Broad coalition of Americans fights against voter suppression laws
By Jenny Manrique/Ethnic Media Services The dramatic image of Texas Democrats leaving the legislature before midnight to block a voter restriction bill spotlights a surge of activism to secure access to the polls. Voting rights advocates believe this growing activism can still win passage of federal legislation to counter measures like SB7 which Texas Governor…
[COLUMN] H.R.3 is the last thing we need right now
By: Bill Wong, board member, Las Vegas Asian Chamber Last month, Congress re-introduced H.R.3, a bill that would enact price controls on prescription drugs. While well-intentioned, price-setting legislation could harm the future development of cures. Considering the incredible success of our biopharmaceutical industry this past year, I was surprised to hear legislators revisiting this proposal….
Pandemic, death and cancer: How a Fil-Am entrepreneur turned curveballs into a sweet opportunity
Carol Gancia, a Filipina immigrant and small business owner, planned to open her latest venture around March of last year, but the global pandemic threw a major curveball. Instead of sulking, she saw an opportunity that equally scared and excited her. This June, her baby Kokak Chocolates is marking its first anniversary, and looking back,…
FilAm candidates for NYC City Council make final push in their campaigns
THE first citywide ranked choice voting in New York City is underway and Primary Day is on Tuesday, June 22. With less than a week to go, candidates and their volunteers are making the extra effort to knock on more doors and meet more people in their local districts. Among the nearly 300 candidates running…
AAPI organizations, hate crime survivors urge Newsom to approve $210-M budget for community
THE California Asian Pacific Islander (API) Legislative Caucus (APILC), Stop AAPI Hate, the Commission on Asian and Pacific Islander American Affairs, and more than 150 community organizations are urging Governor Gavin Newsom to approve the $210 million API Equity Budget to support the AAPI community. The budget, proposed by the APILC, is divided into three…
Palace: ICC report based on ‘hearsay’ information
MALACAÑANG on Wednesday, June 16, maintained that International Criminal Court (ICC) Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda’s report on the country’s drug war is based on “hearsay information.” “We’re confident it will not prosper beyond this stage, because, in the first place, you need the cooperation of the state for a case buildup. But right now, what they…
Fil-Am internet star Bretman Rock among Nike’s campaign ambassadors for Pride month
FILIPINO American internet star Bretman Rock is among the faces of Nike’s 2021 Be True campaign, created in honor of June as Pride Month. Across social media platforms, the influencer shared the announcement along with photos of his shoot with the sportswear brand. “Strength has no gender! It’s measured from within,” Bretman wrote Tuesday, June…
[COLUMN] Diabetes and sex
DOES diabetes affect sexual function? Yes. In men, diabetes mellitus can cause a varying degree of erectile dysfunction (inability to attain or sustain erection satisfactory for intercourse) as the diabetes progresses. Most of the time, however, the exaggerated and unfair condemnation of diabetes as causing severe erectile dysfunction leads to a psychological deterrent and a…
Cuomo lifts COVID-19 restrictions as New York reaches vaccination milestone
Governor Andrew Cuomo announced on Tuesday, June 15 the lifting of all remaining state-mandated COVID restrictions effective immediately as New York has reached the goal of 70% of adults receiving at least one dose of the vaccine. “Not only do we have the lowest COVID positivity rate in the United States of America, we have…
[COLUMN] ‘Separated’ is not ‘single’
DEAR Atty. Gurfinkel: I entered the U.S. on a tourist visa and then overstayed and am out of status. My U.S. citizen boyfriend recently proposed to me, and we plan on getting married and have him petition me. Also, years ago, I married someone else in the Philippines. But he abandoned me, he already has…
Duterte extends suspension of VFA termination anew
PHILIPPINE President Rodrigo Duterte has extended the abrogation of the country’s Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) with the United States for another six months, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) announced this week. According to Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr., the chief executive relayed the decision in a meeting with him and Philippine Ambassador to…
Filipina diplomat ‘verbally assaulted’ during anti-Asian incident in NY
A FILIPINA diplomat at the Philippine Consulate General in New York has become the latest victim of anti-Asian hate following an unprovoked verbal assault on the New York City subway train last Friday, June 11. In a statement posted on Facebook, Consul General Elmer Cato said: “Our colleague, a female consular officer, was verbally assaulted…
As California drops mask mandate, Fil-Am nurses, doctors urge residents to continue mask-wearing, social distancing
Governor Gavin Newsom details new travel recovery plan to restart the state’s tourism industry FOR Californians, June 15 was the highly anticipated return to relative normalcy after 15 months of coronavirus-related lockdowns. But for nurses and doctors, June 15 could be the start of yet another infection surge that may endanger vulnerable communities. As previously…
