Covering the week’s most noteworthy news stories impacting the lives of the Filipino-American community in New York and New Jersey.
FIFTY Filipinos and Filipino Americans have succumbed to the novel coronavirus in the 10 states covered by the Philippine Consulate General in New York, according to Consul General Claro Cristobal. “The pandemic is very much in our midst and our community has been affected badly. Out of the 50 casualties, 18 are front-liners, doctors, nurses,…
The Filipino community in New York continues to mourn the loss of some community members to complications arising from the coronavirus infection. New York City has more than 130,000 as of press time, roughly about 17.5 percent of the 830,000 reported cases in the United States, according to Johns Hopkins University data. For the past…
A 60-year-old grandmother from Linden, New Jersey began sewing face masks for her family and friends from the comfort of her home a couple of weeks ago when she realized that even hospital supplies for such masks were beginning to dwindle. Shirley Asunto — more famously known in the community as Tita Shirley, the mother…
THE LATEST data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) show that at least 9,000 frontline health workers in the United States have contracted COVID-19 and 27 of them have died. This preliminary data from the CDC reveals that nearly three-quarters of these infections are women and the median age is 42. This week,…
With health care workers fighting on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic, several Filipino American restaurants and groups are expressing their appreciation by delivering meals and other essential supplies. Kabisera, a cafe in Manhattan’s East Village, has been doing “coffee runs” — serving caffeinated beverages and merienda (snacks) — for the past 10 days…
Daisy Doronila had a different perspective than most who worked at the Hudson County Correctional Facility, a New Jersey lockup 11 miles from Manhattan. It was a place where the veteran nurse could put her Catholic faith into action, showing kindness to marginalized people. “There would be people there for the most heinous crimes,” said…
AMONG the highest number of casualties in this global public health crisis are on the front lines and since the coronavirus outbreak across the globe began, over 100 doctors and nurses around the world have died. In the 10 states covered by the Philippine Consulate General in New York, the reported number is less than…
By Harold Clavite/Contributor AT the end of a long work shift, Filipino nurse Jiggz Tabuclin would make it home in time to put his daughter to bed. But amid the coronavirus outbreak, this is no longer the case. Tabuclin instead parks his minivan outside of the house, then prepares a makeshift bed out of a sleeping…
Jersey City, the city with the most diverse population in New Jersey, has more positive coronavirus cases than any other town or city in the state. The city now has 820 confirmed COVID-19 cases and six fatalities, including a DPW worker who was a part-time hospital security guard according to Mayor Steven Fulop. In a series…
The coronavirus that has caused a worldwide pandemic has killed more than 3,400 and infected more than 213,000 people in the United States, according to Johns Hopkins University, both figures surpassing those reported by China. Some people who were tested positive have begun their way to full recovery. After 17 days in the hospital, including…
Filipino American media professionals are paying tribute to veteran CBS News journalist and talent executive Maria Mercader who died over the weekend from the coronavirus. Born and raised in New York, Mercader, 54, spent over 30 years at CBS as a producer and most recently was a director of talent strategy. The Filipina American journalist…
New York continues to grapple with skyrocketing coronavirus cases and because of the spiking numbers, the state launched earlier this week a clinical trial for an experimental drug treatment to heal those who are critically ill. One of those patients in critical condition is Filipino American lawyer David Lat, who has been intubated on a…
A Filipino father from Edison, New Jersey died on March 19 from the coronavirus, his son confirmed over the weekend. Peter Dario died from COVID-19 two days prior and was “alone because the hospital restricted all visitors in order to contain the outbreak,” his son Peter John Dario posted on Twitter on March 21. The…
FILIPINO restaurants in New York are feeling the pinch as the lockdown caused by the coronavirus pandemic forced them to drastically cut their operations, doing away with dine-in and focusing only on pick up, to go or delivery. Restaurants in the city are among the particularly hard-hit and the restrictions made by the governors of…
The Philippine Consulate General is set to reopen on March 27, Friday after the mandatory 14-day isolation period for close exposure incidents. Upon its reopening, the consulate will be implementing some limitations in order to conform to current COVID19 mitigation measures. Among these measures are the immediate suspension of dual citizenship applications and processing, personal…
