Featuring the most noteworthy people impacting, inspiring, and empowering the Filipino-American and Global Filipino community.
Clark Kent “Superman” Apuada sets new record at Far Western Championships A young 10-year-old Fil-Am from Salinas, California may very well be on his way to becoming a future Olympic swimmer for the United States. Clark Kent Apuada, rightly nicknamed “Superman,” swam the 100-meter butterfly event in 1:09:38 at the 2018 Speedo Long Course Far…
“[AMERICA IS NOT THE HEART is] a love story, a multi-generational family epic, and a deeply personal, lavishly painted portrait of lives in revision . . .With a sophistication rare in a first novel, Castillo recognizes a larger network of suffering—an understanding that trauma is, along with our mutual need for love, food, sex, and…
Determined, independent and passionate. The country’s brightest star Bea Alonzo continues to be an inspiration to women all across the country – not only for her impressive talent but her gracious heart. She’s a proud and empowered Filipino who fully embodies the ideals of a modern woman. And this is why she’s so fitting to…
“THEY are afraid, my brother…They are afraid of our mighty fists, my brother…They are afraid of the magnificence of our works, my brother…They are even afraid of our songs of love, my brother.” This is the final stanza of Filipino Carlos Bulosan’s poem “Song for Chris Mensalvas’ Birthday,” which provided the inspiration for a new…
MAD Travel co-founder Tom Graham shares journey towards social tourism platform Whether it’s family, friends, pristine beaches, food, shopping, or business — people find themselves in the Philippines for a number of reasons. For former business journalist Thomas Graham, his journey to the Philippines came by way of an assignment — to report on business and investment…
Newly-appointed Tourism Promotions Board (TPB) head Arnold Gonzales has reached out to young Filipinos urging them to travel around the Philippines. He also added that the country still has a lot of attractions for them to discover. “Discovering the Philippines is a rewarding experience as it allow us to deeply understand our culture and reconnect…
YEARS before Lea Salonga portrayed Kim in the West End and Broadway productions of “Miss Saigon,” she started as a child stage actor with Repertory Philippines. The theater company’s 1980 production of “Annie,” wherein she played the spunky, optimistic orphan, is a part she’ll never forget to this day as it was a jumping board…
Filipina-Polish magician stars on CW hit show, ‘Masters of Illusion’ FILIPINA-Polish magician Billy Kidd once again starred in the CW hit television show “Masters of Illusion” on Friday, July 13 — joining the lineup for the second year in a row. Since starting her career in magic, Kidd has performed at numerous events and venues…
LOS ANGELES—Filipino-American trial attorney, C. Joe Sayas, Jr., is the recipient of the Filipino Migrant Center of Long Beach’s Justice Award in the organization’s 8th Anniversary Dinner held on Saturday, June 30 at the St. Mary Medical Center in Long Beach, California. The Filipino Migrant Center of Long Beach is an organization of Filipinos in…
Every generation has an iconic boy band being emulated and idolized that indubitably facilitated to define the essence of the said era. Although some bands changed the way the public saw the stereotypical boy band, others have lucratively created a fresh outlook on male performers that unmistakably set new standards and norms. It wasn’t only…
In New York City, it is a luxury to have your own washer and dryer in your unit, or even in your building. Some would stuff their dirty laundry into a luggage and go to a laundromat or use a store front cleaner nearby. Rechelle Balanzat struggled with her laundry needs and got frustrated by…
Veteran marketing comms exec Onat Roldan appointed President and CEO AdSpark Inc, Globe Telecom’s digital advertising subsidiary, has appointed seasoned marketing communications executive Onat Roldan as the company’s new President and Chief Executive Officer effective August 6, 2018. Onat, as he is fondly called in the digital media world, brings with him 25 years of…
With the current trend and issues about immigration in the United States today, it is essential that the message of holding on to one’s Constitutional rights as an American citizen — regardless of race or color — be defended. This is clearly what “Hold These Truths” is about. Written by Jeanne Sakata, “Hold These Truths”…
How the young actor went from background roles to starring in the main cast of a primetime drama As Hollywood begins to take serious strides to diversify its casts, ABC’s new crime drama “Take Two” has added the Filipino-Canadian actor Xavier de Guzman in a co-starring role as an investigator’s assistant. “Take Two”, which premiered…
