As the Biden-Harris administration pledges diverse staffing to reflect the country, several individuals of Filipino descent have been named to key roles to help shape policies across the federal government. The latest Filipino American to join the new leadership is Michael George, who has dedicated his career examining how policy can improve social mobility and reduce…
THE Philippine economy is in “bad shape” and “sinking deeper and deeper” due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, President Rodrigo Duterte admitted this week. “Ang ekonomiya natin, mga kababayan ko, is masama talaga. Biro mo naman ilang tao ang walang trabaho, the economy of the Philippines is really in bad shape (The economy, my countrymen,…
There is no doubt that the government’s infrastructure program today is unprecedented in the country’s post EDSA history. The projects that have been accomplished including those are underway will surely shape how our country will fare in the years to come. Now that the franchise to the Bulacan international airport has been granted to San…
THE Philippines ranked 55th out of 167 countries in a global democracy index report released by London-based think tank The Economist Intelligence Unit on Wednesday, February 3. Previously, the country ranked 54th in 2019, 53rd in 2018, and 51st in 2017. In the Democracy Index 2020, the Philippines recorded an average score of 6.56, after…
Filipino American community leader Wilfredo “Jing” Espiritu passed away after a battle with COVID-19 last January 31 in Las Vegas, Nevada. He was 71 years old. His decades-long work with the National Federation of Filipino American Associations (NaFFAA) and with the Filipino American/AAPI community touched the lives of many, the organization said in a statement. Espiritu…
THE Biden-Harris administration is well underway with putting its policies into place, but celebrations of the new leadership and record voter turnout in the 2020 election haven’t stopped. The Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community virtually attended the Presidential Pearl Gala on Thursday, January 28, featuring a lineup of remarks from Vice President Kamala…
2020 was a tough year. Between the pandemic and the economic crisis, we all had our hands full. And scammers didn’t take any time off either — 2020 was a busy year for fraud. In 2020, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) got more than 2.2 million reports about fraud, with people telling us they lost nearly…
Island Pacific is expanding its private label program by offering customers its own flavored condensed creamers. The supermarket now has a unique product that provides great taste and convenience. Customers wanting to experiment with authentic Philippine flavors will enjoy these new additions as these creamers are available in popular flavors that are unmistakably Filipino in…
THIS week, R&B artist H.E.R. garnered nominations for the Golden Globes and the 52nd NAACP Image Awards. The Grammy-winning singer on Wednesday, February 3 nabbed a Best Original Song – Motion Picture nomination for “Fight for You” from “Judas and the Black Messiah” alongside D’Mile and Tiara Thomas. “CAN’T BELIEVE I’M A GOLDEN GLOBE NOMINEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!…
Faulconer vows ‘California Comeback,’ focuses on millions of children and families left behind by Newsom’s broken promises LOS ANGELES – Kevin Faulconer, former two-term mayor of San Diego, officially kicked off his campaign for Governor of California on Monday, February 1. Outside two schools in Los Angeles, former Mayor Faulconer vowed to fight for a…
DUE to COVID-19 protocols, the nominations for outstanding and high-achieving U.P. Alumni, for the first Alumni Awards Program of The University of the Philippines Alumni Association of Greater Los Angeles (UPAAGLA) has been extended until midnight of February 15, 2021. UPAAGLA aims to identify and recognize the contributions of exceptional U.P. alumni in the Greater…
Both properties among first hotels and resorts in the world to achieve this designation SAN DIEGO – Sycuan Casino Resort and Singing Hills Golf Resort at Sycuan are proud to announce that both properties are among the first hotels in the world to become Sharecare Health Security VERIFIED® with Forbes Travel Guide. The comprehensive facility verification helps…
First dose administered to Operation Shelter to Home residents 65 or older SAN DIEGO – In a key development that will expand access to the lifesaving COVID-19 vaccine, Mayor Todd Gloria announced on Tuesday, February 2 that the City of San Diego has been authorized to receive shipments of doses and administer them to eligible…
THE number of San Diegans wanting to be vaccinated against the novel coronavirus significantly exceeds the total doses that have been shipped to the region to date. That’s why County health officials are urging San Diegans to be patient and get vaccinated when it’s their turn. The County has opened four vaccination super stations and operates…
