Featuring the most noteworthy people impacting, inspiring, and empowering the Filipino-American and Global Filipino community.
Looking back at revolutionary Filipinas who broke — and continue to break — barriers in national independence, social work, medicine and arts and entertainment TO understand the world, one must understand women; it is simply impossible to know world history without the history of women — in a biological sense and in a cultural sense….
JOE Garbanzos has been named AARP’s California state president, becoming the first Filipino in the capacity. The state president is a volunteer who serves as spokesperson and representative for AARP across California. In this role, Garbanzos will chair the all-volunteer Executive Council, a diverse group of professionals who provide advice and counsel to advance AARP’s…
GOOGLE is celebrating the 142nd birthday of Rosa Sevilla de Alvero, a women’s activist who fought for the suffrage of Filipinas, with a doodle on its Philippine homepage. The March 4 doodle features an illustration of de Alvero in a Maria Clara dress casting her vote in a ballot box, with the arms of other…
ROCKY Gathercole, a celebrated Filipino avant-garde designer who dressed Hollywood celebrities from Lady Gaga to Jennifer Lopez, died unexpectedly at the age of 54. Gathercole was found unconscious at his Quezon City home on Wednesday, March 3, ABS-CBN News reported. A cause of death has not been revealed as of this writing. In a 2016…
AFTER a seven-month-long journey, NASA’s Perseverance rover made its historic landing on Mars in mid-February, ushering in a new era of exploration and study on the red planet. Perseverance is touted as the “most advanced astrobiology laboratory ever sent to another world.” The mission was launched on July 30, 2020 from Cape Canaveral Space Force…
CARDINAL Luis Antonio Tagle, prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, has been appointed by Pope Francis as a member of a powerful body that acts as the Vatican’s “central bank.” Tagle was appointed as a member of the Administration of the Patrimony of the Apostolic See (APSA), which acts as the equivalent…
PASIG City Mayor Victor “Vico” Sotto is one of the 12 individuals recognized by the United States Department of State as an international anti-corruption champion. The Biden administration launched the International Anticorruption Champions Award to recognize individuals who have worked to defend transparency, combat corruption, and ensure accountability in their own countries, U.S. Secretary of…
Two remaining seats on mission still available to the general public until February 28 MEMPHIS – Inspiration4, the world’s first all-civilian mission to space, has announced its second crew member, Hayley Arceneaux of Memphis, TN, a 29-year-old physician assistant at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital® who was treated as a child for bone cancer at St….
FILIPINA American Katherine Creag, a reporter for NBC New York, died suddenly this week at the age of 47. Creag’s passing on Wednesday evening, February 10, “was unexpected,” according to the network on Thursday. A cause has not been determined, as of this writing. “She had not been ill and was working as recently as…
As the Biden-Harris administration pledges diverse staffing to reflect the country, several individuals of Filipino descent have been named to key roles to help shape policies across the federal government. The latest Filipino American to join the new leadership is Michael George, who has dedicated his career examining how policy can improve social mobility and reduce…
Filipino American community leader Wilfredo “Jing” Espiritu passed away after a battle with COVID-19 last January 31 in Las Vegas, Nevada. He was 71 years old. His decades-long work with the National Federation of Filipino American Associations (NaFFAA) and with the Filipino American/AAPI community touched the lives of many, the organization said in a statement. Espiritu…
RAPPLER co-founder and chief executive officer Maria Ressa has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for 2021 by Norwegian labor leader and parliamentary representative Jonas Gahr Støre. “Filipino Maria Ressa heads Rappler, a website for investigative and investigative journalism. Prior to founding Rappler in 2012, she worked for CNN in Asia, where she specifically…
The book will follow his best-selling 2018 memoir ‘Dear America: Notes of an Undocumented Citizen’ At a time when the world is working to undo traditionally destructive and exclusionary perspectives on racial identity, celebrated journalist and immigration activist Jose Antonio Vargas is currently writing about an issue that many people of color in America face:…
PHILIPPINE Consul General of Los Angeles Adelio Angelito S. Cruz has formally bid goodbye to the Filipino American communities in Southern California, Southern Nevada, and Arizona as he concludes his term at the end of January. “It is bittersweet news that I inform you about the conclusion of my tour of duty as your Consul…
PHILIPPINE Rep. Christopher de Venecia (4th District, Pangasinan) has filed a resolution congratulating Camille Calimlim Touton for her appointment as Deputy Commissioner of the United States Department of Interior’s Bureau of Reclamation. Touton’s appointment is historic as she became the first Filipino-American to serve in the agency’s leadership role. According to the resolution, Touton’s parents,…
