[COLUMN] Lola’s wrong advice resulted in many years of family separation — this Sunday, March 6 on Citizen Pinoy
MIKE (2nd from left) missed the chance to bring his kids to the U.S. due to wrong advice from his well-meaning mother. Mike was petitioned as single by his mother, but she told him not to bring his children along, since their birth certificates had a date of marriage listed. Many erroneously assume that a…
[EVENT] This family makes beautiful music together for a reason
An impressive array of huge hits and nostalgic songs make for pure fun when TFC presents the Revelation Concert Tour in the US this March REDWOOD CITY – “Many things were revealed to us during this pandemic.” Dingdong Avanzado waxes nostalgic during an interview. “The Original Prince of Pinoy Pop” shares that they will be…
[COLUMN] Duggan’s Serra Mortuary president Dan Duggan heads list of March birthday celebrants
DAN Duggan, the president of Duggan’s Serra Mortuary, heads the list of prominent personalities celebrating their birthdays in the month of March. Dan will celebrate his birthday on Sunday, March 27. Duggan’s Serra Mortuary is where many Filipino Americans honor and pay their last respects to their loved ones when they leave this world. It…
Meet the 12 Fil-Ams who are James Beard Awards semifinalists for 2022
SIX chefs, two restaurateurs, one pastry chef, a bar that offers an outstanding bar program, and a couple of emerging chefs. That is how Filipino Americans in the food and hospitality industry fared on Wednesday, Feb. 23 as the James Beard Foundation announced its 2022 Restaurant and Chef Awards semifinalists in advance of the returning…
[COLUMN] COVID-19, Putin-22
AS the pandemic continues to infect and kill people in the United States and around the world, Ukraine is ravaged not only by COVID-19 but by Russia’s Putin-22, a modern-day Hitler, a ruthless power-hungry land-grabber and murderer. The unprovoked attack has killed civilians, including children, in this Eastern European country with a population of 44.62…
[OPINION] Presidential debates: Finding your true north amid the deep toxic division fueled by fake news and disinformation
WE are less than 11 weeks away from the consequential May 9, 2022 presidential elections. Campaign season is now in full gear with political rallies in different parts of the country, online discourse and the controversial debates — all intended by the electoral system to give voters the opportunity to make better informed and conscientious…
California drops indoor mask mandate for unvaxxed, schools
CALIFORNIA this week announced that it is dropping indoor mask mandate requirements, including for unvaccinated residents and in schools. Governor Gavin Newsom announced that on March 1, masks will no longer be required for unvaccinated individuals, but will be strongly recommended for all individuals in most indoor settings. “California continues to adjust our policies based on the latest data…
Paul Anka brings the ‘Anka Sings Sinatra’ tour to Los Angeles
Legend spills on what keeps him going: ‘I love what I’m doing’ Legendary singer and songwriter Paul Anka is all set for his tour stop in LA this Saturday, March 5. “Wouldn’t it be great that on the anniversary of ‘My Way’ and Sinatra after his death to do some of the arrangements that he…
[COLUMN] Part IV: Angels among us
(Continued from last week …) An angel is an invisible presence that must be acknowledged to become ever stronger. God sends angels to keep watch over human beings and help them in every human challenge. There is, however, the element of free will in humans. You can acknowledge the presence of angels or deny it….
J&J-vaxxed, mRNA-boosted, and pondering a third shot
YES, we are all exhausted by the covid pandemic. Flummoxed by the constantly shifting science and guidelines. Worried about a succession of scary new variants, each with its own name, like hurricanes. But a sizable minority — nearly 17 million U.S. residents, including me — has its own special quandary. Our initial vaccine was Johnson…
New Filipina co-founded software aims to stymie human trafficking at the source
Filipina co-founder of the new initiative hopes to reduce the number of trafficking victims, especially those of Filipino descent IN a digital world where scamming has essentially become institutionalized, the risk of falling prey to con artists, thieves, and swindlers has become unfortunately easier as the internet evolves. But the insidiousness of the deep underbelly…
LA County drops indoor mask mandate for vaccinated residents
AS Los Angeles County reaches the tail end of the winter coronavirus surge, county officials have eased indoor masking requirements for those who are vaccinated. Starting Friday, Feb. 25, vaccinated individuals may enter establishments, venues, and businesses across the county that require vaccination proof without a mask. “As transmission drops and there is less virus…
[OPINION] How to prevent democracy from turning into a dictatorship
THE commemoration of the historic People Power Revolution of 1986 in the Philippines was eclipsed with two important news headlines that somehow shaped many aspects of social media interaction online among Filipinos wherever they may be around the world. The unprovoked invasion of Russian forces in Ukraine on Thursday, February 24, ignited fear of World…
[COLUMN] US women soccer team scores in fight to end unequal pay
ABOUT two months before the start of the 2019 World Cup in France where it was scheduled to defend its title as World Cup Champions, the US Women Soccer Team sued its employer, the United States Soccer Federation, Inc. (“Federation”), for equal pay. Back in 2019, this column wrote about how and why the lawsuit…
[COLUMN] Goodness from within
AN old Cherokee story goes like this: An old man says to his grandson, “There’s a fight going on inside of me. It’s a terrible fight between two wolves. One is evil—angry, greedy, jealous, arrogant, and cowardly. The other is good—peaceful, loving, modest, generous, honest, and trustworthy. These two wolves are also fighting within you…
[EVENT] FASGI fundraiser features actress/singer Becca Godinez
THE Filipino American Service Group, Inc. (FASGI), a non-profit organization in Historic Filipinotown dedicated to serving the Filipino community, will kick start a year of raising funds to support on-going programming. In its 40th anniversary, FASGI has helped millions of individuals through programs that include mental health education, naturalization application assistance, arts incubation, health and…
AG Bonta announces arrests in alleged Inland Empire hospice scam totaling over $4.2M
CALIFORNIA Attorney General Rob Bonta on Thursday, February 24 announced the arrests of 14 individuals who were charged in San Bernardino County Superior Court in connection with two hospice companies accused of stealing more than $4.2 million from the federal Medicare and state Medi-Cal programs. Based in San Bernardino County, New Hope Hospice, Inc. and…
[EVENT] TKO returns with a big bang, live at Pechanga Theater!
