Covering the week’s most noteworthy news stories in the Philippines for the Filipino-American and Global Filipino community.
AFTER a week of competition against more than 6,000 athletes from 165 countries, the 35 athletes representing the Philippines claimed 59 medals during the 2015 Special Olympics World Games in Los Angeles. From July 26 to Aug. 1, the Philippines competed in seven categories – aquatics, athletics (track and field), badminton, bowling, gymnastics, powerlifting and…
HIP-HOP and pop artist Chris Brown was barred from leaving the Philippines this week because of a contract dispute, according to the Philippines News Agency. Brown was stopped on the morning of Wednesday, July 22 while preparing to depart on a private jet from Ninoy Aquino International Airport on his way to Hong Kong for…
WITH the 2015 Special Olympics underway in Los Angeles this weekend, 35 athletes representing the Philippines are ready to compete in the games. “Prepared naman ang mga bata ko. Handa na sila. For the gold nga kami (My athletes are prepared. They’re ready. We’re going for the gold),” said Abner Recacho, head coach of the…
A homeless, studious little boy in the Philippines is getting worldwide attention. After a fellow student snapped a photo of Daniel Cabrera, 9, doing his homework in a quiet street in Cebu, the photo went viral, gaining attention from around the globe. Joyce Torrefranca from Mandaue City posted the photos to Facebook on June 23,…
THE Philippine Deposit Insurance Corp. (PDIC) on Monday, July 6, filed criminal charges with the Department of Justice against 20 former officers and stockholders of the now-closed Banco Filipino Savings and Mortgage Bank (BF) for unsound practices that led to its closure in 2011. The complaint also states that the manner in which they conducted…
A SURVEY conducted by business media company Bloomberg revealed that first-time Philippine Sen. Grace Poe, 46, the adopted daughter of film star Fernando Poe Jr., is the preferred candidate to steer the economy of the Philippines. Of 23 analysts and bankers surveyed, 12 chose Poe as the best choice for the 2016 presidential elections. Interior…
IF someone tries to “carnap” you, it’s understandable if you get “high-blood.” Along with 38 other Filipino terms, these two words were included in the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) in its June 2015 update of the “definitive record of the English language.” The announcement of the inclusion, made on Thursday, June 25, marks the largest…
PHILIPPINE Vice President Jejomar Binay on Monday, June 22, submitted his irrevocable resignation from the Cabinet of President Benigno Aquino III. His resignation is effective immediately, the Office of the Vice President confirmed. Binay, who was chair of the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council and the presidential adviser on overseas Filipino workers’ concerns, had…
Investigators question nurse’s qualifications A FILIPINO nurse convicted of two counts of murder in the United Kingdom has been sentenced to a minimum of 35 years in prison. Victorino Chua,49, was found guilty Monday, May 18, of murdering Tracy Arden, 44, and Alfred Weaver, 83. Chua tampered with saline bags and ampoules while working at…
EUROPE’S premier geosciences union awarded its Plinius Medal to a leading natural disaster expert, Dr. Alfredo Mahar Lagmay, in Vienna, Austria on April 15th. Dr. Lagmay has been honored for his “outstanding interdisciplinary natural hazard research and natural-disaster engagement in the Philippines, particularly with respect to volcanic hazards, earthquakes, typhoons, landslides and floods,” the European…
Fil-Am leaders renew call for TPS WHEN super typhoon Haiyan—or locally known as Yolanda—struck the Philippines on Nov. 8, 2013, it left devastating consequences that continue to plague the country even after a year had passed. More than 6,000 people were killed, about 30,000 were injured and more than 4 million were displaced in Tacloban…
LOS ANGELES – Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Rep. Ed Royce (R-CA) has been continuing to raise awareness for an issue that has often been overlooked: land grabbing in the Philippines. In a recent letter he signed on Oct. 9, Royce firmly addressed the issue and his full support to continue fighting to end the injustice….
WITH the launch of the iPhone 6 and new products, Apple has faced much scrutiny and media attention. Now the tech company faces protests, as two dozen of its employees were believed to have been unfairly fired from a supplier in the Philippines. NXP, a Dutch-based company that supplies parts for Apple, fired 24 union…
With the launch of the iPhone 6 and new products, Apple has faced much scrutiny and media attention. Now the tech company faces protests, as two dozen of its employees were believed to have been unfairly fired from a supplier in the Philippines. NXP, a Dutch-based company that supplies parts for Apple, fired 24 union…
Twenty seven years after the 1986 People Power Revolution, former Philippine President Fidel V. Ramos’ drawing power and energy have not diminished one bit. And it was evident in his two-day visit to Los Angeles. I should know. In those two days in June, I was able to cover the former President on three separate occasions. On the first…
While the entire world was eagerly watching the US presidential elections this week, a most noteworthy event was also happening in America. From November 4-7, the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) US Election Program, brought together over 300 election officials, parliamentarians and diplomats from over 50 countries to observe and learn about the US…
In Santa Clara County, California, in between San Jose and Fremont lies Milpitas, a city rich in diversity. Since the 2000 census and again confirmed in the 2010 census, Asians have dominated the majority of Milpitas’ population, with Filipinos being the largest Asian group. At the helm of this thriving, bustling city is a Filipino,…
FOR Father Edwin “Edu” Gariguez, the environment of Mindoro (his hometown province) is worth dying for. Gariguez (better known as Fr. Edu) has long been recognized as the man leading a decade-long campaign, which culminated in an 11-day hunger strike in 2009 to stop the large-scale nickel mining in Mindoro. On April 16, Gariguez was…
