CA Attorney General Rob Bonta advances to Nov. general election
CALIFORNIA Attorney General Rob Bonta is advancing to the general election in November after being the top vote-getter in the state’s primary on Tuesday, June 7. Bonta, who was appointed to the top post in 2021, was the only Democrat in the primary race and received 57% of the vote (1,819,199) as of June 8,…
Fire Island: A raunchy rom-com all about chosen family
THIS story began when comedian Joel Kim Booster went to Fire Island in the summer of 2016 and brought along with him a copy of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. “I was next to Joel when he came up with the idea. He was reading Pride and Prejudice and we were next to each other…
Children’s vision problems often go undetected, despite calls for regular screening
Jessica Oberoi, 13, can’t exactly remember when her eyesight started getting blurry. All she knows is that she had to squint to see the whiteboard at school. It wasn’t until last fall when her eighth grade class in Bloomington, Indiana, got vision screenings that Jessica’s extreme nearsightedness and amblyopia, or lazy eye, were discovered. She’s…
‘Cultures of Las Vegas: The Filipinos’ debuts on Clark County Television
The local Filipino community is the focus of the next iteration of the popular “Cultures of Las Vegas” television and podcast series. “Cultures of Las Vegas: The Filipinos” debuted on Clark County Television (CCTV) Wednesday, June 1 at 2 and 6 p.m. and airs throughout the month. The Philippines celebrates its independence on June 12. Guest moderated…
Aloha Game Nights at Plaza West Covina
Last Saturday, Plaza West Covina hosted an island-themed trivia night in honor of AAPI month. Included in the event was a performance by the Polynesian Entertainment Group. Guests enjoyed hula performances, played trivia games, won prizes, and kids were invited to make crafts as part of the Kids Club at the center. Guests to the…
Daly City raises Philippine flag for PH Independence Day
DALY CITY – Consul General Neil Ferrer led the Philippine Consulate General in San Francisco in the annual Philippine flag-raising ceremony in Daly City, California, hosted by the local government at Daly City Hall on June 6, 2022. In his remarks, Consul General Ferrer said that the Philippine Independence Day every June 12 marks the…
[COLUMN] Pinay-French beauty is new Miss World Philippines 2022
GWENDOLYNE Bolivar Fourniol is the new Miss World Philippines 2022! The Filipina-French beauty bested 35 other contestants to clinch the crown in the beauty pageant competition that took place on Saturday, June 4 at the Mall of Asia arena. Gwendolyne was born and raised in France to a Filipina mom (originally from Negros Occiental) and…
[COLUMN] Atty. Gurfinkel answers more immigration questions from Kapamilya in Chicago, on part 2 of a series of Q&A on Citizen Pinoy
LEADING U.S. Immigration Atty. Michael J. Gurfinkel answers more immigration questions from Kapamilya in Chicago and neighboring areas when Citizen Pinoy brings you the second installment of “Your Tanong, My Sagot.” In this episode, viewers will hear from Flora whose sister came to the U.S. as a tourist in 2018. Flora wants to know if…
[OBITUARY] Federico Munoz Sr., 95
FEDERICO Z. Munoz Sr. joined his creator on Ascension Day, May 29, 2022 at sundown surrounded by his immediate family. He was 95. Federico was born on March 21, 1927 in San Carlos City, Pangasinan, Philippines. He was the second to the oldest of 7 children. He was preceded in death by his wife Juana…
Alameda County becomes first Bay Area county to mandate indoor masks anew
TO limit the impact of increasing COVID-19 cases on hospitalizations, Alameda County health officials announced an indoor mask mandate in most public settings, which took into effect last June 3. This order does not apply to the City of Berkeley, which is an independent Local Health Jurisdiction. The Alameda County Health Officer said it will…
[EVENT] Unveiling of Filipino music in history and in-person in Seacaucus, NJ
NOW is the time to give ourselves a treat that we truly deserve. After a long hiatus from the pandemic season, we are back in finding the best live entertainment that suits our distinct musical taste. As they say, “Singing is a way to express our thoughts and feelings and has the power to alter…
SoCal Fil-Am goes to White House to advocate for mental health
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…
Historic Filipinotown coffee table book announced