Biden celebrates 123rd PH Independence Day: Filipinos ‘make invaluable contributions to communities all across our country’
UNITED STATES President Joe Biden joined Filipinos in celebrating the Philippines’ 123rd Independence Day in a video message over the weekend. In his first Philippine Independence Day message as the U.S. commander-in-chief, Biden cited the enduring friendship between American and the Philippines, adding that the two nations must continue working together to address challenges like…
Palace: Government will never cooperate with ICC drug war probe
THE Philippine government will never cooperate with any investigation conducted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) into President Rodrigo Duterte’s war against illegal drugs, according to Malacañang. Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque on Tuesday, June 15, stressed that the chief executive will not cooperate with ICC until the end of his term next year. “Hinding-hindi magko-cooperate…
Being vaccinated doesn’t mean you must go maskless
By Bernard J. Wolfson / Kaiser Health News FOR more than a year, public health officials have repeatedly told us that masks save lives. They’ve warned us to keep our distance from our neighbors, who’ve morphed into disease vectors before our eyes. Now they are telling us that if we’re vaccinated, we no longer need…
Covered California health plans: The best deal in health care
The base fare for a bus ride on Los Angeles Metro is $1.75. A ride from Oakland to San Francisco on BART, the San Francisco-Bay Area rapid transit system can cost upwards of $3.70 one way. The base fare for a bus ride on Los Angeles Metro is $1.75. A ride from Oakland to San…
[OPINION] California has reopened! The reward of strict safety measures, intensive vaccine rollout and people thinking of the greater good
A LIFETIME AGO! That is how 16 months feel since the coronavirus pandemic disrupted and turned our lives upside down. This is especially true for California — home to the greatest number of Filipinos outside of the Philippines. Just when former President Donald Trump was still in the state of denial about the threat of…
[COLUMN] Grounds for annulling a marriage
MOST couples that want out of a marriage in California usually file for Divorce. There are circumstances though that allow a couple to have their marriage “voided” rather than “dissolved.” There is a big difference between the two concepts. With a voided marriage, it restores the couple to status of unmarried person as if they…
[COLUMN] Multilevel marketing 101: What you need to know
BECAUSE times are tough, many are looking for ways to cope financially. Job growth in many U.S. industries has ground to a halt. Yet in good and bad times, there are many offers of opportunities to make money in multilevel marketing and direct sales organizations that depend on a network of people (bodies) to push…
[OPINION] Public opinion fools?
If the Pulse Asia survey is to be believed, the next president of the Philippines will be another Duterte or another Marcos. And Vice President Leni Robredo has as much chance of winning the presidency as a Pinoy basketball team would have to become NBA champion. Pulse Asia, as is well known, is a professional…
[COLUMN] Darren Espanto takes on more mature look, music style
AFTER seven years in the music industry, singer Darren Espanto is ready to take on a more mature look and music style that will be showcased in his comeback concert. According to an article in the Philippine Star, the former 2014 Voice Kids runner-up is all set to show that he has grown up from…
Labor Department issues emergency rules to protect health care workers from COVID
LABOR Department officials on Thursday, June 10 announced a temporary emergency standard to protect health care workers, saying they face “grave danger” in the workplace from the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The new standard would require employers to remove workers who have covid-19 from the workplace, notify workers of covid exposure at work and strengthen requirements…
[OPINION] Tourists or tourrorists?
Congressman Andrew Scott Clyde, a Republican, is not stupid. He is a successful businessman on top of being the representative to the U.S. Congress for the 9th congressional district of Georgia. Clyde has impressive academic credentials, having graduated cum laude from Bethel College and having earned a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from the University…
Filipino parents, business owners weigh in on masks, social distancing ahead of CA reopening
WITH the grand reopening day of California less than a week away, Californians may start to feel that life is back-to-normal after more than a year of coronavirus-related lockdowns and restrictions. After 15 months of public health restrictions and wavering instructions from officials, the state-mandated COVID-19 guidelines will come to an end on Tuesday, June…
California orgs take measures to increase vaccinations for seniors, people with disabilities
CALIFORNIA organizations are taking action to provide accessibility and education on coronavirus vaccines for senior citizens and those with disabilities in an effort to increase vaccination rates among the groups. The California Department of Aging and California Commission on Aging are rolling out services to get more senior citizens and those who are homebound vaccinated…