Fil-Am-owned small businesses showcase their products at Project Barkada Market Market
It’s the season of summer street markets in New York City has several in every borough. There’s the established Smorgasburg chain, Queens International Night Market, Hester Street Fair, Bronx Night Market, and Grand Bazaar NYC, among others. Then there’s the Greenpoint Terminal Market in Brooklyn, which was home to about 30 home-based Fil-Am-owned small businesses…
Cathay Bank Foundation announces 2021 scholarship recipients
LOS ANGELES — On Wednesday, August 11 Cathay Bank Foundation held a virtual award ceremony to recognize the high school senior recipients of the 2021 Cathay Bank Foundation Scholarship. Each recipient will receive a $1,000 scholarship used to cover tuition costs for attending a college or university as a full-time student this fall. “Cathay Bank…
DOJ studying action vs US diplomat indicted for illicit sexual conduct in the PH
THE Philippine Department of Justice (DOJ) is studying possible courses of action against an American diplomat recently indicted for engaging in illicit sexual conduct with a minor and possessing child pornography while stationed in the country. “We’re still gathering a lot of information. Then we’ll evaluate and make our move,” Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra said…
SF launches new ‘Vax to You’ program
DPH’s Mobile Vaccine Unit to offer vaccinations by appointment to groups of people in their homes or workplaces SAN FRANCISCO — Mayor London N. Breed and the San Francisco Department of Public Health (SFDPH) on Tuesday, August 3 announced that the City’s Mobile Vaccine Unit will vaccinate small groups of five to 12 people in…
Multiple voting options for military, overseas citizens for California gubernatorial recall election on Sept. 14
REDWOOD CITY – Active military and citizens living outside the United States who wish to participate in the September 14, 2021 California Gubernatorial Recall Election may receive their ballot via email, mail, fax, or access it online. “Our goal in every election is to ensure every eligible voter has the opportunity to cast their ballot, no…
[COLUMN] Is there hope after a fraud denial?
DEAR Attorney Gurfinkel: I was petitioned by my U.S. citizen parent in 2011 as single. The priority date became current, and I submitted all the forms and paid all the fees. When I went for my interview at the U.S. Embassy, my visa was refused because the consul said I had committed fraud about 15…
Love found on Friendster ends up fulfilling a dream this Sunday, Aug. 15 on Citizen Pinoy
K1 – THE ‘LOVE’ VISA: THIS SUNDAY ON CITIZEN PINOY. Wendel (left) met Allen (center) on Friendster, after he went through a period of loneliness and depression, looking for true love. They soon knew they had found “the one.” Before they officially became a couple, they wanted to see each other in person, to make…
[COLUMN] Ask Gustavo: What you need to know about getting help paying rent in California
By Gustavo F. Velasquez, Director, California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) What is the CA COVID-19 Rent Relief program? The CA COVID-19 Rent Relief program offers financial assistance to income eligible households who have been impacted by COVID-19 and need help with unpaid rent and utilities. The program supports eligible renters and their…
FAAE announces digital lineup for 2021 Pistahan virtual parade and festival
SAN FRANCISCO – The Filipino American Arts Exposition (FAAE) will be holding the 28th annual Pistahan Virtual Parade and Festival to celebrate Filipino heritage and culture. There will be live online programming on Saturday, August 14, and Sunday, August 15, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. PDT each day. Al Perez, president of FAAE, said:…
[COLUMN] Naelah Alshorbaji wins Miss Earth Philippines 2021 crown
FILIPINO-Syrian model Naelah Alshorbaji beat 65 other pageant hopefuls as she was declared the winner of the recent Miss Philippines Earth 2021 contest. She is set to represent the country in the Miss Earth 2021 pageant. The search for the new Miss Earth Philippines representative was held online due to the pandemic. The selection committee…
[COLUMN] Booster shot?
A NEW recommendation from the US-CDC is in the offing: A booster shot with a reformulated COVID-19 vaccine, engineered to cover the deadlier Delta strain from India and other variants to prevent breakthrough infections. Before we discuss that issue, allow me to delve deeper into the serious matter of people’s vaccine hesitancy. This is a…
Detection of citrus disease, Huanglongbing, in San Diego County establishes new quarantine area
Detection marks first time plant disease has been found in San Diego County THE California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) has declared a quarantine in north San Diego County following the detection of the citrus disease Huanglongbing (HLB), or citrus greening, in two citrus trees on one residential property in the city of Oceanside….
