Covering the week’s most noteworthy news stories impacting the lives of the Filipino-American community in New York and New Jersey.
A NUMBER of Asian American organizations have called for an immediate action to end violence against Asian American communities following the recent string of attacks on several Asian elders around the country. The National Council of Asian Pacific Americans (NCAPA) issued a statement regarding this continued violence targeting the most vulnerable members of the Asian…
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…
A Filipino American man received almost 100 stitches after he was slashed across the face by another passenger on the New York City subway last week. Noel Quintana, 61, was riding the L train to get to work in Harlem on Wednesday, February 3, when a man walked by and kicked the tote bag that…
GOV. Phil Murphy announced on Wednesday, Feb. 3 an executive order that relaxes indoor dining restrictions in the state. Murphy lifted the 10 p.m. indoor dining ban that has been in place since November and announced that due to statewide case totals and hospitalizations trending downward in the past three weeks, indoor dining capacity is expanded…
STATE OF THE STATE ADDRESS NEW Jersey Governor Phil Murphy aired his third State of the State Address from Trenton on Tuesday, Jan. 12, highlighting accomplishments from his first three years in office to reaffirm his commitment to leading New Jersey through the COVID-19 public health crisis and improving the lives of New Jersey’s families….
‘A DAY WORTH CELEBRATING’ GOV. Phil Murphy and Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli marked the historic beginning of New Jersey’s vaccination effort on Tuesday morning, Dec. 15 at University Hospital in Newark, and witnessed the administration of the first COVID-19 vaccinations to the state’s frontline health care workers. Maritza Beniquez, an emergency room nurse, became the…
THE Filipino community in New York and the entire US Northeast officially started their Christmas celebration with the lighting of the colorful parols and the Simbang Gabi sa Konsulado (Night Mass) at the Philippine Center in New York City on 3 December 2020. Every year, the Philippine Center decorates its windows and lobby with parols (traditional Christmas lanterns) and handcrafted items…
David Dinkins, New York City’s first Black mayor, died in his Manhattan home on Monday, Nov. 23. He was 93. His death comes weeks after the death of his wife Joyce, who passed away on Oct. 11 at the age of 89. Dinkins won the mayoral race in 1989, beating Rudy Giuliani by 47,000 votes…
JERSEY CITY - Gov. Phil Murphy announced new restrictions early this week as COVID-19 cases have spiked across the state, recording 5,000 new cases over the weekend, and hitting the daily 3,000 case level for the first time since April. “The numbers are proving that the second wave is here, this is our reality,” Murphy said…
It took the coronavirus pandemic for many former Filipinos to realize the importance of holding a dual citizenship. The Philippine government temporarily banned the entry of foreigners and suspended the Balikbayan program and other visa-free entry privileges last March in response to the coronavirus pandemic. Prior to this suspension, former Filipinos traveling on US passports…
CRANFORD – “What we came for America, our democracy, rule of law, having a government that actually cares about people, that’s responsible and not corrupt. We don’t want another Ferdinand Marcos running the United States of America, we want a normal American president,” said incumbent Rep. Tom Malinowski, who is seeking reelection to represent New Jersey’s…
NEW YORK – Ambassador Petronila P. Garcia officially assumed on Tuesday, October 20, her post as Philippine Consul General in New York. Ambassador Garcia is a career diplomat with the rank of Chief of Mission I who has served the government for 40 years. She previously served as the Philippine Ambassador to Canada from January…
WHEN his boss Ravi DeRossi told chef Raj Abat last September to come up with an idea for a Filipino vegan restaurant, he was a little hesitant. Growing up in La Union, Philippines, he knew for a fact that Filipinos love and adore their meats and seafood. He took it as a challenge though and…
NEW JERSEY Governor Phil Murphy has signed a bill allowing the approximately 500,000 undocumented immigrants who live in the state to be able to apply for professional licenses. “This eliminates a roadblock. There have been many that have been put up against our immigrant families and communities,” Murphy said. According to Migration Policy Institute numbers,…
Restaurants in New Jersey has allowed indoor dining beginning last Friday, September 4. On Wednesday, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced that he is lifting the six-month ban and will allow indoor dining at restaurants at a limited capacity starting Sept. 30. “Reopening responsibly will help us restore one of our state’s key industries while…
