Next to hope
IT didn’t feel like Christmas last Friday with all the depressing news we heard about the pandemic. The headlines blared with the high death toll, the continuous rise of infections,…
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Trump criticizes Congress’ COVID-19 relief bill, demands amendments, bigger checks
A MONTH before he’s set to step down, President Donald Trump once again is putting party loyalty to the test as he demands amendments to the $900 billion COVID-19 relief…
[OPINION] COVID-19 cautionary tales from our social circle
During the initial pandemic wave of the spring and summer, we were lucky not to have anyone within our family and social circle get COVID-19. But during the current wave,…
Fil-Am attorney appointed mayor pro tem of Claremont, CA
A Filipino American attorney will serve as the mayor pro tem of Claremont, California for the coming year. Jed Leano, an immigration lawyer who was elected to the City Council in…
LA County warns residents of potential COVID-19 vaccine scams
WITH the arrival of COVID-19 vaccines in Los Angeles County, officials are warning residents to be aware of individuals offering to administer the vaccine in exchange for money. “If someone…
PH ranks third with most journalists killed in 2020, new report finds
THE Philippines ranks among the countries with the most retaliatory killings of journalists in 2020, the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) said in a new report. Globally, at…
Año: Nuezca will ‘rot in jail’ after deadly viral incident
PHILIPPINE Interior Secretary Eduardo Año on Wednesday, December 23, assured that Police Senior M/Sgt. Jonel Nuezca would face the full force of the law for shooting a mother and son…
Judy Ann Santos bags Luna trophy for ‘Mindanao’
KAPAMILYA actress Judy Ann Santos-Agoncillo once again proved her mettle by bagging the Best Actress trophy in the recent Luna Awards held on December 18 for the movie “Mindanao.” The…
NVC erroneously sending notices to Filipinos on visa availability
DEAR Attorney Gurfinkel: I was born in the Philippines, and in 2015 my mother petitioned me in the F-2B category (unmarried adult child of immigrant). Recently, I received a “Notice…
LA County’s immigrant services ‘from the womb to the tomb’
By Mark Hedin, Ethnic Media Services Los Angeles County officials from the Office of Immigrant Affairs, Department of Consumer and Business Affairs and Department of Health Services met ethnic media…
US Congress passes $900B COVID-19 stimulus package
FOLLOWING months of inaction, the United States Congress on late Monday, Dec. 22, passed the long-awaited stimulus package that includes $600 in direct payments to millions of American taxpayers as well…
Duterte on Tarlac shooter: Lock him up
PHILIPPINE President Rodrigo Duterte has condemned the police officer who shot a mother and son dead in Paniqui, Tarlac. In a taped speech, Duterte said Police Senior M/Sgt. Jonel Nuezca…
PH to raise age of consent from 12 to 16
THE Philippines is set to raise the age of sexual consent from 12 years old to 16 years old. According to a recent report by Agence France-Presse (AFP), the country…
Black Fil-Am Raiders player Josh Jacobs named to 2021 NFL Pro Bowl
LAS Vegas Raiders running back Josh Jacobs has been named to the 2021 NFL Pro Bowl roster. The NFL on Monday, December 21, announced its 2021 AFC Pro Bowl roster,…
[OBITUARY] Perla Puzon, 80
PERLA Salva Puzon joined her Creator on December 3 at the age of 80 after suffering from complications associated with COVID-19 at 10:06 a.m. at the St. Joseph Medical Center…
[OPINION] Missing Pasko
MY wife and I would have wanted to spend this Christmas in the Philippines, but unfortunate circumstances prevented a trip. First of all, there is COVID-19 and the quarantine protocol…
LA County plugs in health care gaps as COVID-19 surges
By Mark Hedin, Ethnic Media Services With the COVID pandemic setting new records almost daily for the number of people dying or hospitalized, Los Angeles County officials met with ethnic…
[OPINION] Fil-Am elected officials to Gov. Newsom: Appoint Assemblymember Rob Bonta as California Attorney General
[Editor’s note: On December 18, 2020, several current and former Filipino American elected officials sent a letter to California Governor Gavin Newsom endorsing Assemblymember Rob Bonta as the state’s attorney…
How Max and Lucy’s revived a family ensaymada recipe
Part I of a series on love-leavened Fil-Am small businesses Minyong Ordoñez, a Filipino anthropologist, wrote that the Filipino culture defines Filipino identity as [something] that “manifests goodness and virtues,…
DFA sees spike in COVID-19 infections among Filipinos around the globe
The Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) is observing another spike in COVID-19 infections among overseas Filipinos as 198 more individuals have contracted the virus. The new infections reported on…
Supreme Court rejects Trump challenge excluding undocumented immigrants from Census
The U.S. Supreme Court has dismissed a lawsuit challenging the Trump administration’s plan to exclude undocumented immigrants from the calculations used to allocate seats in the House of Representatives. “At present,…
Fil-Am groups host blood, bone marrow donor registration drive in Historic Filipinotown
IN the spirit of giving and bayanihan, Filipino American organizations on Thursday, December 17 held a blood donation and bone marrow registration drive in Los Angeles’ Historic Filipinotown for a…
COVID-19: New strain?
A NEW, 70 percent more rapidly transmissible, strain of SARS-CoV2 (COVID-19) have been detected in up to three-fourths of cases in the United Kingdom today. PM Boris Johnson has ordered…
Stay-at-home order ‘very likely’ to be extended for certain California regions
GOING into the holiday week, California is still hitting record COVID-19 numbers, signaling that restrictions could remain in place into the new year. Governor Gavin Newsom earlier this week said…
LA County surpasses 600K virus cases heading into holiday week
Places of worship permitted to hold modified indoor services DAYS before Christmas, Los Angeles County reached another grim milestone of hitting over 600,000 positive cases since the pandemic began. Based…
PH Consulate in LA closed until Jan. 2021 due to at least 1 COVID case among staff
THE Philippine Consulate General in Los Angeles will temporarily shut down operations for the rest of the year following at least one confirmed COVID-19 case among its personnel. The Consulate…
Dissecting the classic Noche Buena spread
IF the long list of Christmas trends and traditions was any indication, Filipinos love celebrating the yuletide season. Be it decorating the house with lanterns and ornaments as early as…
A Christmas Story: The Innkeeper’s untold tale
“As he told the story of that wondrous night to Luke, Joshua carefully removed himself from the narrative. It was to be between him and God alone.” JOSHUA was excited…