Manuel Mogato and Mariel Padilla join an elite group of Filipino and Filipino-Americans who have won the Pulitzer. Mogato is the second Manila-based Filipino to win the prestigious award. Carlos Romulo won the 1942 Pulitzer Prize in Correspondence “for his observations and forecasts of Far Eastern developments during a tour of the trouble centers from Hong Kong…
Runs July 7-August 5 at the Victoria Theatre in San Francisco There have been a number of Disney classics that have gone onstage and it is no doubt that “The Hunchback of Notre Dame” is one story that the audience will love to see. This is why Bay Area Musicals (BAM) is excited to close their…
Ambassador Claro Suarez Cristobal, a career diplomat with the rank of Chief of Mission I, took his post as Consul General of the Philippines in New York on June 30, 2018. His first official event was a meeting with the local media covering the community. At a free wheeling discussion that lasted for almost two…
PHILIPPINE Senator Grace Poe shared her experiences and thoughts on what it means to be a Filipino abroad during a recent visit to Los Angeles, California on Friday, June 30. “What we all went through is universal,” said Poe in Filipino, after warming up attendees with a few Filipino jokes in honor of late Senator…
AMIDST a busy schedule, wrestling magnate turned Cabinet member Linda McMahon made way through an also busy Porto’s Bakery & Cafe in Glendale, California — her last stop in visiting small businesses in Los Angeles. McMahon has been making her way across the United States as part of her Small Business Association (SBA) Ignite Tour…
EJ R. David’s “We Have Not Stopped Trembling Yet: Letters to my Filipino-Athabascan Family” brings more light to racism in America IT is a fact that racism has existed (and is still existing) for as long as we can all remember. Especially with the current administration and the crackdown on immigration, the discrimination of minorities in the…
These days, Maria Lourdes Baltazar — more often referred to as “Girlie” — spends a good amount of her time working at the Philippines’ presidential Malacañang Palace. However, she did not grow up having political ambitions, despite being surrounded by it for a good part of her life. “It’s a lot of phone calls…
Fil-Am biomedical student Benjamin Nittayo will go on to UC Davis in the fall for a PhD “I was with him in the last moments, and I told him, ‘I love you,’ but at that point I don’t know exactly what he understood, but then he told me that he loved me, too, and I think…
A look back at his love for Filipino food and culture Anthony Bourdain’s death has struck a chord among fans, particularly those who are fond of food and travel who follow his shows and sojourns religiously. He left an indelible mark in the food industry as he championed the cuisines and dishes he found delicious….
FILIPINO Advocates for Justice has been selected as a 2018 California Nonprofit of the Year by Assemblymember Rob Bonta. The nonprofit headed by its Executive Director Geraldine Alcid and other staff members joined 100 other nonprofit leaders at the State Capitol in Sacramento. The organizations were honored by state senators and assemblymembers during a celebration…
Brings ‘I Love Tacloban’ band as token of thanks It’s been five years since Typhoon Haiyan (also locally known as Yolanda) hit the city of Tacloban, but the city for the most part is back on the rise with malls, hotels, cafés, and other establishments getting normal traffic. Its famous San Juanico Bridge that…
“Do you mind if I’m on the elliptical during this?” actor Conrad Ricamora asks on a recent afternoon during a phone interview. For the next 30 minutes, Ricamora talks about the latest stage role that has been filling his time before ABC’s legal drama series “How to Get Away with Murder” — in which he…
If elected, Gina Ortiz Jones could be the first openly lesbian and first Filipina to represent the state of Texas in the U.S. Congress On Tuesday, May 22, Filipina American Gina Ortiz Jones won the Democratic nomination in the primary race for a Texas seat in the United States House of Representatives, advancing her to…
A couple of students from the Philippines graduated Summa Cum Laude from their respective universities this week. Twenty one year-old Lara Andrea Montales graduated with a degree in Bachelor of Science in Economics Major in Finance and Business Analytics from Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, listed as Forbes’ 2017 Best Business School…
It’s nearly been two years since Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nevada) was elected into office, making history as the first woman elected to represent Nevada and the first Latina in the Senate. Back in 2016, Cortez Masto — who previously served two terms as the state’s attorney general — told the Asian Journal that “it’s…
PHILIPPINE Ambassador to the United States Jose Manuel Romualdez made a brief visit to the Bay Area on Tuesday, May 22 to witness the opening of the Spark447 Workspace, the launch of the Spark*Connect*Empower and Spark447 websites, and attend a reception in his honor at the Philippine Center Building in San Francisco. Ambassador Romualdez had…
