Filipino priests to sponsor ‘Pista sa Nayon’ fundraiser
THE Filipino Priests Association of Los Angeles will sponsor a fundraising event on Sunday, October 20, at 5 p.m. the Glendale Civic Auditorium, 1401 N. Verdugo Rd., Glendale, CA 91208….
Category: Features
Covering the week’s most noteworthy feature stories impacting the Filipino-American and Global Filipino community.
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The beginning of the end: Trump impeachment hearing could begin this week
NO ONE is above the law. Not even the president of the United States. The impeachment hearing that may lead to the ouster of Donald J. Trump will begin as…
Cost of living and cost of dying
The Philippines is where my wife and I would love to retire in, but I decided to check out other so-called retirement havens for comparison. An interesting source of information…
Sen. Cortez Masto: For Congress to address climate change, we must recognize its impact on Asian American and Pacific Islander communities
Having been born and raised in Las Vegas, I’m so thrilled to see our community’s growing diversity. I’ve watched an engaged and thriving Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community…
The youth takes charge of the adults’ denial, apathy and inaction on the climate crisis threatening life on earth
HISTORY has again and again documented how the youth has been the driving force of change in society through many generations in different parts of the world. The youth and…
How to help others who may be at risk based on social media posts
SEPTEMBER is National Suicide Prevention Month in the United States. In my effort to help spread awareness on this health crisis that is now the 10th cause of death in…
Helping make the Pasig River commuter system succeed
It’s remarkable, what a long-unopened filing cabinet can yield. On this trip to Manila, we found a faded document with the ambitious heading: “CONCEPT PAPER: A PASIG-BASED COMMUTER TRANSPORT SYSTEM…
What we need to know about suicide, the 10th cause of death in the US
SUICIDE — the act of taking one’s own life. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that in 2017, the 10th cause of death in the United States…
Readers react to proposal to bring back life skills classes
KABABAYANS are fired up after reading my article pushing for the government, in the Philippines and the United States, to bring back life skills subjects that have unfortunately been taken…
In the winter of our lives
IN September 2011, for the Global Summit of Filipinos in the Diaspora convened by the Commission on Filipinos Overseas, then CFO Chair Imelda Nicolas, asked me to write a poem,…
Home economics, house repairs and child care: Schools should bring back survival skill classes for ALL students
STUDENTS of today’s generation are so well trained and proficient in a lot of high-tech skills like computer and internet use, camera techniques, music mixing, editing, online publishing and social…
Amid the growing gun violence in America, do you agree that the NRA is a ‘domestic terrorist’ organization?
TERRORISM, as defined by Britannica, is the systematic use of violence to create a general climate of fear in a population and thereby to bring about a particular political objective….
The hazards of misreading the news
WHEN I read the post in social media that Senator-boxer Manny Pacquiao had proposed crucifixion as a method of imposing the death penalty, my automatic response was to suggest, “Crucify…
Gratitude and giving back to Filipinos from the University of the Philippines’ ‘Mga Iskolar ng Bayan’
I AM proud to be one of these scholars, having graduated cum laude from the UP College of Mass Communication in 1984, and continued on with my Master’s Degree in…
Americans overwhelmingly support stricter gun control laws to avoid more mass shootings — and the youth are doing what Republicans won’t do
ENOUGH of gun violence and mass shootings in America! This is the overwhelming sentiment of Americans as revealed in a new Quinnipiac Poll conducted on August 21-26, 2019. After the…
Trump spreads ‘bug’ that makes people resistant to facts, compassion, and social responsibility on the world stage
Scientists from the University of Minnesota have discovered “a powerful new strain of fact-resistant humans who are threatening the ability of Earth to sustain life”. The research “identifies a virulent…
Protecting the vulnerable and environment: The legacy of Gina Lopez lives on
I HAD the privilege of meeting Gina Lopez for the first time in the early 90s when her family welcomed her back after being away for a long long time….
The pains and joys of aging
“Now that I’m growing older, My pilot light is out; What used to be my sex appealIs now my water spout…” I WAS in my mid-20s, at the peak of…
Voting rights restoration is a step towards reintegration for the formerly incarcerated
Voting can be as quick as a pen stroke or as easy as a tap of a computer screen, yet the simple act is often taken for granted in America….
Will you be a ‘pabigat’ to America and be denied a green card? An attorney explains the Trump Administration’s expanded ‘public charge’ ruling
THE United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has defined “public charge” as an individual who is likely to become primarily dependent on the government for subsistence, as demonstrated by…
Have you benefitted from publicly-funded services during your time of need? Your green card application may be in jeopardy
KABABAYAN, this information has nothing to do with President Donald Trump’s intensified crackdown against illegal immigration. This piece is about his administration’s most aggressive effort yet to restrict LEGAL IMMIGRATION…
OP-ED: Public charge rule – inhumane for families
NO matter where you came from and the color of your skin, all parents want what is best for their children. Except those, it seems, in the Trump administration. Because…
Trump could heal wounds and win the trust of the American people after mass shootings — if he would do these things
LISTEN, MR. PRESIDENT. The people of the grieving communities of El Paso, Texas and Dayton, Ohio are speaking up. For the first time just listen to their pleas instead of…
President Trump dishonors victims of mass shooting in El Paso and Dayton with his visit
PRESIDENT Donald J. Trump insisted on visiting El Paso, Texas and Dayton, Ohio in the wake of the two mass shootings that happened last weekend. These two latest mass shootings,…
Facts reveal how Trump’s hateful rhetoric and Congress’ inaction have led to recent mass shootings
PUT YOURSELF in the shoes of the men and women who have just lost their son, daughter, mother, father, spouse, or best friend to the bullets coming from these senseless…
Revealing inside story of Gel Santos Relos’ 12 years as anchor of ‘Balitang America’ and 25 years as kapamilya at TFC
TWELVE YEARS ago, my family had just settled in California, coming from Minnesota where we lived for four years as my husband completed his training in surgery. I thought my…
ABANGAN: What is Gel Santos Relos up to with the new changes at The Filipino Channel?
THIS just in — after 12 years of delivering the daily news from the studios of The Filipino Channel (TFC) in California, “Balitang America” will be taping its daily newscast…
Dear Filipinos in America, again: Trump’s racist tweets were not about fighting illegal immigration but to “Make America White Again”
KABABAYANS, I hear you. Some of you say President Donald Trump’s tirades against the four women representatives in Congress were not racist. You contend that this is just part of…
Dear Filipino Americans: When are you going to call out President Trump for racism and discrimination?
MGA KABABAYAN, many of you are Republicans, holding onto conservative principles, especially those anchored on our Christian faith which is very important to us. This is one of the reasons…
Why Fil-Ams should care about the 2020 Elections
By Jason Tengco In 2016, only 50 percent of eligible Filipino American voters participated in the presidential election. Let me repeat: only half of us voted in 2016. As a…