“This July, we are celebrating the 20th anniversary of the designation of Historic Filipinotown as a distinct historic district of the City of Los Angeles, and we think the best way to celebrate this milestone is by honoring this neighborhood’s rich history and heritage,” announced Roger L. Oriel, CEO and publisher of Asian Journal. “As…
LA County reminds residents to get tested after gatherings
WITH summer approaching and the increase in public gatherings, Los Angeles County is reminding residents anew to get tested. At-home testing for residents that have an exposure to a known case or have symptoms, and before and after indoor gatherings is critical to prevent the spread of COVID-19, the county Department of Public Health said…
Top LA model coach Tina Shih unveils fresh faces in Asia Pacific Fashion Week 2022
LOS ANGELES – Tina Shih, a noted image consultant and model coach in Southern California and China, has recently re-branded her “Tina Modeling – House of Etiquette” modeling academy into “Icon Model Group”. As such, Tina will unveil her newest talents under the “Icon Model” brand in Asia Pacific Fashion Week (APFW), the world’s newest…
NFL’s Washington Commanders head coach swears by ‘Filipino family values’
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…
[OPINION] Time to look at the glass half full
You could rant and rave endlessly over the return to power of the Marcos family and refuse to accept their victory – questionable in many aspects as it was. Or you could assume a philosophical attitude and view the recent presidential election as a glass half full instead of half empty. It was, in fact, …
[COLUMN] The history and blessings of Philippine independence
By Gus Mercado June 12, 1898 marks a most important milestone in the history of the Philippines as the day the Republic was born. Every year since then, Filipinos all over the world take time to commemorate this significant event in their history — the culmination of nearly four centuries of struggle for nationhood. The…
[COLUMN] How to consolidate your debts through Chapter 13
WHEN people think of bankruptcy, oftentimes they think of the worst thing that could happen to them — losing their home, cars and other assets that they have. The truth is that most people who file bankruptcy lose nothing and keep everything. Not all bankruptcies are the same. For individuals, it is usually either a…
[COLUMN] Mindfulness as a survival skill
I nearly had a vehicular accident. Operative word: Nearly. I was minding my business at a traffic stop when the vehicle before me decided to back up because her car was caught in the crosswalk. I then noticed her white tail lights — a red flag — warning me that she had left her car…
Former Filipina caregiver, now a fast-rising fashion designer in Canada
Genette Mujar, a Vancouver-based fashion designer of Filipino descent, is a former caregiver turned fast-rising designer in Canada. Genette, who hails from Albay in the Philippines, is the owner and chief operating officer of Gnetz Design, a fast-rising fashion house based in Vancouver, Canadian. Genette, who completed her studies at Bicol University, has had a…
[COLUMN] Employees lose wages when employers round down or shave work hours
MOISES Negrete worked at Conagra Foods, Inc.’s food processing facilities located all over California. Moises and other workers sued their employer in a class action, alleging failure to provide them lawful meal and rest periods but automatically deducting time for meal periods, even when employees did not take a meal break. Employees also alleged employer…
[COLUMN] Chapter 13 client with house default dies. What happens next?
THERE’S a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to harvest. There’s a time for everything. So states Ecclesiastes 3: “For everything, there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven… A time to kill and a time to heal; a time to tear…
[COLUMN] A message on Pentecost Sunday
“THE Holy Spirit is real!” our seminarian, Hieu Nguyen, expressed to me as he went to his diaconate ordination at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angles last Saturday. He was overwhelmed with joy at reaching this time, only a year away from priestly ordination after six years of seminary formation. I share the…
[COLUMN] Will I have to pay spousal support if I file for divorce?
The purpose of spousal support is not defined by the legislature in that its purpose varies according to the facts and circumstances of each case. The facts and circumstances of a particular case may be such which call for no spousal support, or for support for a very limited period of time, with the purpose…