THE assessment of the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) prosecutor on the Philippines’ war against drugs is “legally erroneous,” Malacañang said on Tuesday, December 15. “Obviously, we do not agree with her. It’s legally erroneous dahil mayroon po tayong minimum gravity na required. Hindi po lahat ng krimen ay nililitis sa ICC (because we have the…
‘A DAY WORTH CELEBRATING’ GOV. Phil Murphy and Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli marked the historic beginning of New Jersey’s vaccination effort on Tuesday morning, Dec. 15 at University Hospital in Newark, and witnessed the administration of the first COVID-19 vaccinations to the state’s frontline health care workers. Maritza Beniquez, an emergency room nurse, became the…
THE Filipino community in New York and the entire US Northeast officially started their Christmas celebration with the lighting of the colorful parols and the Simbang Gabi sa Konsulado (Night Mass) at the Philippine Center in New York City on 3 December 2020. Every year, the Philippine Center decorates its windows and lobby with parols (traditional Christmas lanterns) and handcrafted items…
ACTOR Richard Yap, who became widely recognized for his roles in primetime soaps, recently signed a management contract with GMA Artist Center, transitioning to become a Kapuso artist after spending the past decade as a Kapamilya, according to a story on PEP.ph. Known to fans as “Sir Chief” (Be Careful With My Heart) and “Papa…
COVID-19 Update Worldwide: nearly 74 million cases, with almost 1.7 million deaths; the Philippines: about 452,000 and 9,000 deaths; the United States: around 17 million cases and 310,000 deaths. Last Saturday, there were almost 200,000 cases, with about 1,400 deaths in one day in the U.S. The first-dose supply of the FDA-approved Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine against…
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) recently announced “Operation Broken Promise,” targeting for arrest and removal/deportation those aliens who were in removal proceedings and promised to voluntarily leave the U.S. (instead of being ordered deported), but never left. So far, ICE has arrested hundreds of individuals who accepted voluntary departure but failed to depart. “Voluntary…
San Mateo, Santa Cruz, Napa and Solano face new restrictions A TOTAL of 47 California counties are now under the regional stay-at-home order that limits nonessential businesses and activities after the Bay Area’s intensive care capacity dropped to 12.9%. Under the state’s mandate announced earlier this month, a region will go under a stay-at-home order 24…
Multi-year program opens eligibility to small businesses owned by black, indigenous and people of color NEW YORK – Comcast Corporation (NASDAQ: CMCSA) recently announced the first round of Comcast RISE award recipients — over 700 businesses will receive consulting, media and creative production services from Effectv, the advertising sales division of Comcast Cable, or technology upgrades from…
LOS Angeles County, which has been the epicenter of the coronavirus spread in California, received a glimmer of hope this week as vaccines against COVID-19 arrived. Five health care workers at Kaiser Permanente Medical Center in Los Angeles were among the first in the county and state on Monday, December 14 to receive doses of…
IT’S been over 10 months since the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic, and the virus is still raging. The situation may not be as bleak as before, with the promise of two vaccines coming to provide some hope, but we’re still far from the “normal” life we were once used to. As it…
DEMOCRAT Joe Biden is the next president of the United States after the Electoral College formalized his victory over President Donald Trump this week. Voting 306 to 232, the members of the Electoral College met on Monday, December 14, to cast their ballots. The votes will be sent to Congress to be counted formally during…
NINETY SIX more Filipinos have contracted the coronavirus around the world, bringing the official tally to 12,446, the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) reported on Tuesday, December 15. Of the total figure, 3,516 are currently undergoing treatment. The agency also recorded 37 new recoveries, which raises the official number of recovered and discharged patients…
THE relationship between the Philippines and the United States will stay the same under the administration of President-elect Joe Biden, Philippine Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said. In a Laging Handa public briefing on Friday, December 11, he maintained that the PH-U.S. ties would “generally be the same as always,” despite the possibility of “a few…
A Filipina American community leader will serve as the mayor pro tem of Artesia, California for the coming year. The Artesia City Council appointed Councilmember Melissa Ramoso as the city’s second-in-command during its virtual meeting on Monday, December 14, marking a series of firsts in the local leadership — as an Asian American and Pacific…
Top Filipino artists plan to sing for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital to help end childhood cancer Calling all amateur singers who love caroling and wish to participate in the opportunity of a lifetime during the holiday season of giving. Several top Filipino artists plan to lend their voices in a virtual karaoke for St….
