Featuring the most noteworthy people impacting, inspiring, and empowering the Filipino-American and Global Filipino community.
SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO – Philippine Consul General Neil Frank R. Ferrer attended the rededication of the Westborough Recreation Center in South San Francisco City as the Alice Peña Bulos Community Center in ceremonies held on Saturday, October 23, two days after Peña Bulos’s fifth death anniversary. In the event hosted by South San Francisco City…
FILIPINA American singer Olivia Rodrigo has scored the most nominations at the 2021 American Music Awards, the world’s largest fan-voted awards show. The 18-year-old star of “The High School Musical: The Musical: The Series” on Thursday, October 28, got seven nods including Artist of the Year, New Artist of the Year, and Favorite Female Pop…
TO honor the Filipino American community leaders in Los Angeles and beyond, Search to Involve Pilipino Americans (SIPA) will hold the virtual Barangay Awards on Friday, November 5. The Barangay Awards is an evolution of SIPA’s annual awards event, the non-profit’s biggest fundraiser of the year. As “barangay” is the Filipino word for “village,” the…
IF there’s somebody who passionately dares to thread a career path that’s rarely taken by like-minded professionals, Errol C. Mendoza typifies this description. Due to the COVID-19 lockdown, Errol’s artistic mind or gift, has shifted to painting which is being noticed by the community and art critics alike. He is a self-taught painter. His paintings…
WHEN Rose Cuison-Villazor was announced as the Co-Dean of Rutgers Law School in Newark early this summer, she became the first Asian American woman Dean at Rutgers Law School and the first Filipina American Dean of a U.S. law school. “I’m proud, and I’m grateful for this, for the chance to lead, and I would…
“These neighborhoods raised me, the Filipino community raised me. I’ve said it time and again, I’m not going to stand by and watch my family, my communities get pushed out of Jersey City. Not on my watch,” said Jersey City Councilmember Rolando Lavarro. He made that statement to members of the Filipino American Press Club…
THE Larry Itliong Resource Center has finally made its grand opening in California’s Central Valley. “We Are A Living Legacy” was the theme for the event held Sunday, October 24, to celebrate the inauguration of the Larry Itliong Resource Center, in Poplar, California, as well as commemorate the birthday of recent California Hall of Fame…
For combat-wounded veterans, transitioning from the military back to civilian life can be a challenge. That, combined with the cost of a new vehicle, can put added burdens on our nation’s military service members and their families. To help, ahead of Veterans Day, Wells Fargo teamed up with the SoCal Honda Dealers Association and Military…
VETERAN entertainment industry and Hollywood executive Fritz Friedman can now very well rest on the laurel of his many accomplishments if he wants to. A Boston native and graduate of the acclaimed Vassar College with a Master’s degree from The Annenberg School of The University of Pennsylvania, the exuberant and bubbly Filipino-American, whose first job…
FILIPINO American labor activist Larry Itliong is among the six notable individuals posthumously inducted into the California Hall of Fame. California Gov. Gavin Newsom and First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom on Tuesday, October 12, announced the honorees for the California Hall of Fame 14th class through a webcast streamed by the California Museum. “Sometimes the…
‘Lizard Boy’ to premiere at TheatreWorks Silicon Valley “From the ashes of Mount St. Helens emerged a monster with mysterious powers—powers that changed one boy’s life forever. Freak or hero? Trevor is about to find out with a little help from Mr. Right. Join triple-threat Seattle artist Justin Huertas and friends for one fateful night…
The expected crowd doubled and quickly became standing-room-only at the fashion show of Beverly Hills-based designer Oliver Tolentino on Friday, October 8 for Los Angeles Fashion Week (LAFW). Tolentino presented a 33-piece couture collection on the rooftop of the Peterson Auto Museum, with its landmark red racing stripe façade, for the closing show of LAFW’s…
Christine Calderon-Caruso has been named Director of Development at St. Vincent Meals on Wheels, it was announced by SVMOW Executive Director Veronica Dover, effective immediately. Calderon-Caruso will lead fundraising for the organization’s senior nutrition programs, which serve 1,200 homebound seniors and other vulnerable individuals throughout Los Angeles. Founded in 1977 by Sister Alice Marie Quinn,…
RAPPLER co-founder and veteran journalist Maria Ressa has made history as the first Filipino to win the Nobel Peace Prize. The Norwegian Nobel Committee on Friday, October 8, announced that Ressa and Russian journalist Dmitry Muratov won the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize for their “efforts to safeguard freedom of expression.” “The Norwegian Nobel Committee has decided…
IN the United States, October is also known as Filipino American History Month, which is celebrated through various activities and events that recognizes the significant role Filipinos have played in American history. This year, the Filipino American National History Society (FANHS) chose the theme “50 Years Since the First Young Filipino People’s Far West Convention”…