“The Girl and the Gun (Babae at Baril)” and “John Denver Trending” are both screening at the festival which offers more than 50 films from 10 countries including first-timers Bhutan and Kazakhstan. Set as the Opening Film is the North American Premiere of “The Girl and the Gun (Babae at Baril),” written and directed by…
AMBASSADOR Enrique A. Manalo officially commenced his duties as Permanent Representative of the Republic of the Philippines to the United Nations last July 27 after presenting his credentials to the UN. Ambassador Manalo was received virtually by the Chief of Protocol of the United Nations, Ms. Beatrix Kania. Before his posting in New York, Ambassador…
New York City has launched a campaign to mobilize all households to respond to the census because of the alarmingly low response rate generated so far. Dubbed the #GetCountedNYC Census Week of Action, it aims to significantly increase New York City’s self-response rate which was at 54% as of July 27. This is being done…
Jollibee opened the doors of its second store in Jersey City last week, more than a month after the inauguration of its Edison store, in the midst of the pandemic that has been slowing global economic growth. The new stores are part of the brand’s plans to grow to 150 stores in the U.S. by…
NEW Jersey Governor Phil Murphy is requiring residents of the state to wear masks in public in order to control the continued resurgence of coronavirus infections in the state in the past few days. “Requiring masks outdoors is a step I had hoped we would not have to take. By and large, New Jerseyans have…
GOV. Phil Murphy stopped the supposed reopening of restaurants in the state this week for a few reasons, among them the violations in some restaurants that have opened for Phase 2 a couple of weeks ago soaring infection rates from the states that have reopened across the country. New Jersey allowed outdoor dining on June…
A GARDEN City, New York man on Friday, June 19, was indicted by a federal court in the United States for traveling to the Philippines with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct, sexual exploitation of a child, distribution of child pornography and possession of child pornography. The indictment was filed with the U.S. Attorney’s…
FILIPINO organizations, businesses, artists, local elected officials, and community leaders unveiled a new mural on the southeast corner of 69th Street and Roosevelt Avenue known as “Little Manila” on Friday, June 12. The ceremony extended its appreciation to Filipino businesses and healthcare workers risking their lives on the front lines of the COVID-19 epidemic. The…
A LOT of people have channeled their inner chefs and bakers as a way to cope with the global pandemic and after almost 12 weeks in lockdown, there is a need for more creative recipes. These home cooks, amateur chefs and bakers are ready to expand their repertoire and go beyond grilled lemon chicken and…
The Philippine Consulate General in New York — just as it was preparing to reopen — shuttered and boarded up its glass windows on Monday, June 1 as New York braced for more widespread looting and violent protests. “In light of reports of looting and break-ins in the vicinity of the Philippine Center, and as…
Lower Participation puts Political Representation, Funding for Education, Health, and Essential Services at risk Asian-majority census tracts in New York City had an average response rate of 44.7% compared with a citywide self-response rate of 46.3%, according to an analysis released by the Asian American Federation (AAF) at a virtual community forum this week. The…
The Filipino American community in New York and New Jersey continues to lose frontliners, mostly nurses, to the coronavirus in the last couple of weeks. Over the weekend, emergency room nurse Erwin Lambrento, 58, lost his life after a month of battling the virus. Lambrento was a nurse at NYC Health + Hospitals in Elmhurst,…
“I firmly believe that we shouldn’t make decisions on “opening” based on polling. It should be based on science but also respect that people can make personal smart choices,” Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop told CNN in an interview earlier this week. “If someone doesn’t feel comfortable with parks or a business, than they should…
FE Olegario-Pakula, a former elementary school teacher from Mangatarem, Pangasinan, passed away on April 5 from coronavirus complications at a nursing home facility in New York City. Olegario-Pakula, 81, is survived by her husband Marian Pakula, a Polish-American, and her younger brother, Dr. Eddie Olegario, a retired physician now based in Atlantic City, New Jersey….
MARIA Guia Cabillon, fondly called by many as Mama Guia, spent more than three decades of her life as a nurse. She was described as the “number one ally, caregiver and mom to the nurses and staunchly protected all the techs” and “a legend.” Cabillon was the Head Nurse at Kings County Department of Emergency…
