Featuring the most noteworthy people impacting, inspiring, and empowering the Filipino-American and Global Filipino community.
FILIPINO-American designer Zaldy Goco received the reality-competition award on Tuesday, February 19 at the 21st annual Costume Designers Guild Awards for his work on “RuPaul’s Drag Race.” “I won…It was so incredible to be in a room filled with people I love and respect! Thank you @costumeawards for a wonderful evening,” the fashion designer shared…
“Ultimately I believe those sacrifices in time and human capital are what led to where I am today.” THE famous American filmmaker Orson Welles once said, “The notion of directing a film is the invention of critic—the whole eloquence of cinema is achieved in the editing room.” As the quote suggests, editing has the power…
The sports world is in an era in which aging stars are finding incredible ways to hold onto power. Roger Federer and Serena Williams remain near the top of the tennis universe at the age of 37. LeBron James is still viewed as the best basketball player in the world despite having enough mileage on…
Young ‘America’s Got Talent: The Champions’ finalist on her continuous ascent in the music industry “OH, my gosh, it’s all just so exciting!” In a recent interview, 11-year-old Angelica Hale repeats variations of this sentence and it is the hallmark of who she is as a young singer/songwriter and inspirational viral sensation. In case you…
‘MCDONALD’S pranksters’ Jevh Maravilla and Christian Toledo and YouTube star Mike Bow discussed the importance of diversity in marketing at this past weekend’s East Coast Asian American Student Union (ECAASU) Conference in Orlando, the nation’s oldest conference run by-and-for Asian American and Pacific Islander students. First-time sponsor McDonald’s worked with the ECAASU conference team to…
IT’S Valentine’s Day this week and you can expect couples posting on social media about how they’re spending the day, their “love story,” and what they enjoy about one another. Among the relationship dynamics that exist, there is a rare crop of couples who have added another level by working and running a business together….
Applications open for 2019-20 school year CREATIVE thinkers. Active learners. Global citizens. These are a few ways to describe the students — and future leaders — at Chatsworth Hills Academy (CHA) in Chatsworth, California. Nestled amongst the natural scenery of the San Fernando Valley, CHA was founded in 1977 and is the only school in…
When you think of the Delano Grape Strike, who are the key figures who immediately come to mind? Largely missing from history and school textbooks is the name of the Larry Itliong, a Filipino-American farm worker and labor organizer, who led the strike along with a group of fellow Fil-Am workers like Philip Vera Cruz,…
BEFORE going to the Philippines for her big homecoming, Miss Universe Catriona Gray spent an unusually warm winter afternoon with fellow Filipinos for a meet and greet at the Philippine Center hosted by the Philippine Consulate General New York. Gray on Monday afternoon said that just being in the consulate is already like taking a…
The Rotary Golden Wheel Awards Foundation and the Government of Quezon City honored the other night 12 eminent non Rotarians led by PNP Chief Oscar Albayalde and Kapuso actor Dingdong Dantes and 13 Rotarians of RI District 3780 with Mario R. Nery Vocational Excellence Awards led by Intellectual Property specialist lawyer Pablo Gancayco and veteran…
A FILIPINA doctor has been named the chief of staff at Dignity Health-Glendale Memorial Hospital in Glendale, California, becoming the first person of Filipino descent to hold that position and the fourth female in the hospital’s history. Dr. Brigeli Westerband, who has been an emergency room physician at the hospital for the past 20 years,…
Actor becomes first Filipino to pull off an awards season sweep Filipino-American Darren Criss won the Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a TV Movie or Limited Series award during the 25th Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards on Sunday, January 27 — completing his awards sweep for “The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime…
Marc dela Cruz on Saturday, January 19, made his debut as Alexander Hamilton in the Broadway musical “Hamilton.” Dela Cruz is of Filipino-Japanese descent and born in Hawaii. He is the first Filipino — and Asian-American actor, for that matter — to bag the lead role in the Tony Award-winning musical. He took to Instagram…
LAS VEGAS — There is no sign that Manny Pacquiao’s fight on Saturday, January 19 will be his last. In a sideline interview with reporters on Wednesday, January 16, the 40-year-old Filipino boxer teased that he won’t be shelving his sports career any time soon and could still go on for two to three more…
Actors share experiences of being leading Asian American entertainers in the LGBTQ community IN the March 2019 issue that looks at the increasing representation of Asian Americans in the LGBTQ community, gracing the cover of leading LGBTQ magazine Advocate are Fil-Am actors Nico Santos and Vincent Rodriguez III who shared with readers their experiences of…