By SSG Paolo Salonga / US Army AS a Filipino American, I am familiar with the similar struggles and sacrifices our loved ones endure migrating to America. My mother sacrificed and worked hard to be able to bring our family over for a brighter future. It sounds like the typical “American Dream,” but it was…
A FILIPINA American physician in Las Vegas, who has been transformed into a Barbie doll for her frontline work during the COVID-19 pandemic, is inspiring others that they can “make a difference” regardless of their background. Dr. Audrey Sue Cruz, a frontline worker who joined forces with other Asian American physicians to fight racial bias…
LOS ANGELES — On Wednesday, August 11 Cathay Bank Foundation held a virtual award ceremony to recognize the high school senior recipients of the 2021 Cathay Bank Foundation Scholarship. Each recipient will receive a $1,000 scholarship used to cover tuition costs for attending a college or university as a full-time student this fall. “Cathay Bank…
LEYNA Bloom, a Black and Filipina American model and actress, has become the first openly transgender woman to grace the cover of Sports Illustrated’s Swimsuit Issue. Bloom, 27, shared the historic cover, photographed by Yu Tsai, on her Instagram account, which has amassed over 400,000 followers. “This moment heals a lot of pain in the…
THIS September, Hayley Arceneaux will be the first pediatric cancer survivor and youngest American to go to space, all to raise awareness and support for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital®. Inspiration4 is the world’s first all-civilian mission to space led by commander Jared Isaacman. The 38-year-old founder and chief executive officer of Shift4 Payments donated…
THE Tulalip Suite of the Tulalip Resort in Washington was packed with fans and supporters of Miss Universe Philippines 2020 Rabiya Mateo. Rabiya strutted off her signature “Halabira Walk” in a Carl Andrada Musa Fabric, made from a banana fiber. “We really feel special and we are really pleased to be here. We are very…
THE Foundation for California Community Colleges (Foundation CCC) announced the appointment of Rowena A. Robles, Ph.D., as executive director for the California Medicine Coalition (CMC). In their announcement, Foundation CCC states that in this leadership role, Robles will “support efforts to establish a regional pipeline program for community college students to pursue premedical training and…
Fil-Am’s podcast helps with giant retailer’s aim to serve communities better JOANNE Tabellija-Murphy vividly remembers one of her mentors who once told her that she will be happiest in her career journey if she sought roles that filled her heart. Armed with that, she looked for the things she was passionate about and learned how…
FORMER Philippine President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III has died, sources close to his family confirmed Thursday, June 24. He was 61. The son of former Senator Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr. and former President Corazon Aquino was rushed to the Capitol Medical Center in Quezon City on Thursday morning. According to reports, Aquino had been suffering…
AROUND the world, Father’s Day is celebrated annually to honor the contributions of dads in the family. Being a father is no easy task — it comes with a great amount of responsibility and dedication. To mark the holiday this year, Filipino Americans readily shared personal stories about their famous Filipino fathers: Sylvia Amorsolo-Lazo, daughter…
Contributed by Zen Vuong On June 11, Melissa Joyce Valerio became the first in her family to receive a master’s degree, putting her a little closer to her goal of helping to develop innovative cancer treatments. Valerio, 25, had wanted to be a dentist but when her father’s diffuse large B-cell lymphoma relapsed in 2018,…
A conversation with LA City controller candidate Kenneth Mejia and CA Assembly candidate Mia Livas-Porter AS political campaigns begin to ramp up for the 2022 midterm elections, Filipino American candidates are harnessing the momentum of the tumultuous last year and a half of COVID-19, the rise in anti-Asian hate crimes, and the (still-occurring) reckoning of…
Carol Gancia, a Filipina immigrant and small business owner, planned to open her latest venture around March of last year, but the global pandemic threw a major curveball. Instead of sulking, she saw an opportunity that equally scared and excited her. This June, her baby Kokak Chocolates is marking its first anniversary, and looking back,…
FILIPINO American internet star Bretman Rock is among the faces of Nike’s 2021 Be True campaign, created in honor of June as Pride Month. Across social media platforms, the influencer shared the announcement along with photos of his shoot with the sportswear brand. “Strength has no gender! It’s measured from within,” Bretman wrote Tuesday, June…
Grace Mercado has acquired the Jeanne Jugan Residence owned and operated by the Little Sisters of the Poor in San Pedro, California. Although the Little Sisters of the Poor have operated a Home for the Aged in Los Angeles since 1905, the time had come for them to withdraw from the area due to the…
