Covering the week’s most noteworthy news stories impacting the lives of the Filipino-American community in the Washington, DC-Metro Area from Virginia, Maryland, to Washington, DC.
Philippine Ambassador to the United States Jose Manuel Romualdez attended the US Marine Corps Friday Evening Parade at the Marine Barracks in Washington, D.C., the oldest post of the Corps, last August 9. The invitation to Ambassador Romualdez to be the guest of honor at the parade underscores the strong and enduring alliance between the…
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Philippine Embassy recently celebrated Migrant Workers Day in a day-long event with members of the Filipino community from Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, D.C. Consistent with the theme “OFW: Saan Mang Panig ng Mundo, Galing at Katatagan Mo’y Hinahangaan,” video messages of the Administrator Arnel Ignacio of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration, Secretary…
Originally published in Inquirer.net WASHINGTON, D.C. – A group of former U.S. service members and Filipino American community advocates released an open letter to President Joe Biden, urging that the issue of abandoned Amerasian children be included in the terms of the U.S.-Philippine Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement, as “a surge of new Amerasian children can be…
WASHINGTON, DC – The National Federation of Filipino American Associations (NaFFAA) is mourning the passing of one of the Filipino American community’s most remarkable leaders, Jesus “Jesse” Antonio Vizcocho, who passed away on March 11, 2023. Born in the Philippines on December 25, 1960, Jesse immigrated to Kodiak, Alaska in 1991. He later moved to Anchorage…
Washington, D.C. – The Philippine Embassy in Washington, D.C., led by Ambassador Jose Manuel G. Romualdez and supported by the Defense Attache Philippine Navy Captain Salvador Henry Quinto, joined the United States Navy in the naming celebration of the United States Ship Telesforo Trinindad (DDG 139) at the Rayburn House Office Building on Capitol Hill…
WASHINGTON, DC – On Wednesday, December 7, Congresswoman Jackie Speier (D-CA), Chair of the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Military Personal and Co-Chair of the Democratic Women’s Caucus, celebrated the inclusion of her provisions to finally remove the crime of sexual harassment from the military chain of command and to provide other key protections for…
The Sentro Rizal of the Philippine Embassy in Washington D.C. donated Philippine history books to the Library of Congress in conjunction with the celebration of the 88th National Book Week on November 24-30, 2022 in the Philippines. Charge d’Affaires Jaime Ramon Ascalon, Jr., on behalf of Ambassador Jose Manuel Romualdez and the Philippine Embassy, donated…
TO commemorate Filipino American History Month (FAHM), Filipino American community leaders and the White House Initiative on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders (WHIAANHPI) hosted a virtual celebration highlighting the positive historical impact of the vast Filipino American community. In mostly pre-recorded segments shared in the virtual event on Thursday, Oct. 20, the White…
WASHINGTON, D.C. — To address the growing impact of natural and manmade disasters exacerbated by the effects of climate change, the National Federation of Filipino American Associations (NaFFAA) has piloted a program to coordinate Filipino diaspora groups across the United States. The program, FilAm Alerts, is an effort to streamline and efficiently coordinate resources and…
WASHINGTON D.C. – In commemoration of its 10th anniversary, the Filipino Young Leaders Program (FYLPRO) held a reunion dinner at the Philippine Embassy Chancery Annex last July 22. The event was attended by FYLPRO Officers, members, alumni, partners, Embassy officials, FYLPRO mentees, and other supporters. Chargé d’Affaires a.i. Jaime Ramon T. Ascalon, Jr. congratulated FYLPRO…
SBA delivered an unprecedented level of economic aid to small businesses impacted by the pandemic WASHINGTON, DC – As the country continues to transition from a historic economic recovery to stable, steady growth that works for families and small businesses, Administrator Isabella Casillas Guzman, the voice for America’s 32.5 million small businesses in President Biden’s Cabinet, highlighted…
LOS ANGELES — For Filipina American Justine Bautista, it’s her life’s work to advocate for the de-stigmatization of mental health, especially among Asian communities. And she knows it won’t be an easy task. The 24-year-old Bautista, a Ph.D. student and researcher at the University of California (UC) Irvine, is one of the youngest Filipinas to…
Ron Rivera “Riverboat Ron,” football head coach for the Washington Commanders of the National Football League, learned the values of hard work and family from his ancestor. His grandfather on his mother’s side, Margarito Palma, was born in the Philippines before emigrating to the Salinas Valley in California, where he became an itinerant agricultural worker who…
Pogiboy, the newest Filipino hotspot in the nation’s capital and the reunion project of two trailblazing Filipino American chefs, was born as an homage to the fast-food chains they enjoyed as kids. The men behind the concept are James Beard awardee Tom Cunanan, who made waves in the DC hospitality industry as one of the…
