’T fight fire with fire. China, through its embassy, recently rejected the Philippine government’s “Notifcation and Statement of Claim” before the UN’s arbitration tribunal. The letter, which was handed out by Foreign Affairs Sec. Albert del Rosario last month to Philippine Embassies and Consulates abroad, urges China to desist from unlawful activities that violate the…
THE momentum for a real immigration reform is finally building up: the gang of eight bi-partisan Senators have introduced their immigration reform plan; Pres. Barack Obama supported the plan and pushed for the passing of a comprehensive immigration reform bill within six months; a majority of Americans now support granting qualified undocumented immigrants a path…
ACCORDING to a survey conducted by Gallup, Filipinos get the most love in the world. “The world leader in love is the Philippines, where fully 93 percent of the population reported feeling love,” said University of Michigan Professor and author of the study, Justin Wolfers, in a blog post on Tuesday. Rwanda ranked second at…
