Covering the week’s most noteworthy feature stories impacting the Filipino-American and Global Filipino community.
IT’S the season of gift-giving. And President Benigno Aquino III (PNoy) wasted no time looking for the perfect gift for his nemesis, former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo (GMA) – a suite befitting of a former president, in jail. Now, only a few weeks after GMA’s arrest and before Christmas, PNoy and his constituents in Congress have…
Since Benigno Aquino III assumed the position of president, he made his intentions very clear of weeding out officials who did the country wrong during their terms. The aggressiveness of the current administration in going after those who have allegedly betrayed the public trust, was seen in the recent hospital arrest of Former President Gloria…
HEADING into a new year, things are getting to be quite polemic, as we see 2011 nearing its end with a succession of controversies. Philippine politics seems to be turning into an impenetrable and tumultuous jungle, as the year closes. The situation is ripe for a political savior to step on the scene. Redeeming a…
HIS administration may have received criticisms for underspending the local budget during the first half of 2011, but President Benigno S. Aquino III is determined to have all that change next year. According to reports, the President recently met with his economic managers on December 6, at the Christmas party of Bulong Pulungan at the…
IN 1999, Dr. Ben de Lumen and a team of scientists at UC Berkeley were working on a project to improve the nutritional quality of soy proteins when they discovered what they believe and hope is a miracle. The team found that a specific protein in soy, when isolated, may have anti-cancer properties. The…
ON NOVEMBER 26, Saturday, NASA launched the biggest and best-equipped robot ever sent to explore another planet from the Kennedy Space Centre. Dubbed Mars Curiosity but more formally called the Mars Science Laboratory, it is expected to reach Mars by August 2012. If all goes according to plan, the rover will be abseiling down from…
DESPITE her rigid efforts in bringing the Philippine justice system to a reputable form, Department of Justice (DOJ) Secretary Leila De Lima is now in hot water – with the possibility of losing her license as a lawyer. In a nine-page complaint filed on Monday, in perhaps a form retaliation from Former President Gloria Macapagal…
57 INDIVIDUALS (32 of whom were journalists) perished on November 23, 2009 in Ampatuan, Maguindanao province in Mindanao. A 58th victim, journalist Reynaldo Momay remains missing. Now, two years after the gruesome incident, for the victims’ families and friends the pain lingers on — the thirst for justice remains unquenched. Amid the threat of explosives…
Amid the much-publicized conflict between the camp of former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and the incumbent administration, President Benigno Aquino III still managed to meet up with South Korea’s President, Lee Myung Bak, to further strengthen bilateral ties. Coming straight from the Association of Southeast Asian Nation (ASEAN) summit in Bali, Indonesia, the South Korean President…
THE aftermath of last week’s political disarray only serves to illustrate the materializating of the country that President Benigno Aquino III imagines he’s creating — and the one that actually exists. Assigned into office on a message of frugal economy and honest government, Aquino who still continues to pitch the ideal of a “new era”…
“TWO groups play the game. Each side has five members: four guards and a captain. The game is played on the court. The objective of the game is for one group to walk or run through the court from one to the other and return without being caught by the defending group who keep guard…
A FEW years ago, a joint resolution of the 13th Congress of the Philippines created the Congressional Commission on Science and Technology and Engineering (COMSTE) to create, amend, or repeal laws and propose budgets that will make the Philippines competitive in science and technology. The country could not have chosen a better man to be…
SHAMCEY Supsup, the Philippines’ representative to the recent Miss Universe pageant, heralded a strong message of empowerment to Filipinas, when she placed third runner-up. On November 6, two more Filipinas echoed her achievement when Philippines was once again distinguished as one of the best in the glittering world of pageantry. Looks like the country is…
In the year 2014 to 2020, half of the world is expected to be filled up with seniors nearing their retirement age. This was affirmed by the Executive Director of HealthCore Philippines, Joyce Socao-Alumno, who also said that the aging generation of baby boomers could also be seen as an advantage for Filipinos practicing in…
From years 2014 to 2020, half of the world’s population will be seniors nearing retirement age. This was affirmed by Joyce Socao-Alumno, Executive Director of HealthCore Philippines, saying that a market of now aging generation of baby boomers would be an advantage for Filipinos in the medical field, both in the Philippines and abroad. Envisioned…
AS WE commemorate the day of the dearly departed, the world also recognizes another milestone for humanity, with the birth of the 7 billionth baby. Baby Danica May Camacho, born in the Philippines on Monday, is the United Nations’ chosen symbolic seven billionth baby. Humankind didn’t hit the 1 billionth threshold until the 19th century….