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The US-Asia Institute (USAI), in partnership with the Philippine Embassy in the United States, has officially opened applications for the IMPACT! Program for summer 2021. The 2021 program is organized to provide opportunity for Filipino American students and young graduates to gain firsthand knowledge about the current practices and opportunities available in…
EVEN when he was still at Bad Saint, James Beard award-winning chef Tom Cunanan has been dreaming of coming up with a group of Filipino American chefs in the Washington, DC area for a gastronomic event. Because they don’t get to cook together, he looked at it as an opportunity to be able to collaborate…
A COUPLE of weeks ago, the word “barkada” triggered a social media debate within the Filipino American community, later expanding to the Filipino diaspora. It stemmed from the news that four white men opened a wine bar in Washington, D.C. and used the name “Barkada.” No Filipino dishes or Filipino wines and spirits were on…
Four white men recently opened a wine bar along U Street in Washington, D.C. named “Barkada Wine Bar,” a nod to the Filipino word for a closely-knit group of friends. The name was the only Filipino part of it; they did not announce plans to serve Filipino food or drinks nor is it an establishment…
WASHINGTON, D.C.— “The Philippines has come a long way but it is now recognized globally as among the fastest growing and most resilient economies in the world. Its future prospects are bright. However, the transformation was a product of a long list of structural reforms. It did not happen overnight,” declared Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas…
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Filipino Young Leaders Program (FYLPRO), a joint initiative of the Philippine Embassy under the leadership of Philippine Ambassador to the United States Jose Manuel Romualdez, Consulates General in the United States, and the Ayala Foundation, Inc. (AFI), is pleased to announce the 2019 FYLPRO Delegates. Due to an overwhelming response in…
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Philippine Ambassador to the United States Jose Manuel G. Romualdez conducted an official visit to Anchorage, Alaska on August 25-28 to engage with the sizable Filipino American community there and explore the possibility of increasing economic exchanges between the Philippines and the state of Alaska. The official visit was upon the invitation…
Celebrated state delegate Ron Villanueva sentenced to prison Former Virginia delegate and Virginia Beach councilman Ron Villanueva was sentenced to two-and-a-half years in prison on Tuesday, July 2 on multiple charges of fraud against the federal government. Earlier this year, the Filipino American Republican pleaded guilty to a list of charges including “falsifying records and…
WASHINGTON, D.C. — More than 400 guests attended the Diplomatic Reception commemorating the 121st anniversary of the proclamation of Philippine Independence at the Roof Terrace Restaurant of The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts on Monday, June 17. “It is very opportune that our theme for this year’s Independence Day celebration is ‘Courage…
Washington, D.C. — “I can think of no other place I would rather be today than at this ceremony, remembering with you the courage and sacrifice, the resilience and the strength of the Defenders of Corregidor and Bataan.” U.S. Army Lt. Gen. David H. Huntoon (Ret) said those words on Tuesday, April 9, at the…
Washington, DC – The National Federation of Filipino American Associations (NaFFAA) recently announced that Jason Tengco, NaFFAA’s current Executive Director, intends to step down from his role at the end of April 2019. After serving more than two years beginning in December 2016, Jason’s departure comes as he begins a Master’s Degree program this summer….
COMMUNITY leader Naomi Tacuyan Underwood is the new executive director of the Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA). Underwood joins AAJA from the Washington, D.C.-based Faith & Politics Institute, where she served as director of programs. She has over a decade of experience in nonprofit management and community engagement where she has long focused on empowering Asian…
AARP celebrated its 2018 Asian American & Pacific Islander Hero Award winner Jon Melegrito of Kensington, Maryland for his volunteer work with the Filipino Veterans Recognition and Education Project (FilVetREP) on Wednesday, December 5 in Washington, DC. Melegrito is the son of a Filipino World War II Veteran. From civil rights to the anti-apartheid movement,…
Nearly a week after midterm elections took place, a new and diverse House freshman class came together for the first time on Tuesday, November 13 in Washington, D.C. for orientation. Among the attendees was Democrat Filipina-American congressional candidate Gina Ortiz-Jones who ran for Texas’ 23rd Congressional District and has trailed closely behind two-term holding Republican…
WASHINGTON D.C. 31 OCTOBER 2018 — As part of the month-long celebration of Filipino American History Month, the Philippine American Foundation for Charities (PAFC) and the Philippine Embassy co-hosted the inaugural National Forum on Filipino American Mental Health at the Philippine Chancery Annex Building on 20 October 2018. The forum brought together renowned speakers from…
VIRGINIA 18 October 2018 —Ambassador to the United States Jose Manuel G. Romualdez kicked off a two-day introductory visit to the Hampton Roads in southeastern Virginia with a speech at the Awards Dinner of the First Golf Classic Tournament under the auspices of the Philippine American Chamber of Commerce (PACC), at the Virginia Beach National…