NEW YORK-based Filipino American lawyer and legal recruiter David Lat announced on social media this week that he has tested positive for the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). “Hello everyone. You are looking at New York State’s 951st and New York City’s 464th confirmed case of Covid-19 aka coronavirus,” he posted on Monday, March 16. Lat called…
New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy, New York Governor Andrew M. Cuomo, and Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont announced on Monday, March 16 a regional approach to combatting the novel coronavirus – or COVID-19 – throughout the tri-state area. Among the uniform standards include limiting crowd capacity for social and recreational gatherings to 50 people; restaurants and bars…
THE number of coronavirus cases in New York State continues to double almost daily that it is now reaching a critical point, according to Governor Andrew Cuomo who said the outbreak spread is “accelerating like a bullet train.” The state has registered the highest and the greatest rate of infection and death toll is now…
Governor Andrew Cuomo announced a slate of new measures on Thursday, March 12 ranging from shutting down Broadway shows and events of 500 people or more to imposing restrictions on restaurants, bars and other venues in an effort to stop the spread of the novel coronavirus. “We’re on a upward trajectory of this disease,” Cuomo…
It was a celebration of all things pork at Cochon555 on Sunday, March 8 as five of New York’s top chefs went head to head in a friendly competition for the title of “Prince of Pork” and a chance to represent the city in the grand championship later this year. Chef Louis Bayla, Chef de…
Starting midnight Friday, March 13, travel to the United States from European countries will be temporarily banned for 30 days in an effort “to keep new cases” of the novel coronavirus “from entering our shores,” President Donald Trump announced on Wednesday, March 11. From the Oval Office, Trump addressed the American public in an error-laden…
Kira Danganan-Azucena, charge d’affaires and deputy permanent representative of the Permanent Mission of the Philippines to the United Nations, confirmed in a message to UN colleagues that a “colleague at the Philippine Mission tested positive today (March 12, Thursday) for COVID-19.” Rumors began swirling around the local community on Thursday afternoon through various chat groups…
New York — Consul General Claro S. Cristobal signed on Monday, March 2 the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with New York University represented by Carolyn Dinshaw, Dean for the Humanities, Faculty of Arts and Science, for the establishment of a Philippine Studies program at the prestigious university. Following the signing of the MOU, Consul General…
The Vindication of Ambra Gutierrez Ambra Battilana Gutierrez said she felt “pure happiness” when movie mogul Harvey Weinstein was found guilty of a criminal sexual act and third-degree rape on February 24. “Happiness. Pure happiness. It was the verdict that I was really wishing for,” Gutierrez told CourtTV outside the New York Supreme Court in…
MORE people around the world travelled in 2019 with overseas trips hitting 1.5 billion, up four percent from 2018, according to the latest statistics from the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO). France remained the most-visited country with more than 90 million visitors, followed by Spain’s 83.8 million. Despite the outbreak of COVID-19 setting 2020 off to…
18 FEBRUARY 2020, New York – The Philippine Consulate General in New York convened the 6th Filipino-American Community General Assembly in the US Northeastern seaboard on 8 February 2020 at the Philippine Center in New York to discuss important matters affecting Filipino-Americans in the 10 states under the jurisdiction of the Consulate. Philippine Ambassador to…
NEW YORK — For the first time, community organizations in New York and Florida are coming together to ensure Puerto Ricans and Filipinos are correctly counted come Census Day on April 1. Puerto Ricans and Filipinos had been undercounted in past census efforts, adversely affecting how $1.5 trillion in federal funding had been spent, according…
Borough makes history with two other Filipinos on the council BERGENFIELD, NJ — The Filipino American community in the eastern seaboard has another reason to be proud as lawyer Arvin Amatorio took his oath as the new mayor of Bergenfield, a borough in Bergen County roughly 13 miles from New York City. Mayor Amatorio’s historic…
Featuring over 120 Instagrammable displays utilizing more than ten million individual lights, the first-time event now open at Citi Field through January 26, 2020 FROM New York to Los Angeles, lantern festivals – outdoor exhibits featuring giant illuminated displays — have become enormously popular in the US in recent years, thanks to their jaw-dropping spectacle. Last week, New…
ON December 14 at 2pm, the Alay Philippine Performing Arts Rondalla and special guests will present an afternoon of Philippine music, as well as well-known favorites and holiday melodies, at the Caldwell Public Library located at 268 Bloomfield Avenue. The event is free, but reservations are required. Founded in 1999 by Mirinisa Myers and Ameurfina Nazario, the Alay…
