‘Heartbroken by these murders’: AAPI community activists, leaders react to deadly Atlanta shooting
ASIAN American and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs) across the country are reeling after eight people, including six Asian women, were shot dead at three Atlanta-area massage parlors. The March 16 victims of the Cherokee County shooting were identified as Delaina Ashley Yaun, 33, of Acworth; Paul Andre Michels, 54, of Atlanta; Xiaojie Tan, 49, of Kennesaw;…
Filipino Chinese man attacked during lunch break in San Francisco
AFTER almost a year of working from home, Danilo Yuchang returned to his company’s office in downtown San Francisco for the first time on Monday, March 15. At around 1:45 p.m., the 59-year-old travel agent, who also goes by Danny, was walking along Market Street during his lunch break when a man approached him from…
PH to suspend entry of foreigners, non-OFW returnees starting March 20
IN an attempt to curb the rising cases of COVID-19 and its variants in the country, the Philippine government is temporarily barring the entry of foreign nationals and Filipinos. The National Task Force Against COVID-19 (NTF COVID-19) on Tuesday, March 16, released a memorandum announcing that the travel ban would start on Saturday, March 20,…
Filipino Americans celebrate 500 years of Catholicism
In celebration of the “500 Years of Catholic Evangelization in the Philippines,” members of the Filipino-American community and the Filipino Clergy of the Diocese of Oakland celebrated Novena Masses hosted by different parishes across the diocese. St. Albert the Great had the honor of hosting a Mass last March 12. Together with Fr. Joseph and Fr….
Tax Day for individuals extended to May 17: Treasury, IRS extend filing and payment deadline
WASHINGTON — The Treasury Department and Internal Revenue Service announced on Wednesday, March 17 that the federal income tax filing due date for individuals for the 2020 tax year will be automatically extended from April 15, 2021, to May 17, 2021. The IRS will be providing formal guidance in the coming days. “This continues to…
PH human rights situation worsened amid pandemic – int’l watchdog
THE human rights situation in the Philippines has gotten worse since last year, according to international rights watchdog Investigate PH. In a 198-page report submitted to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) on Tuesday, March 16, Investigate PH found that there is a “deepening human rights crisis in the…
[COLUMN] Maricel Soriano gives acting tips when asked by co-stars
DIAMOND star Maricel Soriano, or Marya as she is fondly called in the Philippine entertainment industry, just finished her taping duties for the Kapamilya series, “Ang Sa Iyo Ay Akin.” Recently, she has been sporting a slimmer figure and seems to be happy and contented, according to a recent article in the Philippine Star. In…
[COLUMN] COVID-19 updates
ITALY, “the first western country to be severely hit by the COVID-19 pandemic is also the first nation to face a third wave of COVID-19 and now re-imposing a strict nationwide lockdown a year and more than one hundred thousand deaths later.” There has been six weeks of increasing COVID-19 cases, attributed to people lowering…
[COLUMN] New hope for CSPA age out children
THE Child Status Protection Act (CSPA) is complex, confusing, and can be extremely frustrating. During my 40 years of practicing law, I always encounter cases where a child may have been petitioned many years before their 21st birthday, but by the time their visa is available (or priority date is current), they have aged out….