THE scars and memories of World War II continue to haunt us in varying ways. Whether it was the persecution of the Jewish people (referred to as the Holocaust) and Japanese internment, the loss of lives in the many battlegrounds (Normandy, Midway, Bataan, to name a few), the razing of many cities by invading forces,…
SHORTLY after taking his oath of office on January 20, President Joe Biden appointed acting heads of federal and development agencies, and among them is Gloria Steele who will serve as acting administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). At the Department of Interior, Camille Calimlim Touton was named Deputy Commissioner of the…
FILIPINO American millennial Jason Tengco has been tapped to be the U.S. Office of Personnel Management’s White House liaison, the Biden-Harris administration announced on Monday, January 25. The OPM serves as the chief human resources agency and personnel policy manager for the federal government. Tengco previously served as the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI)…
2020 not only brought the world to a standstill, but also changed our way of living. COVID-19’s global sweep prompted countries to close borders, and with it, came the safety measures that we have taken into the new year — face masks, hand sanitizers, and social distancing. Concerts, festivals, and even traveling took a backseat…
A FILIPINO American who was a veteran 911 dispatcher in Los Angeles has died of complications related to COVID-19, becoming the LA Police Department’s fourth employee taken by the virus. Police Service Representative III Raymond L. Guerrero, who worked in the communications division, died on Thursday, January 7 at the age of 51, the LAPD…
In loving memory of Andrey M. Caloza 1975-2020 A loving son, caring brother, devoted father, committed husband, and selfless nurse working on the frontlines, Andrey M. Caloza was born on September 2, 1975 in the Philippines. He passed away unexpectedly on October 26, 2020. Andrey grew up in a big family and was the eldest…
A FILIPINO American priest in Utah has died after a short battle with the coronavirus. Father Reynato “Rene” Rodillas succumbed to COVID-19 at the age of 58, a few days after testing positive, Msgr. Colin F. Bircumshaw, vicar general of the Diocese of Salt Lake City announced on Friday, January 8. “Date of death has…
October 14, 1948 – December 13, 2020 The first-born son of Cuadrato Irlanda Dolalas and Nenita Acapulco Dolalas. Beloved husband to Elvessa Descallar Dolalas. Loving father to Elaine Descallar Dolalas and thoughtful father in law to Michael Nailat. Manong to his siblings Luz, Teresita, Titus, Fe, Joey, and Alan. Affectionately known to his family and…
PERLA Salva Puzon joined her Creator on December 3 at the age of 80 after suffering from complications associated with COVID-19 at 10:06 a.m. at the St. Joseph Medical Center in Tacoma, Washington. She was 80. Perla was born in Naujan, Oriental Mindoro, Philippines to Ambrocio Salva and Guadalupe Noche. She was a devoted wife…
VAL Corcuera Angeles joined his Creator on December 14, 2020 after an undisclosed illness. He was 54. Born on February 4, 1966 in Quezon City, Philippines, Val immigrated to the United States in 1993 to join his family where they settled in the San Fernando Valley area. A Doctor of Veterinary Medicine graduate of the…
A Filipina American community leader will serve as the mayor pro tem of Artesia, California for the coming year. The Artesia City Council appointed Councilmember Melissa Ramoso as the city’s second-in-command during its virtual meeting on Monday, December 14, marking a series of firsts in the local leadership — as an Asian American and Pacific…
By Melandrew Velasco A popular topic next year aside from the COVID-19 vaccine will be the 2022 presidential elections. Today, months prior to the filing of Certificates of Candidacy in October 2021, many names have been floated around to succeed President Rodrigo Duterte. In the recent issue of BizNews Magazine, publisher Tony Lopez listed several…
One of the most highly anticipated films in competition for the online edition of the Metro Manila Film Festival this holiday season is Father Suarez, The Healing Priest/ Joven Tan directs, screenplay by Bernard Canabral with Saranggola Media Productions as its producers. The film focuses on the life of Fernando Suarez, particularly the struggles and…
RAPPLER co-founder and veteran journalist Maria Ressa is among 2020’s Bloomberg 50, an annual list of influential leaders, icons, and innovators who helped define the year. She is only the second Filipino to land on the list, following Ramon Ang of San Miguel Corp., who was honored in last year’s line-up. Ressa, a vocal critic…
Kalayaan Incorporated, an established 501 (C) 3 non-profit organization has donated funds to the victims of one of the worse typhoons that have hit the main island of Luzon. The donation was made through the effort of Board member Redy Babasa-Thompson who made contact with Rotary Club of Meycauyan East District 3770 headed by James…