The United States Supreme Court has twice denied the desperate efforts of Donald Trump to overturn the election of Joe Biden as president and Kamala Harris as vice president, respectively. Even before the elections, Trump had warned, without any basis, that the only way he could lose to Biden was if the Democrats cheated. Thus,…
“… He opened his swollen eyes slightly seemingly regaining consciousness. The man moaned asking where he was. Then he drifted out once more…” JOSHUA hurried outside the inn to the courtyard. A stranger summoned him for help. He had a mule tethered to a post. A badly beaten, wounded man who looked half-dead was splayed…
FOLLOWING the rule of law as set forth by the Constitution, January 20, 2021 marks a new chapter in the history of the United States when President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris will be sworn in to lead the nation in building back better from the rubbles and ashes of the Trump presidency….
Among Filipinos, there are certain things you don’t talk about that the community has deemed shameful, or nakakahiya. Chief among these topics include mental and emotional health, and even though there have been significant breakthroughs destigmatizing these complex issues, there’s still so much to unpack and specific areas that are still continually swept under the…
By Melandrew Velasco A popular topic next year aside from the COVID-19 vaccine will be the 2022 presidential elections. Today, months prior to the filing of Certificates of Candidacy in October 2021, many names have been floated around to succeed President Rodrigo Duterte. In the recent issue of BizNews Magazine, publisher Tony Lopez listed several…
The 18th Archdiocesan Simbang Gabi kicks off this week! Join and celebrate the start of Simbang Gabi 2020 at the Archdiocese of Los Angeles via livestream thru Facebook at Cathedral of our Lady of the Angels and YouTube: olacathedral on Tuesday, Dec. 15, 2020 at 6:30 p.m. Most Reverend Jose H. Gomez, Archbishop of Los Angeles,…
One of the most highly anticipated films in competition for the online edition of the Metro Manila Film Festival this holiday season is Father Suarez, The Healing Priest/ Joven Tan directs, screenplay by Bernard Canabral with Saranggola Media Productions as its producers. The film focuses on the life of Fernando Suarez, particularly the struggles and…
Armi Lopez Garcia, CEO of Cebu-based Tablea Chocolate, was recently elected National Chairperson of the Philippine Cacao Industry Development Council, December 9, 2020. Currently, the Chairperson of the Central Visayas Regional Cacao Industry Council, Garcia was unanimously elected National Chairperson by all Regional Cacao Development Councils from all over the Philippines, in absentia, to succeed…
SOME 320 days have passed since the first reported case of the COVID-19 in California was confirmed on Jan. 26. Most people rebuffed the acuteness of the news, believing it to be another passing viral fancy that won’t reach critical levels, similar to the Ebola crisis of the previous decade. Then, reports of hundreds of…
A FILIPINA American was sworn in at the beginning of December as the mayor of Sierra Madre, California. Rachelle Arizmendi, who has served on the City Council since 2014, is tasked with leading Sierra Madre in the top role for the next year after being appointed by fellow councilmembers. “I am grateful for the support…
“The California Fair Pay Act (aka the Equal Pay Act) prohibits an employer from paying any of its employees wage rates that are less than what it pays employees of the opposite sex, or of another race, or of another ethnicity, for substantially similar work, when viewed as a composite of skill, effort, and responsibility,…
LAST Monday, a parishioner asked me to administer the Sacrament of Anointing to his brother, who is suffering from cancer. So after celebrating the eighty-thirty Mass that morning, I asked our seminarian intern, Hiew, to drive me to the sick man’s apartment in the LA area by Historic Filipinotown. As we passed the 101 Freeway…
AS I write this article, the country’s economic outlook is grim. The governor just ordered another shutdown of “non-essential businesses” who have already suffered significant financial losses since the pandemic started early this year. A lot of workers are getting laid off again by business owners who must shut their doors until being told it…