[OBITUARY] In Loving Memory of Manuel Pineda Macapinlac, M.D., Ph.D. (January 2, 1931-March 6, 2021)
MANUEL PINEDA MACAPINLAC, M.D., Ph.D. at 90 years old joined his Creator at 6:06 a.m. on March 6, 2021. Dr. Macapinlac was born on January 2, 1931 in Minalin, Pampanga. He earned his medical degree at the University of the Philippines in 1955. He went on to study biochemistry at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee,…
Stop AAPI Hate: Nearly 3,800 anti-Asian hate incidents reported across US since start of pandemic
503 incidents in first 2 months of 2021 alone; 7.9% of total reports came from Fil-Ams, Stop AAPI Hate finds NEARLY 3,800 hate incidents have been self-reported by Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs) — including approximately 8% of reports coming from Filipinos — across the country since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, according…
AAPI Democrats endorse Fil-Am Nani Coloretti to lead Office of Management and Budget
Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Democratic leaders are urging President Joe Biden to nominate Filipina American Nani Coloretti to lead the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) amid concerns over the lack of AAPI representation in his Cabinet. This comes after controversial pick Neera Tanden, who is Indian American, withdrew her nomination as budget…
Bay Area man charged with hate crime in sexual assault against Filipina medical worker
A San Francisco man was arrested and charged with a hate crime for attacking and sexually assaulting a Filipina American woman in a Caltrain station in San Jose last week, the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office said. The victim, a 26-year-old Filipina medical worker named Tiffany who didn’t want her last name released, told…
DOH: New COVID-19 variant found in PH
A NEW COVID-19 variant called P.3 has been found in the Philippines, the country’s Department of Health (DOH) confirmed Saturday, March 13. “The (Philippine Genome Center) previously detected 85 cases with a unique set of mutations, including both E484K and N501Y mutations. Upon verification with the Phylogenetic Assignment of Named Global Outbreak Lineages (PANGOLIN), the…
Metro Manila under curfew until March 31
ON top of its general community quarantine status, Metro Manila has implemented a curfew until the end of March in an effort to curb the recent spike in COVID-19 cases in the capital region. The curfew, which took effect on Monday, March 15, will be observed daily from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. It will…
[COLUMN] An old tale on self-absorption (Conclusion of 2 parts)
“Vanity of vanities; ALL is vanity.” — From Ecclesiastes (Continued from last week’s issue …) Poor Echo! Her heart broke into a million little pieces. Beauty and light dissolved into darkness for her until nothing held any meaning. Refusing food and drink, Echo grew pale and consumptive and faded away, leaving only her far-off voice…
Los Angeles County relaxes COVID restrictions with move into red tier
LOS Angeles County this week gave the green light for several businesses and activities to operate indoors, including restaurants, gyms and movie theaters, as it moved into the less restrictive red tier under California’s reopening plan. As of Monday, March 15 — a year after the county’s first COVID-19 related health order — restaurants could…
Island Pacific condemns recent surge of hate crimes against Asian American community
Island Pacific is a supermarket chain that caters to all communities however considers the Filipino American and Asian American as their biggest demographic of loyal shoppers. With the current anti-Asian American hate crimes proliferating in this pandemic, Island Pacific stands united to protect and serve the Asian American communities against bigotry and hate due to…
[COLUMN] Stuck in debt during the pandemic? Here’s how bankruptcy can help
MOST debt problems don’t go away and solve themselves. They are there when you go to bed at night, and they’re still there when you get up in the morning. They can cause a lot of ulcers, sleepless nights, stress and even physical sickness. As a bankruptcy attorney for the last 22 years, I have…
[COLUMN] So you’re vaccinated against COVID. Now what?
By Bernard J. Wolfson / Kaiser Health News As you surely know, this country’s COVID vaccination effort has been plagued by major birth pangs: registration snafus, poor communication, faulty data and a scant supply of vaccine — all exacerbated by inequitable allocation, alleged political favoritism and unseemly jockeying for shots. Still, over 100 million shots…
CA launches rent relief program for tenants, landlords
CALIFORNIA has announced the launch of a statewide COVID-19 rent relief program, intended to help income-eligible households pay rent and utilities, both for arrears and future payment. Supported by the Federal Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021, the CA COVID-19 Rent Relief provides financial assistance to income-qualified tenants experiencing housing instability and provides rent reimbursement to…
Pope Francis celebrates 500 years of Christianity in the Philippines
POPE Francis on Sunday, March 14 led a Holy Mass commemorating the 500 years of Christianity in the Philippines. Held at St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, the Mass was attended by several members of the Filipino Church including Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, and Cardinal Angelo De…
Vatican says Catholic Church can’t bless same-sex unions
THE Catholic Church does not have the power to bless same-sex unions despite their “positive elements,” the Vatican said Monday, March 15. The Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith (CDF) issued a formal response to a question about whether the Church has the authority to bless gay unions, answering “negative.” Signed by Cardinal Luis…
[OPINION] It’s COVID-19 vaccine season. What are the options?
YES! President Joe Biden has announced that by May 1, ALL adults in the United States will already be eligible to be vaccinated against COVID-19. This is made possible by the government’s expedited procurement of vaccines to help save lives and protect us as we safely move toward “normalcy” and build our life and our…
Fil-Am hoop star DJ Mitchell catches his elusive March Madness dream
March Madness is upon us and sports fans across the country are excited after missing out on the tournament last year due to the pandemic. A total of 68 men’s college basketball teams will be in Indianapolis to duke it out for the championship. For DeRohn “DJ” Mitchell, Jr., a Black and Filipino American guard on the…