THE leader and president of the California Public Utilities Commission is being criticized by groups that are indifferent to the plight of our state’s six million Asian Americans and 600,000 Asian American-owned businesses. Our great friend in California, Governor Brown, is in a unique position to address these criticisms since CPUC President Mike Peevey has…
THE furor over the assertion of US Ambassador to the Philippines Harry Thomas that 40% of male foreign visitors are sex tourists reminds me of the newspaper headline that declared, “50% of the people in Congress are crooks.” Expectedly, the honorable solons reacted violently to that dishonorable accusation and demanded a retraction. The newspaper, forthwith,…
THE Pinoys’ plight to travel towards the “straight path” might serve them well in the long run, according to a recent study made by a Singapore-based financial service group. In its research entitled Asia 2020, the Development Bank of Singapore (DBS) said that the Aquino government’s campaign on curbing corruption could mean more foreign direct investments for the country as it…
US AMBASSADOR to the Philippines Harry Thomas, Jr. may have exaggerated in his statement, but that doesn’t mean the problem of sexual tourism in the country does not exist. In a text message sent to Philippine Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario the US envoy said: “I am sending you a response expressing regret for my…
“ALMOST everything–all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure — these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are…
Society has certainly changed a lot since Fil-Am Peter Jamero was growing up. Today, Filipino-Americans aren’t pigeonholed into a certain profession — they are able to date whomever they like and have more opportunities to succeed in general. But for Jamero, a child of one of the first Filipino pioneers, the manongs that were recruited…
The debate on whether or not amendments should be made in the constitution has been similar to an endless dance of Cha-cha; wherein government officials keep dancing to and fro without really going anywhere. This time, however, the lawmakers seemed to be getting pretty tired from all the dancing. A majority of the members of…
IN A University of Minnesota news feature, Professor Lawrence Que Jr. was referred to as “Iron Man” when he was awarded the prestigious Inorganic Mechanisms 2011 Award in May of this year from the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) for his contributions to the mechanistic understanding of dioxygen activation, by nonheme iron enzymes. The Royal…
“THE Filipino, it seems, has lost his soul, his dignity, and his courage. We have come upon a phase of our history when ideals are only a veneer for greed and power, (in public and private affairs) when devotion to duty and dedication to a public trust are to be weighted at all times against…
FILIPINO comic book artist Alex Niño doesn’t get the credit most of his peers receive. When you think of the Filipino pioneers that entered the US comic industry in the 1970s, you’d automatically think of Tony DeZuniga (the creator of Jonah Hex), Nestor Redondo (an illustrator for Swamp Thing and Tarzan) or the late Alfredo…
The Philippine coconut industry and the Aquino administration has all reasons to be thrilled with the big time companies in the United States recently expressing their willingness to invest in the Philippines. In a statement, head of the Presidential Communications and Strategic Planning Office, Ricky Carandang, told the press that President Aquino was “excited” that …
WITH 85% approval for his performance in the past three months, Vice President Jejomar Binay is enjoying the highest approval and trust ratings (85 percent approval rating and 86 percent trust rating) anew among key government officials in the latest Pulse Asia Survey. The country’s chief executive, President Benigno Aquino III, received 77% approval and…
WITH 85% approval for his performance in the past three months, Vice President Jejomar Binay is enjoying the highest approval and trust ratings (85 percent approval rating and 86 percent trust rating) anew among key government officials in the latest Pulse Asia Survey. The country’s chief executive, President Benigno Aquino III, received 77% approval and…
IT’S WHAT an idiom would refer to as a “foot-in-mouth” situation. WikiLeaks consecutive release of secret diplomatic cables between the US Embassy and Washington (from 2006-2010) regarding the Philippine affairs may have soured PH-US relations significantly. The latest release revealed former US Ambassador Kristie Kenney’s opinions about the Philippines’ efforts in combating the Communist Party…