COMMUNITY leader Naomi Tacuyan Underwood is the new executive director of the Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA). Underwood joins AAJA from the Washington, D.C.-based Faith & Politics Institute, where she served as director of programs. She has over a decade of experience in nonprofit management and community engagement where she has long focused on empowering Asian…
Filipino actor Jon Jon Briones will be part of Ryan Murphy’s new Netflix show, “Ratched,” joining a star-studded cast such as Sarah Paulson, Sharon Stone, and Cynthia Nixon. In an Instagram post on Monday, January 14, Murphy — who is listed as an executive producer — said that the series will start filming in a…
Comic series explores youth culture in the Philippines Fil-Am actor Dante Basco — best known for playing the red-mohawked Rufio in Steven Spielberg’s “Hook,” and Zuko in the animated series “Avatar: The Last Airbender” — is working to turn a comic series called “Kids Being Kids” into a full feature film. The webcomic series, created…
WHEN Catriona Elisa Magnayon Gray left Manila for Bangkok to compete in the Miss Universe pageant, she had meticulously planned and laid everything out so that the moment the competition started, she let go and told herself to enjoy and have fun representing the Philippines. “Every single time I stepped onstage I just enjoyed myself…
If one of your New Year’s resolutions is to read more, the Asian Journal recommends books by several Fil-Am authors to add to your own list. In the past year, books on our radar have included Jose Antonio Vargas’ memoir “Dear America: Notes of an Undocumented Citizen,” fiction novel “Aliasing” by Mara Coson, graphic novel…
Actor Darren Criss became the first Filipino American to win a Golden Globe award on Sunday, January 6. Criss accepted the award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Limited Series for his role as Andrew Cunanan, the half-white, half Filipino serial killer, in “The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story.” This was…
California’s House representatives join 116th US Congress’ most diverse class The 116th United States Congress and its freshman class convened on Thursday, Jan. 3, and its ethnic and gender makeup continues to shine a light on the impact of diverse representation in the government. The 2018 midterm election results ushered in the historically diverse crop…
A FIL-AM high school student in Seattle, Washington has been named the final recipient of the 2018 Seahawks Athlete of the Week award which is given to student-athletes that display leadership, passion, and dedication both on and off the field or court. Joshua Villarino, a junior football kicker at Ballard High School, was selected for…
Appellate attorney Audra Ibarra becomes the first Filipina to serve as a Bay Area superior court judge After the historic 2018 midterm election in which a record number of women and people of color were elected to office across the country, the California superior courts just got a little more diverse as well. Before he…
GMA Network recently hosted a successful immersion tour for the 2018 Filipino Young Leaders Program (FYLPro) delegates which consisted of ten outstanding young U.S.-based professionals. The immersion tour, led by GMA’s global arm GMA International, gave the delegates an overview of GMA’s programs as well as its contribution to the broadcast industry in the Philippines….
by Nathalie Robles and Ritchel Mendiola / AJPress IT is not easy to work far from the place you call home. But this ‘fear of missing out’ lingers especially on a special day like Christmas — when streets are decorated and jolly and everyone seems to spend this season with their families and loved ones….
FILIPINOS are known for their love for food and fellowship, and noche buena — which is Spanish for “night of goodness” — is the epitome of both of those combined. Typically after the last Mass of Simbang Gabi, families go back home to a large spread adorning the dining table. Though families may have created their…
WE associate the holidays with many things. Presents under the Christmas tree. Yuletide songs playing everywhere we go. But most importantly, the holidays are about family, and as Filipinos, family time during the holidays is a must. However, geographic distance and financial roadblocks make that impossible for some Filipino-Americans who may not get to travel…
Melissa Ramoso was sworn into the Artesia City Council as the only woman and Fil-Am councilmember on Monday, December 10, after receiving over 1,700 votes during the election period. “I am grateful and extremely humbled that 1,762 voters cast their ballot in favor of me, for me to be seated before you today,” said Ramoso….
Miss Universe titleholders for the Philippines, Gloria Diaz (1969), Margie Moran (1973) and Pia Wurtzbach (2015), expressed their congratulatory remarks to Catriona Gray as she claimed the fourth crown for the country during the 2018 Miss Universe pageant. Gray, donning a Mayon volcano-inspired red gown by Mak Tumang, was crowned during the ceremony at the…