Pancit is the general name of Filipino noodle dishes. And when “Canton” is added to it, it conjures yellowish noodles that hint of eggs added when making it. Ingredients added vary from kitchen to kitchen, according to availability and flavor preference. Ingredients 2 tbsp Crisco vegetable oil 1 small onion chopped 2 garlic cloves minced 100…
THE Filipino United Network-USA (FUN-USA), a United States humanitarian foundation, is expanding its network from the East to Las Vegas as it continues to pursue its objective of saving the lives of countless disenfranchised Filipinos languishing in the gutter of poverty in the Philippines. FUN-USA started on a bright and sunny morning on September 22,…
By Jenylyn Carpio My name is Jenylyn Carpio and I’m a sudden cardiac arrest survivor. In July 2005, I was 22 years old and a brand new mom to a baby girl, and on the afternoon of July 11, my life changed. I was visiting my mom in San Diego with my daughter. Being new…
California will open COVID-19 community vaccination sites in Oakland and Los Angeles later this February as part of a pilot project with the Biden-Harris administration. The pilot sites will be located at the Oakland-Alameda Coliseum and California State University, Los Angeles as part of the new administration’s pledge to establish 100 vaccination sites nationwide as part…
By Sunita Sohrabji/Ethnic Media Services contributing editor The upcoming Lunar New Year and Super Bowl Sunday are both potential COVID super-spreader events, warned Dr. Mark Ghaly, secretary of California’s Health and Human Services department. The state experienced a COVID surge after Thanksgiving last year, pushing hospitals and intensive care units to the brink after people…
Inspiration4 mission will be commanded by tech entrepreneur and pilot Jared Isaacman who donates all crew seats and invites the public to participate LOS ANGELES – Plans for the world’s first all-civilian mission to space were announced on Monday, February 1 from SpaceX’s headquarters in Hawthorne, CA. The mission is being targeted for the fourth quarter of this…
GOV. Phil Murphy announced on Wednesday, Feb. 3 an executive order that relaxes indoor dining restrictions in the state. Murphy lifted the 10 p.m. indoor dining ban that has been in place since November and announced that due to statewide case totals and hospitalizations trending downward in the past three weeks, indoor dining capacity is expanded…
FLAG carrier Philippine Airlines (PAL) is expected to lay off 2,300 jobs in mid-March as the airline weathers the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on travel demand. The cuts represent about 30% of its workforce, including both voluntary separations and involuntary retrenchment, the company announced on Tuesday, February 2. “This has been an extremely difficult and…
RAPPLER co-founder and chief executive officer Maria Ressa has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for 2021 by Norwegian labor leader and parliamentary representative Jonas Gahr Støre. “Filipino Maria Ressa heads Rappler, a website for investigative and investigative journalism. Prior to founding Rappler in 2012, she worked for CNN in Asia, where she specifically…
FILIPINO American actor Darren Criss will be joining the upcoming 20th season of “The Voice,” premiering on March 1. NBC on Monday, February 1, announced that Criss will be one of this season’s Battle Advisors, picked by Coach Nick Jonas. Criss took to Instagram to express his thanks for being Jonas’ choice. “I know I…
THE COVID-19 pandemic has altered people’s lifestyles in the past year. With the shifting pandemic guidelines, many have had to follow the most basic ones, which include wearing face masks, doing social distancing and avoiding crowds or not mingling with people other than those in their households. In the world of sports, that has meant…
INTERNATIONALLY known Filipino Broadway star and singer Lea Salonga will celebrate her 50th birthday on Friday, February 22 and heads a bevy of prominent personalities celebrating their birthday in February, the month of love. Lea Salonga, born on February 22, 1971, is best known for starring in the lead role of Kim in the musical…
ONE of the greatest inventions of the man inspired by the desire to share information is the internet. The impetus started in the 1960s “as a way for government researchers to share information.” The initial computer was a humongous, immobile unit the size of an entire room. On January 1, 1983, the internet was born,…
ON February 2, 2021, Pres. Biden issued several additional Executive Orders (EO) on immigration. They include: (a) establishing a task force to reunify families separated at the border; (b) developing a strategy to address the irregular migration across the southern border, including a plan for safe, lawful, and orderly migration to the U.S.; and (c)…