Filipino Chinese American Justine Wong-Orantes plays key role in first gold medal win for US women’s volleyball team
THE U.S. women’s indoor volleyball team made history during the 2020 Tokyo Olympics with its first-ever gold medal — and among its 12 members is a decorated player of Filipino descent. Justine Wong-Orantes, who hails from Cypress, California, helped Team USA soar to victory as its libero, also known as a defensive specialist, as they…
CDC warns unvaccinated US citizens against travel to PH
Philippines classified as ‘high risk’ for COVID-19 THE U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is advising unvaccinated citizens to avoid non-essential travel to the Philippines and other countries with “high risk” for COVID-19 transmission. The Philippines was classified anew as a Level 3 country, posing a significant risk for COVID-19 due to a…
Rapper Saweetie talks about representing her heritage, proclaims Filipino cuisine is ‘the best food’
IT’S the year of Saweetie — from the viral hit “Best Friend” to a song collaboration with Gwen Stefani to securing key brand sponsorships. Though she’s made a name for herself since her first single “ICY GRL” dropped in 2017, fans can expect her long-awaited debut album “Pretty B*tch Music” in coming months. The 28-year-old…
Eat like Saweetie at McDonald’s with her new ‘famous orders’ collab
RAPPER Saweetie has had top hit singles, landed on magazine covers, and racked up several accolades under her belt. But the latest career milestone for the Icy Girl? A McDonald’s collaboration. The Saweetie Meal landed at the fast food giant’s locations across the United States on August 9, allowing customers to copy her favorite menu…
Pres. Duterte to give cash incentives to PH Olympians
PHILIPPINE President Rodrigo Duterte has pledged additional cash incentives to all Filipino athletes who represented the country in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. “My office, the Office of the President, will grant additional cash incentives to our athletes in the Tokyo Olympics,” he announced Monday, August 9, during a courtesy call with Filipino Olympians. Boxers Nesthy…
Pediatricians, public health officials discuss school safety ahead of the return to in-person learning
Students not required to be vaccinated but must wear masks indoors AS the 2021-2022 academic year looms closer, concerns over resuming in-person learning in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic continue to mount across the country. In Los Angeles County — where the positivity rate of COVID-19 and hospitalizations have dramatically soared over the last…
PH ends recession as GDP grows by 11.8% in Q2
THE Philippines has pulled out of a pandemic-induced recession as its gross domestic product (GDP) grew 11.8% year-on-year in the second quarter of 2021, according to the country’s statistics agency. The latest annual growth was the highest GDP recorded since the fourth quarter of 1988, rebounding from the 17% contraction in the same period last…
[COLUMN] The bucket list: The world is your oyster — go travel
[Select a handful of those things in your bucket list that have the highest chance of coming to fruition given your time frame. In tech speak, it means before your life’s energy goes into ‘ low batt mode’ and life has run out of sockets to plug into.] Life is, indeed, “a moveable feast” to…
[OPINION] Be ready with your ‘vaccine passport’ to live and enjoy life for the greater good amid the escalating threat of the COVID-19 Delta variant
SOCIAL CONTRACT is defined in political philosophy as “an actual or hypothetical compact, or agreement, between the ruled or between the ruled and their rulers, defining the rights and duties of each…They then, by exercising natural reason, formed a society (and a government) by means of a social contract,” according to Encyclopedia Britannica. We all…
‘Wisdom and fear’ lead 90% of US seniors to COVID vaccines
AMID the latest surge in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations, the United States hit a milestone that some thought was unattainable: 90% of people 65 and older are at least partly vaccinated against the disease. That’s more than 49 million seniors vaccinated. Overall, 70% of adults have been inoculated, at least partly, and nearly 68% of…
Pacquiao to face new opponent on Aug. 21 after Errol Spence Jr. sidelined with eye injury
WITH a little over a week to go until returning to the ring, Filipino boxer turned Senator Manny Pacquiao will be facing a new opponent on August 21 in his first bout in two years. American boxer and unified world welterweight champion Errol Spence Jr. (27-0, 21 KOs) will be bowing out of the anticipated…
Filipino boxer Carlo Paalam wins silver medal in Tokyo
FILIPINO boxer Carlo Paalam has finished his Olympic campaign with a silver medal in men’s flyweight. The 23-year-old Paalam bowed to Galal Yafai of Great Britain via a 4-1 split decision in their final bout on Saturday, August 7, at the Kokugikan Arena in Tokyo. Despite landing some early shots on Yafai, Paalam went down…
Clarity on COVID count: Pandemic’s toll on seniors extended well beyond nursing homes
As COVID resurges across the country, driven by the highly infectious delta variant, experts are extending our understanding of the pandemic’s toll on older adults — the age group hit hardest by the pandemic. New research offers unexpected insights. Older adults living in their own homes and apartments had a significantly heightened risk of dying…
Off-site center to open in LA for renewal of Philippine passports
AN alternative, off-site passport renewal center will soon open in Los Angeles to address the huge demand for ePassport renewal applications, according to the Philippine Consulate General in Los Angeles. VFS Global, a private outsourcing company, will operate the renewal center. “The opening of a VFS Global Philippine Passport Renewal Center (PaRC) in Los Angeles…
Beloved Filipino sinigang hailed ‘best rated’ vegetable soup in the world
THE Philippines’ sinigang has been hailed as the best rated vegetable soup in the world by international food database Taste Atlas. In Taste Atlas’ website, sinigang has a rating of 4.8 out of 5 stars. The beloved Filipino dish was followed by skabenu zupa from Latvia, fagiolata from Italy, and ogbono soup from Nigeria with…