IT’S gonna be another evening of fun-filled laughter, excitement and family entertainment and togetherness at the Pechanga Resort Casino in Temecula, California. T.K.O. (Tawanan! Kantahan! Overload!), comes back with a bang come Saturday, March 5, 2022, to perform live at 8p.m., at the halls of Pechanga Theater with tons of jokes and antics to kick off…
How to ease Los Angeles homeless crisis: Voters see coordination as key, not taxation
By Mark Hedin/Ethnic Media Services WITH more than 65,000 people living on Los Angeles County’s streets, there’s desperation in the air. Despite all efforts to address it, the situation is worsening, and frustration mounting. “We’re failing them,” one Latino voter said, as reported recently by the No Going Back L.A. group assembled by the Committee…
Long-awaited gateway in Los Angeles’ Historic Filipinotown to be unveiled in May
THE highly-anticipated gateway marking the entrance of Historic Filipinotown is slated to be unveiled in May, according to an update from Los Angeles Councilmember Mitch O’Farrell’s office. In a release sent on February, February 25, O’Farrell, whose district covers Historic Filipinotown, said the Eastern Gateway will be installed and publicly unveiled in time for Asian…
Filipina American leaders named to NYC’s Economic Development Team
Led by Deputy Mayor Maria Torres-Springer, the team includes Anne del Castillo who will continue as MOME Commissioner NEW York City Mayor Eric Adams unveiled on Wednesday, Feb. 23 at the Brooklyn Navy Yard the new members of his economic development team, which has two of the highest-ranking Filipino Americans in the Adams cabinet. The…
Filipino influence but thoroughly Scandinavian: How a young Filipino chef in Sweden won the S.Pellegrino Young Chef Academy Competition
THE biggest global talent search to find the best young chef in the world found its winner in Jerome Ianmark Calayag, a Stockholm-based Filipino chef originally from the Philippines. The young chef bested nine other chefs to win S.Pellegrino Young Chef Academy Competition 2019-2021, a grand, three-day gastronomic event held in Milan last October. The…
NYC Mayor unveils ‘Subway Safety Plan’
Crackdown on homeless people in subways is in effect MAYOR Eric Adams on Friday, Feb. 18 released the city’s “Subway Safety Plan,” which lays out how his administration will begin addressing public safety concerns and supporting people experiencing homelessness and serious mental illness on New York City’s subways. The next 48 hours saw at least…
[COLUMN] Immigration questions of the Fil-Am South Bay Community take centerstage in this Sunday’s special episode of Citizen Pinoy
CITIZEN Pinoy features a new episode, where the show’s host, leading U.S. Immigration Attorney Michael J. Gurfinkel, reaches out to various Filipino American community organizations across the U.S. and gets to know more about them. On the premiere of Citizen Pinoy’s community outreach, Atty. Gurfinkel meets the Fil-Am South Bay Community of San Jose, California,…
[COLUMN] Deaths still high
THE recorded average daily COVID-19 deaths in the United States, as of last Monday, February 21, 2022, was 2,308 the past week (almost 330 per day), and the daily average COVID-19 infections are 108,056. Yes, still that many in one day. The total confirmed cases are so far 78,688,566, and the total confirmed deaths are…
[COLUMN] Actor Darwin Yu believes controversies can help showbiz careers
MANO Po co-star Darwin Yu was recently embroiled in a small controversy, along with his teleserye co-star Dustin Yu. The omission of one word (“if”) from his quoted answer to a question regarding the possibility of changing screen names due to the similarity in their showbiz names sparked harsh comments and bashing from netizens and…
